The Gita is your rolling robot porter

Though robots are increasingly making their way into factories, offices and even airports, they’re still not something you’d encounter walking down a city street — and definitely not in a way that’s personally useful to you. We’d all love to have our own personal BB-8 droid to follow us around and help get things done, but so far we’ve had to settle for robotic vacuums and airport greeters. Piaggio Fast Forward promises to bring us a bit closer to that science fiction reality with its new smart cargo vehicle, the Gita. It’s relatively small, attractive and can follow you everywhere, ready to lend a hand when you’ve taken on too much to carry.

The Gita (pronounced “jee-ta”) is the first project from Fast Forward, a new offshoot from the larger Piaggio Group. Unless you’re a big scooter enthusiast, you might not immediately recognize that name. However, you’re most certainly familiar with the company’s most famous product, the Vespa. First sold in 1946 and popularized in films like Roman Holiday, Vespas have a reputation for being cute, sleek and stylish.

Piaggio’s decades of design expertise are immediately apparent in the carbon body of each Gita unit. It’s 22 inches tall, with the smooth, shiny surface broken only by the large rubber treads and the assortment of cameras that help the Gita navigate. There’s a small compartment accessed via the hatch on top, which can carry up to 40 pounds. At a demonstration I attended this week, I easily stowed my work backpack and its contents inside one of the units. All told, the length of the storage unit was enough to lay my 14-inch notebook down with room to spare around the edges, and I could have easily stacked more laptops and books on top of it, plus my DSLR.

For larger loads, Piaggio’s been working on a larger sibling called the Kilo. It’s more than twice as long with an open bay and can handle up to 200 pounds. The Kilo is intended for delivery people, who can fill up the container with packages and have it follow them on their routes.

How exactly do the Gita and Kilo know where to go? They don’t use GPS — which is fine because the device is intended to work indoors as well as outdoors. Right now, there are two modes of basic operation. The Gita can follow a person wearing a special belt, which connects to the robot via WiFi. The belts are currently rough, bulky prototypes, with a cooling unit clearly visible inside the 3D-printed housing. The belt has cameras built in, which helps the Gita determine where exactly you’re going.

The Gita maintains a good distance while you’re walking or running, but will sidle up close once it’s determined you’ve stopped moving around. It’s not perfect just yet; during my demo the Gita seemed a little confused as to which direction it should face. But this is still an early version, with four to six months of testing ahead of it.

The other mode is Gita’s autonomous mode, where it will map out an area and journey to and fro on its own. This can be useful for letting it run errands — one of the current ideas is to have Gita do deliveries, only unlocking their compartments once they’ve reached the intended recipient. Gitas can also work together in a convoy, communicating with each other about their surroundings and traveling in a straight line like ducklings following their mother.

If the Gita doesn’t do much now, it’s understandable given the whirlwind nature of its development. I spoke to several employees of Piaggio Fast Forward, including hardware engineers and designers, and most of them had only been working there for four months or less. There’s no price or availability to speak of because the project still has a lot of testing ahead of it. The plan is to take the Gita to places like corporate campuses, hospitals and stores and see what use cases arise out of those situations. Chairman of the Board Michele Colaninno mentioned even asking his children what they’d like to see the Gita do — and after a half hour, they came back with a list of 40 options.

The sidewalk-bound Gita may seem a little unusual for a company that specializes in road vehicles. But Piaggio sees it as yet another way to increase people’s personal freedom and mobility — something its scooters do well in cities where automobile traffic and parking are big problems. Ideally, Piaggio would like a future where people don’t need cars and walk a lot more. And you might be willing to do just that if you have a lot less to carry.

Elon Musk says he put immigration ban on Trump council agenda

Elon Musk said he wasn’t about to join Uber’s CEO in quitting President Trump’s economic advisory council, and he’s sticking to his guns in the wake of a meeting on February 3rd. The Tesla founder claims that he managed to get the immigration ban discussed “first and foremost” on the meeting agenda where it wasn’t even going to be mentioned at all. He also notes that he “raised climate” once more. It’s not clear what the outcome of those talks was, but he maintains that his efforts are “doing good” and that it would be “wrong” to leave the council.

It’s hard to verify the claims without being privy to the content of council meetings (whose secrecy may be violating the law). However, GM’s Mary Barra tells TechCrunch that “environmental issues” did come up as part of the discussion. The question is: are any of these discussions making an impact? A judge’s temporary block on the immigration ban may have more of an immediate effect, and there are no signs that the White House will rethink attempts to suppress climate change science and prop up fossil fuels. Musk may put key issues on the table, but he can’t guarantee that Trump, Bannon and crew will change their minds.

As it stands, Musk faces the same risk that Uber’s chief did: staying on the council may pose a threat to his bottom line. Some Model 3 customers are cancelling their pre-orders in protest of Musk’s supposed friendliness to Trump. No matter how much Musk may believe in talking things out, he may have to quit if association with the President costs him both significant revenue and a tarnished brand image. Tesla can’t save the planet if people aren’t buying, after all.

In addition, I again raised climate. I believe this is doing good, so will remain on council & keep at it. Doing otherwise would be wrong.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 4, 2017

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter 1), (2)

Jawbone is reportedly leaving consumer for clinical wearables

It’s no secret that things haven’t been going well at Jawbone HQ. Last year, rumors came out that the company was halting the production of all its fitness trackers, and its customer service provider dropped it for unpaid services. Now a new report by TechCrunch says the wearable maker is fully abandoning consumer wearables to shift to the creation of products and services for clinicians and health care providers.

Jawbone is reportedly raising funds for the transition, and TC says it already collected as much as $951 million from big-name investors like JP Morgan. Unfortunately, it already spent almost all of that money “with very little to show in returns.”

The publication’s source explained that the consumer hardware space is just too challenging except for the biggest names in the business. Jawbone decided to make the switch because the existing companies with models it wants to follow have been doing well financially. “Every wearable company today will be posed with this question: Do I want to play in consumer and narrow margins, or healthcare and service and make incredible margins but with possibly a lot of upfront fixed cost,” the source said.

Jawbone hasn’t confirmed whether it’s truly adopting a B2B model, and its UP fitness trackers are still on its website. TC notes that the company has been silently selling its assets in the past few months, though — not to mention, it’s been a couple of years since it launched the latest UP variant. If Jawbone truly is abandoning its consumer wearable roots, then it probably determined that its future in the B2B industry is bigger than what Fitbit offered when it tried to buy the company.

Source: TechCrunch

Cube Knight: An entertaining mashup of different genres (review)

In a marketplace as big as the Play Store, it is really hard to get your app noticed. Numerous studies done throughout the years show that, unfortunately, there are a lot of apps that nobody knows about and that have never been downloaded (or have measly download numbers). This is good for the consumer since it means that developers have to innovate in order to get downloads.

However, in this app craze, it is easy to miss games that stay true to a proven formula but still manage to be of great quality. This is definitely the case of Cube Knight, by Bluehole, a game that could seem generic at first glance. However, after playing for some minutes, you will quickly realize that it packs an enjoyable and long-lasting game with several different elements that provides more depth than a big bunch of apps in the Play Store.

Developer: Bluehole
Price: Free

Setup

Controls are pretty straightforward.

As usual with games these days, Cube Knight connects immediately to Google Play Games in order to sync achievement and leaderboard information. The game doesn’t request any invasive permissions, which is always a good thing. After this, the game shows a small backstory and you dive right into your first fight.

Overview

The game will overlay a view with instructions of how you can control a character. Controls are pretty straightforward. To the left, you have a virtual joystick to move a character. To the right, you actually have another joystick, kind of. It is used to attack, and you can control the direction of it by pressing on different parts of the circle. If you want to perform your charge attack, then you can hold down the stick. Finally, there’s an Auto button, which shoots and focuses for you automatically.

Now, on to the action itself. Monsters come at you in waves. In order to clear a level, you have to kill all monsters in all waves. Some levels throw a boss at you at the end, making it a bit more complicated to finish. These monsters attack you in a variety of ways, from short range to long range to attacks similar to your charge attack, so there’s always a bit of strategy involved in order to avoid being killed.

The cards that appear in the middle of the fight add depth to the gameplay.

There is also a deck of cards that is shown to you after clearing a wave. These cards will let you improve different aspects of your character for the remainder of the level, such as attack power, maximum HP, barrier durability, etc. They’re a cool addition to the game and, in many levels, you have to think your choices through.

For example, if your HP is full, then you may want to increase attack power instead, but if you are at the beginning of a stage and your barrier HP is low, then improving your barrier would be wiser to prepare for the boss fight ahead.

After finishing any level, you are thrown to the top of a castle or something similar. This is the home of two shops, one for buying weapons and the other to buy defensive items. As you progress in the game, you will unlock new slots in order to construct new buildings.

These additions will have different effects on your gameplay, such as increasing the amount of coins you get at the end of a level, kingdom points, etc. When you upgrade buildings, their effects will also increase. In the case of shops, they will sell items of a higher level.

Speaking of coins, they’re the main currency of this game (as with so many games). You get them by clearing a level, by picking them after being dropped by monsters in the battlefield, or you can buy them with real money (through gems). With coins, you can buy new armor for your character.

The other type of currency in the game is gems. These are harder to get, but are very useful because they allow you to buy new characters, stronger weapons, more energy, and coins. This is the way the game gently asks you to spend stuff on it, but you can definitely progress without the need of gems, if that concerns you.

There are eight characters to choose from.

There are eight characters available in the game; four are possible to get with coins and the other four through gems only. The game lets you test the characters in a real-world simulation in order for you to decide if your hard-earned coins/gems are worth it. These characters offer a variety of attacks, from short to long range, blades to arrows, and one hit to multi-hit.

Also, charge attacks are different for each character, making them even more varied. There’s something for everyone here, and, when you get a new character, it almost feels like a completely new game.

There’s a energy bar that depletes when you play on a stage. If you empty this bar, you won’t be able to play until it replenishes by itself after a few hours, or you can pay with gems for the privilege of having it refilled immediately.

Also, there’s something you collect at the end of each level which is called Kingdom Points. This is how your “kingdom” levels up, which means that you will unlock new levels of buildings. There’s no other way of collecting Kingdom Points than fighting.

The difficulty of the game ramps up in a progressive manner. It never feels cheap or provoked. When you die, you can revive after viewing a 30-second ad. If you don’t want to see it, then you can restart the level. Even though it is a free game and there are a million places where the developer could have put ads, it decided not to overdo them, for the benefit of customers (and itself).

However, I feel like some aspects of the game are not presented correctly. For example, the cards that appear in the middle of the game say that they will increase your attack power, but it took a while for me to realize that it was only a temporary boost. The aspect of the energy bar seems tiny and irrelevant until you realize that your bar is depleted and you can’t play anymore. Otherwise, the variety of characters, enemies and boss fights is really enjoyable, provides a lot of replay value and keeps you from getting bored.

Graphics

Graphics are nice and all of the sprites follow the same design language.

The game features voxel graphics throughout all of its sprites. Unlike other games, this style is consistent throughout the game artwork-wise. However, the font it uses is normal-styled, which creates a bit of a conflict with the rest of the graphics

Anyways, the sprites all look good and have lots of colors. This make the whole battlefield very colorful and animated. Monsters sometimes are difficult to identify (as in “What the hell is that?”) but, once you get the hang of the game, you’ll start calling them “thing that throws arrows.” Sure, we would love to see a style other than voxel, which has been done by hundreds of games, but at least the graphics serve their function in a good way.

Sound

I love the music in this game. Many levels have nice background music, and it changes depending on the field you are fighting in. The boss background song is very dramatic and easily my favorite part of the soundtrack.

Sound effects are, in my opinion, best when you barely notice them, since that means they’re an addition to the game and not a distraction. That is the case in Cube Knight, where sound effects are to the point and effective.

Ads

There are four stages to choose from.

There are some ads present in the game, but most of them, if not all, are voluntary. There’s almost no instances of ads being shown without your consent. There are no full-screen video ads after finishing a level, which is absurdly common in games these days.

You can even use them to your advantage to revive when you get killed. Other than that, it is fairly uncommon to encounter ads, which, in my opinion, enhances the chance of me spending money in a game. Props to the developer for that.

Options

There are several options you can manage in the game. These include showing or hiding the tutorial, toggling the sound/FX, push notifications (which, if turned on, will nag you periodically about coming back to the game), and size of the controllers.

There’s also an option to change the display language, in case you don’t speak the Common Tongue. There’s no High Valyrian available, though.

Conclusion

Cube Knight manages to surprise with its fun, relaxed gameplay, while providing some depth that increases replay value. Some very minor flaws can be found, such as the font not corresponding to the graphics and some lack of information regarding some elements of the game, but overall, it manages to keep you entertained for long periods of time (or until you run out of energy). It also has the advantage of not requiring internet connection all the time in order to be played. If you fancy a shoot-’em-up game with medieval tone and RPG elements, then definitely go for Cube Knight.

Download and install Cube Knight from the Google Play Store.

How to play Steam games on PlayStation VR

Can I play PC games on my PSVR?

Sony’s entry into the virtual reality world has so far been a hit — their head-mounted display is as comfortable as they get, and the library of quality games continues to grow. For some of you, however, PlayStation VR games might not be enough. Besides, you have that enormous Steam library sitting there just begging to be played.

Thanks to the developers of Odd Sheep Games and their software, Trinus PSVR, you can now enjoy both VR and non-VR games from your Steam library on PSVR. If this is something you’ve always wanted to do, we’re here to show you how to get it all set up.

Read more at VR Heads!

Microsoft’s Surface Ergonomic Keyboard makes typing a pleasure

If you spend most of your days typing at a desk, it’s worth looking into an ergonomic keyboard. The traditional flat QWERTY keyboard design wasn’t designed with comfort in mind, and really, why should you be forced to live with an input interface originally designed for typewriters in the 1870s? Microsoft has been at the forefront of the ergonomic arena for the past few decades with its “Natural” keyboards, which split the QWERTY layout into two halves to make typing easier on your hands and wrists. And with its new wireless Surface Ergonomic Keyboard, Microsoft has delivered its best model yet.

Strangely enough, this new entry actually looks like a step backward from Microsoft’s last model, the Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard. Whereas that version had a futuristic look, with a large gap between its two sets of keys, the Surface Ergonomic Keyboard is fairly plain. Its light gray styling makes it fit in right alongside the Surface laptops and the Surface Studio desktop (hence the name). But while it looks a tad more traditional, it’s also the most refined Microsoft keyboard I’ve used when it actually comes to typing.

All of its keys are easy to reach, and there’s a nice amount of depth and resistive feedback with every button press. It’s also worth pointing out that the keys feel inviting as you lay your fingers on them, almost as if they’re asking you to start mashing on them. The Surface Ergonomic is also a surprisingly quiet keyboard, even for heavy typists like me, so it won’t annoy your office mates. And even though it’s made entirely out of plastic, it feels sturdier than its predecessor. (I attribute that to the fact that it doesn’t have a big, gaping hole right down the middle.)

Whenever I showed off the keyboard to my fellow Engadget editors, they couldn’t help but start fondling its palm rest. It’s made out of a soft material that feels smooth and comforting. There’s also plenty of cushioning on the palm rest, which should soothe your tired wrists.

The keyboard gets its ergonomic badge from its split key design, which cuts the traditional QWERTY layout down the middle. By having your hands rest at a more natural angle (hence the name of Microsoft’s early keyboards), the idea is that they’ll be less fatigued than if you have to contort them to fit a rectangular set of keys. The Surface Ergonomic also has a slight slope to it, which raises the keys slightly. I’ve used the keyboard to write several reviews and news posts, and I found that my wrists felt less stressed after lengthy typing sessions. For work, I mostly rely on my MacBook Air’s keyboard, which is among the better ones on a laptop, but I still noticed an appreciable difference.

I’ve been using these sorts of keyboards for years, so I had no problem getting started with the Surface Ergonomic. But if you’ve only ever used standard keyboards, it might take some getting used to. Your hands will have to retrain themselves, especially if you’re a dedicated touch typist. If you’re testing out an ergonomic keyboard for the first time, just give it some time instead of throwing up your hands in frustration. It’s worth the work, trust me.

My biggest issue with the Surface Ergonomic Keyboard is its high $130 price. I’m used to spending a bit of a premium for a high-end keyboard, but that’s still tough to swallow. You could snag Microsoft’s Sculpt Ergonomic, which also comes with a mouse, for around $80 today. And for most people, that will feel almost as good as this new model (plus its black design might blend more easily into your hardware).

If you’re a typing nerd like me who hasn’t yet fallen for the siren call of mechanical keyboards, and you don’t mind the high price, the Surface Ergonomic is worth a look. And if you do get one, just be sure to keep it safe from jealous desk neighbors.

Recommended Reading: Yves Béhar on design in age of AI

10 Principles For
Design In The
Age Of AI
Katharine Schwab,
Fast Company

In an age when artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of our lives, it’s important to have some guidelines to keep innovation focused. Designer Yves Béhar sat down with Fast Company to discuss just that, laying out 10 design principles that AI product makers should keep in mind.

Snapchat universal search is gateway to the best content, here’s how to use it

Snap recently introduced a major change to its visual messaging app, Snapchat. Universal search, the feature at the center of its latest update, is a marked improvement in terms of both layout and usability.

The complaint you hear the most in regards to Snapchat is that it makes life hard for new users due to its lack of guidance. The app has always lacked discovery options in the vein of a Twitter or Instagram’s Explore tab, not to mention Facebook’s apt-titled News Feed. With the introduction of universal search, however, navigation issues are a thing of the past — it’s just a shame the app remains restricted when it comes to other departments.

More: Everything you need to know about Snapchat Spectacles

The good news is that universal search is as self-explanatory as it gets. The feature amounts to a single search bar that runs the top of the app, allowing you to find great content in seconds. The bad news is that it doesn’t recommend any users to follow outside of your contacts, nor will it let you search through your chats or your media library in Memories. Hopefully, these features will be introduced in later updates.

With that in mind, here’s a detailed guide to all the things universal search can do. From finding Discover content from top publishers to adding friends, the new tool houses it all in a single — if not convenient — location.

Accessing Snapchat universal search

If you launch Snapchat as you would normally, you should see “search” in the upper-left corner. It will be positioned next to either a ghost (the iconic Snapchat logo) or your personal Bitmoji, if you’ve created one. The feature can also be accessed from the “chat” and “stories” sections of the app. Tap “search” and you’re good to go. Simple, right? Now, let’s get to the good stuff.

Don’t wing it: Here’s the best way to make chicken wings, according to science

Why it matters to you

Chances are good you’ll be making chicken wings this weekend, and getting a little science know-how can only make them taste better.

It’s Super Bowl weekend, and that means Americans will be making a staggering amount of chicken wings. There are lots of methods and endless recipes, but if you want to really make the ultimate, crispy wings, taking some science into account might help.

Spend some time around a chicken coop, and you’ll notice they’re not big on the flying. They can, but that limited wing use means their breasts and wings have lower levels of myoglobin compared to their thighs and legs. That myoglobin — a protein that helps deliver oxygen to muscles that are used for endurance — is what makes dark meat appear dark. Dark meat’s increased amount of fat and connective tissue means it needs more cooking time and higher heat. Breasts and wings — which are both white meat, according to the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky — should be treated a little differently when you’re cooking it.

The skin-ny

In Cook’s Science from Cook’s Illustrated, America’s Test Kitchen does a thorough look at what makes wings unique. They have a different ratio of meat to skin and bone than any other cut of meat on the bird, including the amount of collagen in the skin. “The amount — and nature — of this collagen greatly affects how chicken wings cook,” according to the book. At 135 degrees Fahrenheit, the collagen starts to turn gooey, keeping the meat juicy.

The perfect chicken wing, says the Test Kitchen team, has crispy skin and juicy insides: “When cooking them on their own — grilling, frying, or roasting — it’s important to dehydrate the skin and render the fat so that the skin can become crispy, not soggy.” Brining will make them moist but also add too much moisture to the skin. Salting is better, according to Cook’s. Some other tips include skipping the sauce coating and using a cornstarch-and-skim milk mix: The cornstarch “crisped up faster than bare skin” and the milk’s “protein and lactose quickly undergo the Maillard reaction, producing deep browning in record time.” The recipe also calls for letting the chicken air-dry in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking, to help the batter stick to the wings.

Double fry

That’s not the only way to do it, though. After a lot of experimenting, J. Kenji López-Alt, over at Serious Eats, decided double-frying his wings was the way to go. Either on the stovetop or in the oven, you cook the chicken in oil but don’t brown it. You can freeze the chicken until game day, then toss it in 400-degree oil until golden brown and crispy. López-Alt admits it’s extra work, but you can do the first fry the day before.

You can find his recipe over at Serious Eats, while the Cook’s recipe is below.

Crispy Fried Chicken Wings

Serves 6 to 8

After step 1, the wings can be frozen for up to one month; thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more for this recipe.

• 3 pounds chicken wings, cut at joints, wingtips discarded
• Kosher salt
• 2 quarts vegetable oil
• 1 cup cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup skim milk

Toss wings with 2 teaspoons salt and spread into even layer on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate wings, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1 ½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. In large bowl, whisk together cornstarch and baking powder; whisk in milk until smooth. Working with up to 8 wings at a time, dip wings into batter and carefully add to oil. Fry wings, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 330 degrees, stirring occasionally until wings turn deep brown and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain wings on paper towel-lined plate, transfer to serving platter, and serve immediately with dip. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining wings in batches of up to 8.

For the buffalo dip, Cook’s recommends using 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, ½ cup hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce, 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Melt the butter over low heat, whisk the remaining ingredients together in small bowl, then whisk the mixture into the butter and bring it to a rapid simmer.

The best computer monitor you can buy

Over the past few years we’ve seen a wide variety of niche-market monitors hit store shelves, but prohibitively high prices and sub-par performance have really limited their appeal to a wider audience. Who wants a 4K monitor if it’s just two panels stuck together, and can’t run faster than 30Hz?

Luckily, 2016 has changed all of that. This year we have seen the monitor market really come into its own. Previously exotic solutions like curved 4K and ultra-wide monitors have matured into affordable and increasingly high-performance options for gaming, media, and even your home office.

Our pick

Why you should buy this: You want a sensible but impressive curved ultra-wide monitor.

Our Score

The Best

Samsung CF791

The CF791 is an astonishing piece of technology, and sits comfortably in the Goldilocks zone when it comes to price, performance, and pictur…

$949.99 from Amazon

$949.99 from Samsung

Who it’s for: Anyone looking upgrade their desktop experience

How much will it cost: $950 – $1000

Why we picked the Samsung CF791

Most ultra-wide monitors offer a spectacular viewing experience — that’s what they’re for. But Samsung has somehow managed to outdo the competition with the CF791, delivering a stellar viewing experience, a deep curve, and a display that is almost otherworldly.

Before you even turn it on, the Samsung CF791 cuts an elegant figure. A broad aluminum-colored disc supports a glossy white armature that seems to effortlessly hold the display aloft. And once you hit the power button the CF791 just springs to life.

Right out of the box, the colors and contrast are nearly pitch-perfect. Hitting a 940:1 contrast ratio without any calibration, and delivering nearly perfect color accuracy after calibration, the CF791 was full of surprises during our review. It consistently outperformed the competition and our expectations. Games look great, movies look great, and even day-to-day productivity is enhanced.

That said, it’s not a 4K monitor, so that might be a downside if you’re looking for the highest resolution you can possibly get. But the CF791 delivers impressive display quality on a 21:9 1440p display panel that somehow manages to prevent any and all light-leakage.

This monitor routinely sells for $950 online. That’s not cheap, but given the fact that this CF791 is easily the best-in-class ultra-wide monitor, it’s an investment that will easily outlast your desktop itself.

Our full review