Tethered drones could soon supply internet access to crowded stadiums

Why it matters to you

The PARC drones could help alleviate a slow network among a large crowd, ensuring that you can post your Facebook selfies no matter what.

Huge sporting events, concerts, and other instances where thousands of people gather in one area can be real taxing on local mobile networks. During events like the Super Bowl, companies spend quite a lot of money beefing up their networks to help people have better service — but soon those companies might employ a different technique: drones.

In fact, drone maker CyPhy Works, which is based in Massachusetts, has developed a new tethered drone that offers a 4G LTE payload and could be deployed to help provide coverage to the thousands of people who might want it.

More: These workshops may help photojournalists publish drone-shot images sooner

The drone is called the Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications (PARC), and two PARC drones with the equipped radio equipment are able to offer increased coverage to roughly one square mile — which is around the footprint of a large stadium.

So why does it need to be tethered? Well, a tethered connection means power can be delivered to the drone, which in turn means that at can fly indefinitely. In fact, engineers at CyPhy say that they’ve flown drones for hundreds of hours at a time without bringing it down, according to a Recode report. That tether obviously does limit how high the drone can fly, but even tethered the PARC drone can fly a hefty 400 feet high — more than enough for most large-scale events.

This type of technology could be more useful than simply providing connectivity to large crowds — it could also be used in natural disasters when cell towers and radios are all taken offline.

Of course, all this technology isn’t cheap but it’s far cheaper than alternatives. Normally, vehicles with full networking equipment can cost as much as $1.5 million per unit, but the PARC drone sits at $200,000.

CyPhy itself has made headlines before — namely for testing package delivery with UPS.

It will be interesting to see the future of internet connectivity — Facebook is developing drones that connect those below, while Google is well known for its “Project Look” initiative that does the same thing with weather balloons. Could we soon go to the Super Bowl and have a fast connection thanks to a drone hovering above? Only time will tell.

Tethered drones could soon supply internet access to crowded stadiums

Why it matters to you

The PARC drones could help alleviate a slow network among a large crowd, ensuring that you can post your Facebook selfies no matter what.

Huge sporting events, concerts, and other instances where thousands of people gather in one area can be real taxing on local mobile networks. During events like the Super Bowl, companies spend quite a lot of money beefing up their networks to help people have better service — but soon those companies might employ a different technique: drones.

In fact, drone maker CyPhy Works, which is based in Massachusetts, has developed a new tethered drone that offers a 4G LTE payload and could be deployed to help provide coverage to the thousands of people who might want it.

More: These workshops may help photojournalists publish drone-shot images sooner

The drone is called the Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications (PARC), and two PARC drones with the equipped radio equipment are able to offer increased coverage to roughly one square mile — which is around the footprint of a large stadium.

So why does it need to be tethered? Well, a tethered connection means power can be delivered to the drone, which in turn means that at can fly indefinitely. In fact, engineers at CyPhy say that they’ve flown drones for hundreds of hours at a time without bringing it down, according to a Recode report. That tether obviously does limit how high the drone can fly, but even tethered the PARC drone can fly a hefty 400 feet high — more than enough for most large-scale events.

This type of technology could be more useful than simply providing connectivity to large crowds — it could also be used in natural disasters when cell towers and radios are all taken offline.

Of course, all this technology isn’t cheap but it’s far cheaper than alternatives. Normally, vehicles with full networking equipment can cost as much as $1.5 million per unit, but the PARC drone sits at $200,000.

CyPhy itself has made headlines before — namely for testing package delivery with UPS.

It will be interesting to see the future of internet connectivity — Facebook is developing drones that connect those below, while Google is well known for its “Project Look” initiative that does the same thing with weather balloons. Could we soon go to the Super Bowl and have a fast connection thanks to a drone hovering above? Only time will tell.

Enjoy beer the way it was meant to be with Growler Chill, the at-home tap system

Why it matters to you

The standard 64-ounce glass growler is inexpensive and reusable, and now, the beer inside will stay fresh longer with this at-home tap system.

Why go to a bar when you can just pour a perfect pint at home? You’ll be sure to be the host(ess) with the most(ess) with the Growler Chill, a neat kitchen addition that does exactly what you think it does: Keeps your growlers of beer cold and fresh (and ready for the party). The household counter tap allows beer enthusiasts everywhere to recreate their favorite craft beer scene in the comfort of their kitchen. As the Growler Chill team notes on its Kickstarter campaign, “Our mission is to ensure craft beer enthusiasts can get the most out of their own personal discovery and exploration of fresh, flavorful brews that taste just as the brewer intended.” And that means, tasting those beers cold.

Capable of keeping an impressive three growlers cold, fresh, and on tap, the Growler Chill holds standard glass growlers and promises to extend your beer’s life for weeks after you first crack a growler open. This is achieved by recreating keg conditions, which is to say cold, dark, and free from oxygen.

More: An out-of-this-world brew: Engineering students aim to make beer on the moon

You can adjust the internal temperature of the refrigerated unit from 38 degrees Fahrenheit to 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Simply plug the Growler Chill into a standard 120-volt outlet and the compact chill chamber design will start working to keep things chilly. And because the refrigeration unit is completely dark, you won’t have to worry about your beer becoming skunked. Moreover, Growler Chill features a patented so-called Virginator, which removes the oxygen in your growler’s head space, ensuring the purest taste possible.

And even if you keep the same growlers for a couple parties, you don’t have to worry about your beverages going flat. The machine has an internal 90-gram beverage grade CO2 cartridge to preserve and serve your growlers. But if you prefer your own external CO2 source, Growler Chill comes with an alternate port on the back.

Oh, and of course the Growler Chill comes with an app that allows you to control a number of features with your mobile device. You can adjust the temperature remotely, track the volume of beer left in the tap, and also get notifications on when you need to run a sanitizing cycle.

Already, nearly 900 backers have pledged well over $300,000 to bring the Growler Chill to market. If you’re looking to join the party, a pledge of $369 or more will get you on the list to receive a system in August. But you’ll have to act quickly — that price expires on February 2.

Windows 10 continues to gain OS market share, crosses 25 percent mark

Why it matters to you

The more people using Windows 10, the greater the support it will receive from developers. So it’s good news that Windows 10 passed 25 percent in terms of OS market share in January.

Although Microsoft is transitioning from the “Windows company” to the “cloud-first, mobile-first” productivity solutions company, that doesn’t mean that Windows is unimportant to its strategy. Rather, it’s the opposite — much of what Microsoft wants to do involves Windows 10 being successful, and so company executives are certain to be paying attention to market share numbers.

It appears that Windows 10 continues to make slow but steady progress in taking over the reins from Windows 7. According to the latest NetMarketShare data, Windows 10 has passed the 25-percent mark in terms of market share.

More: Windows 10 market share hits 20 percent after eight months, but issues remain

Specifically, Windows 10 achieved 25.3 percent share in January 2017, up from 24.6 percent in December 2017. That represents more than double the market share Windows 10 enjoyed a year ago, when it held 11.85 percent of the market.

NetMarketShare

At the same time, Windows 7 dropped from 48.34 percent to 47.2 percent between December 2016 and January 2017. In January 2016, Windows 7 was at 52.47 percent, meaning that much of Windows 10’s market share increase has come from a steady decrease in Windows 8.X, Windows XP, and MacOS.

Microsoft is also pushing its new Edge browser, with a number of feature enhancements coming in the Windows 10 Creators Update in April 2017. Edge gained share slightly, moving from 4.12 percent to 4.52 percent, which is likely well within the study’s margin of error. Internet Explorer, as expected, continued its steady decline.

While Microsoft likely won’t be able to achieve its original goal of a billion Windows 10 users by 2018, more than 400 million people have made the switch and Windows 10 continues to climb in market share. As businesses continue to migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10, that trend could accelerate.

Brain-reading cap makes communication possible for people with Locked-in Syndrome

Why it matters to you

Researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to communicate with completely paralyzed patients by using a brain-reading cap to decode thought patterns.

Locked-in syndrome (LIS) refers to a condition in which patients have cognitive function, but are not able to move or communicate due to total paralysis.

Thanks to an exciting advance, however, some help may be on the way. As part of an international research project, doctors have able to use brain-reading technology to communicate with patients for the first time by asking a series of “yes” or “no” answers and then using computer algorithms to decode their thought patterns.

“In some cases, eye movement can be used for communication,” researcher Ujwal Chaudhary told Digital Trends. “However, once eye movement is gone for a person suffering from locked-in syndrome, there is no means of communication. That’s where we come in. We’ve developed a non-invasive functional near-infrared spectroscopy technique for communication.”

In a small scale study carried out at Germany’s University of Tübingen, four LIS patients were kitted out with these fNIRS non-invasive brain caps. The caps use infrared light to measure variations in blood flow to different regions of the brain.

To start with, the researchers asked the study’s participants questions like, “Is Berlin the capital of Germany?” This process lasted about one hour and consisted of a sample of 100-150 questions, to which the questioners already knew the answers. This allowed them to train their computer algorithm to recognize when a patient was answering in the affirmative or negative. According to the investigators, accuracy of the computer analysis is around 70 percent.

More: Brain-reading technology could keep you alert at the wheel of your car

After they were satisfied with this number, the researchers then moved on to asking open questions, such as, “Would you like [a particular friend] to visit you today?” or, “Are you in pain at the moment?”

This is where the real value of the work comes into play — although the researchers aren’t stopping here. According to Chaudhary, the team next hopes to develop the work to allow LIS patients to form their own sentences.

This is something which is already possible for LIS sufferers who still have eye movement, since various eye-tracking tools available make it possible for them to select words or letters. But such tools cannot be used if patients are unable to move their eyes. The question, then, is how best to achieve a similar goal — and how to do so when you only have access to binary positive or negative brain signals.

“What we’re working on right now is a way of categorizing topics such as health, family, and food,” Chaudhary continued. “Each of these can be asked as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. If the patient answers ‘yes’ to talking about food, they could then answer questions like ‘are you hungry?’”

However, this will take longer to develop. In a separate interview, Niels Birbaumer, the neuroscientist who led the research, told Digital Trends he thinks it will require “another few years” of research to achieve. It may also mean more invasive methods being used for brain-reading.

“I think we will need to implant electrodes in the brain to be able to do this, because it is very hard for people to have the concentration to do this,” he said. “Right now, when we ask people to choose a particular word or letter they are not able to do so.”

AT&T announces plans for 5G ‘testbeds’ in Austin and Indianapolis

Why it matters to you

High-speed 5G networks aren’t expected to launch in earnest until 2020, but AT&T is wasting no time deploying test networks in select U.S. markets.

There’s no doubt about it: 5G is one of the biggest buzzwords in tech. It’s been called the next “revolution” in wireless by Goldman Sachs. The big four major United States carriers — Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint, have pledged to hasten its deployment. And today, AT&T made concrete promises to begin broader 5G tests in select markets this year.

At a “5G Evolution” event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the AT&T announced that it would begin laying the infrastructural groundwork for high-speed wireless networks in Austin, Texas, and Indianapolis. The prototypical deployments are expected to reach a top speed of 400Mbps, or about 40 times faster than a standard cellular data connection. And later this year, the carrier expects they’ll reach theoretical peaks of up to 1Gbps.

More: AT&T will begin testing 5G network technologies in Texas later this year

One city — Austin, Texas — is getting special treatment. It will house two “testbeds” for AT&T’s 5G technology that will feature dedicated 5G outdoor and indoor test locations with “flexible” infrastructure that’ll allow modifications and updates. AT&T says it’ll work with “multiple vendors” to evaluate advanced 5G technology, test network infrastructure and devices, and explore 5G signal coverage.

The work will inform what AT&T’s calling Network 3.0, or Indigo, a platform designed to replace network hardware elements with software. It says that data on the mobile network has increased about 250,000 percent since 2007 (thanks largely to video), and that software-controlled networks are well-suited to handle bandwidth of that volume.

AT&T’s specifically self-driving cars, internet of things, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity — applications that it believes will play a crucial role in the development of next-generation cellular.

More: Should you upgrade to T-Mobile’s One or One Plus Plans? We break it down

“We see Indigo as the third generation of modern networking,” chief strategy officer John Donovan said in a statement. “Indigo is our term for a world where it isn’t just your connection speeds that are accelerating, but every element of the network becomes more seamless, efficient and capable. It is a living, evolving, upgradable platform.”

News of the new networks follow AT&T’s Austin trials of fixed wireless 5G connections, DirecTV streaming, and enhanced broadband services for residential and small-to-medium business customers.

In early 2016, AT&T achieved speeds of 14Gbps over a wireless connection — fast enough to download a 15GB file in nine seconds. And in 2015, the carrier partnered with Intel to roll out point-to-point millimeter wave technology, which delivers high-speed internet via high-frequency radio waves.

More: T-Mobile is giving unlimited data to every customer, but there’s a catch

The International Telecommunications Union has set the date for commercialization of 5G for 2020.

AT&T announces plans for 5G ‘testbeds’ in Austin and Indianapolis

Why it matters to you

High-speed 5G networks aren’t expected to launch in earnest until 2020, but AT&T is wasting no time deploying test networks in select U.S. markets.

There’s no doubt about it: 5G is one of the biggest buzzwords in tech. It’s been called the next “revolution” in wireless by Goldman Sachs. The big four major United States carriers — Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint, have pledged to hasten its deployment. And today, AT&T made concrete promises to begin broader 5G tests in select markets this year.

At a “5G Evolution” event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the AT&T announced that it would begin laying the infrastructural groundwork for high-speed wireless networks in Austin, Texas, and Indianapolis. The prototypical deployments are expected to reach a top speed of 400Mbps, or about 40 times faster than a standard cellular data connection. And later this year, the carrier expects they’ll reach theoretical peaks of up to 1Gbps.

More: AT&T will begin testing 5G network technologies in Texas later this year

One city — Austin, Texas — is getting special treatment. It will house two “testbeds” for AT&T’s 5G technology that will feature dedicated 5G outdoor and indoor test locations with “flexible” infrastructure that’ll allow modifications and updates. AT&T says it’ll work with “multiple vendors” to evaluate advanced 5G technology, test network infrastructure and devices, and explore 5G signal coverage.

The work will inform what AT&T’s calling Network 3.0, or Indigo, a platform designed to replace network hardware elements with software. It says that data on the mobile network has increased about 250,000 percent since 2007 (thanks largely to video), and that software-controlled networks are well-suited to handle bandwidth of that volume.

AT&T’s specifically self-driving cars, internet of things, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity — applications that it believes will play a crucial role in the development of next-generation cellular.

More: Should you upgrade to T-Mobile’s One or One Plus Plans? We break it down

“We see Indigo as the third generation of modern networking,” chief strategy officer John Donovan said in a statement. “Indigo is our term for a world where it isn’t just your connection speeds that are accelerating, but every element of the network becomes more seamless, efficient and capable. It is a living, evolving, upgradable platform.”

News of the new networks follow AT&T’s Austin trials of fixed wireless 5G connections, DirecTV streaming, and enhanced broadband services for residential and small-to-medium business customers.

In early 2016, AT&T achieved speeds of 14Gbps over a wireless connection — fast enough to download a 15GB file in nine seconds. And in 2015, the carrier partnered with Intel to roll out point-to-point millimeter wave technology, which delivers high-speed internet via high-frequency radio waves.

More: T-Mobile is giving unlimited data to every customer, but there’s a catch

The International Telecommunications Union has set the date for commercialization of 5G for 2020.

Upcoming Snapchat feature will add augmented reality animations to scenes

Why it matters to you

The new Snapchat Lenses that are under development could make your future Snaps cooler.

Snapchat’s Lenses, the in-app filters that spice up Snaps with effects like dog ears and snowfall, are reportedly due for an overhaul. The Information reports that Snap, Inc., Snapchat’s parent company, is working on an updated version of Lenses that will overlay augmented reality animations onto scenes.

The experimental Lenses, which are reportedly being tested internally, are described as “smarter” than the Lenses in Snapchat’s existing library. They can interact with real-world objects and “identify environmental elements,” allowing them to superimpose digital effects atop Snaps.

More: You can now buy prescription lenses for Snapchat Spectacles starting from $99

It’s unclear whether the Lenses be applied automatically or let users place them manually within detected scenes. And the new Lenses aren’t expected to see the light of day for some time — they’re “not on Snap’s near-term product roadmap,” according to The Information.

If and when the new Lenses are released, though, they’re expected to hit the Snapchat app on iOS and Android.

The Information noted the potential for advertisers. A brand like Pepsi, for example, could sponsor a Lens that fits atop real-world bottles.

More: The incredible underlying technology of Snapchat’s Selfie Lenses

It wouldn’t be the first time Snapchat’s tapped Lenses for commercial purposes. In November, it partnered with film studio Screen Gems on a promotional lens for its upcoming release Underworld: Blood Wars, that used a gyroscope to create an “immersive 360-degree environment.”

In the past, the company’s cooked up Ghostbusters AR features for Sony and promotional tie-ins for 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Apocalypse. And last year, it released new filters to mark World AIDS Day in collaboration with HIV-fighting organization (RED) and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The timing’s conspicuous, to say the least. Snapchat’s gearing up for an initial public offering worth an estimated $25 billion. If the figure holds, it would make it the largest American tech IPO since Facebook’s in 2012.

Snapchat’s Lenses are a little more complicated than they look. They’re made possible by Looksery, a Ukrainian computer vision startup that Snap, Inc. purchased for $150 million in 2015, and apply Lenses in two phases.

First, Snapchat models faces and environments in 3D space, taking into account rotation and even occlusion so that the overlaid props and effects animate correctly. Then, they process camera movement in real time, producing the finished product.

More: Snapchat is making it easier to find content with new universal search tool

In a report earlier this year, Vox reported that as smartphones continue to gain processing power, Snapchat will be able to introduce increasingly complex Lenses. In that case, the rumored Lenses may be a sign of more to come.

Photo albums just went live in the Instagram Android beta

Why it matters to you

Instagram users may soon be able to upload more than one photo at a time, meaning you’ll be able to share more memories than ever!

Instagram is set to make its photo-sharing tools a little (or a lot) more like Facebook. The company is testing a new feature for its app that will allow users to share multiple photos at a time — exactly like Facebook’s photo albums.

The feature isn’t available through the consumer version of the app just yet, but it is currently live in the beta version of Instagram’s Android app, and if it’s successful, it will most likely make its way to the full Instagram app on both Android and iOS.

More: Instagram rolling out new live-streaming feature globally starting next week

According to a report from Mashable, the feature allows users to select up to 10 photos and combine all of those photos into a single post — which is basically an album. It’s not yet known exactly how these posts will appear in a news feed, as the beta version doesn’t yet allow users to actually post those groups of photos — but some presume that it would appear kind of like the app’s “carousel” ads, in which users can swipe through photos.

If you do have the beta version of the Android app, it’s pretty easy to upload multiple photos. Just follow the steps you normally would, then hold down a photo. You’ll then have the option to select multiple photos, and even upload videos.

It remains to be seen how Instagram itself might change if the feature goes live. Currently, there’s a heavy emphasis on creating individual photos and making them the best you possibly can — if albums are introduced, single photos may become a little less important.

It’s worth noting that there’s no guarantee just yet that the feature will ever go live, but it being in the official beta is promising — much more promising than if it was rolled out to a small selection of users for testing.

These Galaxy S7 Battery Cases Can Keep You Powered Up

Keep your S7 charged up when you’re on the go with these battery cases.

If you’re finding that your Samsung Galaxy S7’s battery life is lacking these days, you might be in the market for a quality battery case to provide you some extra juice as you go about your day.

There’s a number of things to consider, depending on your specific needs such as budget, style, and which phone features are most important to you. While these cases help you keep your phone charged throughout the day, many of them affect your ability to use QI wireless charging, which might be a deal breaker for some.

Let’s take a look at your best options.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Wireless Charging Battery Pack

We’ll start with this charging pack option from Samsung themselves, which we’ve previously highlighted in our list of the best accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Like all the products features in this list, this battery pack from Samsung is going to add some substantial girth to your phone, but it’s also designed to be easy to install or remove. This makes it an ideal accessory to keep handy in your bag, so it’s always on hand if you need a boost to get through the rest of your day. It’s also worth noting that this is called a charging pack — not a case — so don’t expect this one to provide much protection for your phone in the case of an accidental drop.

This pack actually uses Qi technology to wirelessly charge your phone, which is great for keeping the Micro-USB port clear, but it also slower charging speeds — expect to get a 50% charge over 2 hours of charging time. That’s going to be disappointing for some, but for its current price of under $30, it’s still a worthwhile accessory to have handy for those times when you’ll need it.

See at Amazon

Trianium Charging Case

This charging case from Trianium offers 4,100mAh of backup power in a slim yet protective case that should also keep your phone protected from minor drops. The build offers much more grip than the slippery glass of the naked Galaxy S7. You can charge the case and your phone at the same time using a Quick Charge 2.0-compatible wall charger, or sync your phone to your computer with the case on via the included Micro-USB cable.

You’ll find the LED power level indicators on the back near the bottom of the case. The added bulk at the bottom of the phone blocks access to the headphone jack, so Trianium has included a headphone jack adapter — because that’s an important feature most of us can’t live without.

With a fully-charged phone and battery case, you should expect to get up to 18 hours of heavy use with this combo. This case interferes with the wireless charging capabilities of the Galaxy S7, so you’ll want to keep that in mind.

See at Amazon

ZeroLemon Rugged Battery Case

ZeroLemon claims that this is the world’s highest-capacity Samsung Galaxy S7 charging case — and with a capacity of 7,500mAh it’s certainly the best we’ve found.

But all that added power means that this thing is THICK. With it installed, your phone will be 0.82 inches, so don’t even think about wirelessly charging your phone with this puppy on. It’s a three-piece case that might be a little tricky to install at first, but once you’ve got it on, your phone is protected from drop damage as well as running out of juice. Power level indicators and the charging button are located on the top-half of the back, and it also support passthrough Quick Charge 2.0 capabilities for the phone itself.

Some users have reported an issue with the charging port flap not properly closing, which might be something worth keeping an eye on. Otherwise, if you don’t mind carrying around a brick in your pocket or bag, the ZeroLemon Rugged Battery Case offers the most capable charging case available — as long as you’re willing to deal with all that added bulk.

See at Amazon

Bastex

Balancing price, functionality and style, the Bastex charging case offers 4,200mAh of charge that’ll easily top up your phone from the low battery to full.

In terms of protection, this case leaves the sides of your Galaxy S7 completely exposed, which is good for accessing the power and volume buttons but bad for drop protection. Your phone also sits nearly flush along the front edge of this case, with the two parts of this case popping together on the back of the phone case popping together. If you’ve used one of these two-piece charging cases before, you know that a drop might cause the case to come apart, which is obviously less than ideal.

There’s passthrough charge and sync capabilities, with priority given for charging your phone before the case recharges itself. And there’s also a handy kickstand build into the back of the case, so you can use that extra battery power to stream more media for hands-free viewing. It’s also available in three color options — black, gold or white — to match your phone or your personal style.

See at Amazon

How do you keep your phone topped up?

Do you have any opinions on the cases we’ve outlined? Found a better option than our picks? Let us know in the comments below!

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

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