Google Home may add multiple-user support and voice recognition

Google Home may soon get a lot more useful for the entire family.

One of the most annoying things about Google Home and similar smart speakers is that they only work with a single account. So all the services and integrations and features are tied to one person, which is cumbersome when you consider smart speakers sit in the home and are frequently used by everyone else in the home. Well, according to a new report, Google is working on a fix.

• Google Home Express shopping: How to buy items using just your voice

Android Police noticed clues in the latest version of the Google Home app that suggest Google is about to add multi-user support. The code also had references to a device being able to recognise your voice, meaning Google’s devices may one day be able to identify who’s speaking. Keep in mind Time said earlier this week that Amazon is also working on enabling Alexa to distinguish voices.

• Amazon’s Alexa may soon get Voice ID for recognising different voices

Alexa-enabled devices already support multiple users, though you have to manually switch them. Ever since Alexa debuted a couple years ago, people have come to love having an always-on assistant – to the point where every company is scrambling to add Alexa to their devices. But we can’t help but think that automatic switching between people would greatly improve the experience .

• Amazon Echo: First 7 things you should do to get Alexa started

Amazon’s implementation is apparently ready to roll out; the company is just ironing out some privacy kinks first. Meanwhile, Google’s multi-user support could be in development for a while. It’s hard to tell. We’ll probably hear more about it at Google I/O in May.

VP Mike Pence used AOL email for state business while governor

The Indianapolis Star reports that in response to a public records request, the current governor of Indiana has released 30 pages of emails from the AOL (which is the parent company of Engadget) account of Mike Pence. The former governor and current Vice President is said to have used his personal email account for state business on a number of occasions, which the paper notes is not against Indiana law. It also notes that a number of emails were not released because the state considered them “confidential.”

The only problem is, that while the public is apparently unworthy of examining Pence’s emails, it’s evident that at least once, hackers compromised the account. The Star reports that in June, someone sent emails to his contact list claiming Pence and his wife had been attacked in the Philippines.

There aren’t any details on exactly how the messages were sent, but if they had access to his contact list, the paper cites experts saying the hackers likely penetrated the account, giving them access to his inbox and sent messages. At the time, the then-governor apologized to the people who received the messages and created a new account.

In a statement, Pence’s office said that “Similar to previous governors, during his time as Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence maintained a state email account and a personal email account. As Governor, Mr. Pence fully complied with Indiana law regarding email use and retention. Government emails involving his state and personal accounts are being archived by the state consistent with Indiana law, and are being managed according to Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act.”

It’s a good thing email security among elected officials isn’t a big deal, right?

.@realDonaldTrump and I commend the FBI for reopening an investigation into Clinton’s personal email server because no one is above the law.

— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 28, 2016

Source: Indianapolis Star

3D imaging reveals secret fibers that connect tendons to bone

The Achilles tendon is a powerful body part connecting calf muscle to heel bone, enabling springing leaps and hurdles that make sports stars seem superhuman. But exactly how it connects to the bone hasn’t been fully understood — until now. Researchers from multiple disciplines took a microscopic look and found an extremely thin tissue layer that enables the tendon’s great expansive strength.

A team of biochemists and biophysicists from the Technical University of Munich headed by physician Dr. Rainer Burgkart applied a sequence of investigatory methods to get a close look. First, a series of multiscale microscopic photos of the boundary layer between tendon and bone were combined into a single large image, which revealed the former’s tissue splitting into dozens of tiny fibers. Fluorescent antibodies lit up some specific proteins in the layer, meaning its biochemical makeup is distinct from the tendon’s. Finally, applying weight to the tendon showed different fibers acting to stabilize it depending on the direction it was moved.

Sure, there have been innovative stabs at replacing tendons with nanotech, but the the fancy new synthetic parts will still have to be securely fastened to your remaining organic ones. Understanding precisely how this tendon connects to bone has several applications for future medicine, like attaching existing tendons to orthopedic implants. It’s also promising for materials research, which could lead to new methods for connecting soft and hard synthetic parts.

Source: Technical University of Munich

NASA releases a treasure trove of space and science programs

Now you can code like an astronomer. NASA released its software catalog for 2017-2018 on Thursday and it is chock full of cool app, code libraries and utility programs that have been made available to the public, free of charge.

The library covers a broad swath of applications that range from the highly technical Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems File Delivery Protocol, which transfers large files between the NASA ground systems and a spacecraft’s control unit, to the whimsical like the Spacewalk game, which is exactly what it sounds like. There’s everything from autonomous control packages to life-support system programs.

There are also a number of tools that can be applied to Earth-based photography, like JPL’s Stereo Vision Software Suite for calibrating stereoscopic camera setups or the Video Image Stabilization and Registration program. The catalog also has 3D models and textures available. For drone enthusiasts, there’s the Autonomous Precision Landing Navigation System, which was originally developed for use in cruise missiles, and the Formation Flying System for UAVs and Satellites if ever want to recreate Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Halftime show.

These are just a few of the numerous utilities available in the new catalog. You can find a searchable list of them here, at the NASA software page.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: NASA

We tried (and ranked) every smartphone at MWC, the largest mobile show of the year

We’ve seen all the latest and greatest smartphones at Mobile World Congress 2017, and now we’re going to rank the best ones. It’s always a tough call, but sometimes you just have to be ruthless. We’ve tried all of these phones and even used a few of them regularly during the week in Barcelona, Spain. Here are our picks.

Gold Medal Winner: LG G6

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The LG G6 may have a giant 5.7-inch Quad HD screen, but it has the body of a much smaller phone. It looks gorgeous in glass and metal, and the front of the device is almost all screen. The G6 is incredibly comfortable to hold and use one-handed. Although many will underestimate the work and innovation that went into minimizing the top and bottom bezels on the phone, the G6 is a marvel to behold.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor can be found inside, along with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The specs aren’t necessarily cutting edge, but they more than powerful enough to drive this phone. A 3,300mAh battery, wireless charging (in the U.S.), and Quick Charge 3.0 mean you’ll have long battery life and an easy time juicing it up.

There are two 13-megapixel cameras on the back of the phone, one of which has a wide-angle lens. The front camera also has a wide-angle option for taking group selfies. We’ve been using the cameras around the city, and they’re top notch. LG’s user interface GUI runs on top of Android 7 Nougat, and it looks simple and sleek. It makes the most of the phone’s 2:1 aspect ratio, too, for a clean, symmetrical look.

We don’t yet know the price of the LG G6 or when it’s coming to the U.S., but it’ll certainly be worth your consideration.

Read our first take here.

Windows 10’s steady growth appears to hit the pause button in February

Why it matters to you

Microsoft will have to continue working hard to make Windows 10 an attractive operating system for stalwarts who refuse to make the switch.

Microsoft invests serious time and money into making Windows 10 the best-performing, most feature-rich, and safest operating systems around. As CEO Satya Nadella put it, Microsoft wants people to love Windows, rather than using it just because they have no choice.

That’s why the continued adoption of Windows 10 is an important metric for Microsoft and one that it’s closely watching. When these metrics are stagnant or going down, it’s cause for some concern, and the latest Steam and NetMarketShare data are two examples, as Neowin reports.

More: Windows 10’s popularity among Steam gamers drops back below 50 percent in January

First up is NetMarketShare, which tracks network traffic according to operating system, among other data points. By its measure, Windows 10 was essentially stagnant in February 2017, at 25.19 percent compared to 25.3 percent in January 2017. Windows 7, which remains Windows 10’s primary competitor, was at 48.41 percent in February compared to 47.2 percent in January. That means Windows 7’s share of the desktop operating market actually increased a bit, leaving Windows XP’s slight decrease as the only real positive for Microsoft.

NetMarketShare

Next is Steam’s monthly report, which tells us which operating systems are most popular among PC gamers using Valve’s popular gaming service. Although Windows 10 had previously crossed the 50 percent share value in December 2017, it fell back below it in January 2017 and further decreased to to 48.77 percent in February 2017. Once again, Windows 7 gained much of Windows 10’s decline, increasing to 36.81 percent. Microsoft can take some solace, however, in the knowledge that Windows remains the dominant PC gaming platform, with over 95 percent of all gamers running one version of Windows or another.

Windows 10 crossed the 400 million device threshold back in September 2016, and Microsoft hasn’t reported new numbers since. The company had already backed off of its goal of a billion Windows 10 machines by 2018, an indication that while Windows 10’s adoption rate has been good, it hasn’t been great.

All signs point to the release of the next major Windows 10 update, Creators Update, in April, which will bring enhanced 3D support, improved PC gaming, and a number of other improvements and new features. Perhaps that update will prod holdouts to make the switch to Windows 10, and if the PC market improves, new machines running Windows 10 will also help these numbers. In the meantime, Microsoft executives are likely left scratching their heads at what looks a lot like a pause in Windows 10’s growth.

By hijacking FM radio signals, we can have singing posters, talking shirts

Why it matters to you

A new method for embedding audio and data in regular FM radio signals opens up the possibility of singing posters, and shirts that can talk to you.

Imagine spotting a poster for a new band playing in your neighborhood and easily being able to tune your car to a radio station that allows you to sample their music. That is the goal of a new research project being carried out at the University of Washington as part of its ongoing investigation into smart cities.

The technology involves a technique called “backscattering,” in which outdoor FM radio signals can be used to reflect and encode audio and data. Best of all, because this communication piggybacking is done on an unoccupied frequency in the FM radio band, it doesn’t disturb the original broadcast.

“This work enables everyday objects such as posters, road signs and billboards in outdoor environments to communicate with cars and smartphones, without worrying about power,” Shyam Gollakota, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, told Digital Trends. “The way we do this is by transforming these objects into FM radio stations. The challenge is that a poster broadcasting music consumes a lot of power and so running an FM radio station is infeasible. Instead, what we do is reflect existing FM radio signals in the environment — say from your favorite NPR station — and embed our own information on top of these ambient signals. The information we embed, including songs and data, can be decoded using any FM radio on your car or a smartphone.”

More: Check out the technological upgrades that helped Kansas City become one of the smartest cities in the U.S.

The work is described in a new paper, set to be presented in Boston at the 14th USENIX Symposium in March. It refers to a real-life demo the team carried out using the “singing poster” scenario mentioned above. The investigators found that the sound from the poster could be picked up on a smartphone at a distance of 12 feet, or by a car considerably further away.

Some aspects of this example could also be carried out by different means using a scannable QR code, but Gollakota pointed out that the use-cases are different.

“QR codes cannot be read from a car,” he said. “Further, QR codes embed static information, while we can sense and transmit dynamic arbitrary data. Finally, QR codes require you to point your phone to capture the image. Our design can work up to distances of 60 feet away and do not require any specific phone orientation.”

Looking further down the line, the researchers are hoping the technology could have other applications, such as being used for signs in cities able to transmit information to individuals with disabilities. It could also be used as a component of smart fabrics — for example, a shirt that’s able to monitor your perspiration while running and then send this information to your phone.

In the meantime, work on the project continues. “We can achieve data rates of 3.2 kbps and ranges of five to 60 feet,” Gollakota said. “While this is sufficient for a number of connected cities and smart fabric applications, we are working on increasing the data rate and the range of this communication.”

System76 giving its users what they want: An all-aluminum Ubuntu Linux notebook

Why it matters to you

Ubuntu Linux fans will have a new notebook option soon with the affordably priced System76 Galaga Pro.

Windows 10 machines and MacBook Pros aren’t the only ones getting new members of the family. Linux also has its adherents, and every now and then a manufacturer makes a machine aimed squarely at that market.

The latest addition is the System76 Galaga Pro, an Ubuntu-based notebook featuring some of the latest components and solid build quality. It’s also going to be relatively affordable when it arrives in April, with an expected retail price of $899, according to OMG Ubuntu.

More: Dell’s new XPS 13 precision laptops ship with Linux instead of Windows

The Galaga Pro appears to enjoy a robust build, with an aluminum alloy case that’s apparently a departure from System76’s previous all-plastic machines. It’s a thin and light machine as well, as highlighted in the introduction video, and follows along with the company’s policy of making its machines user serviceable. According to System76, “… like our other laptops […] you can replace most of the parts easily with the exception of the motherboard (for obvious reasons). We also have our ‘open hardware warranty,’ which says you can replace pretty much anything (except the motherboard) and not void the warranty.”

The Galaga Pro utilizes seventh-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and Intel Integrated HD 620 GPUs. RAM is upgradeable to 32GB RAM. The display is a 13-inch HiDPI panel, and the machine also offers up a backlit keyboard. Other specifications aren’t yet available, but interested parties can sign up here to stay up to date on the details.

The Galaga Pro’s design was heavily influenced by a single large customer, and generally speaking, the company has been listening to users in making the decision to offer the new machine. As System76 Community Manager Ryan Sipes puts it, “Our customers have been asking for this machine for a while, and we’ve wanted to do it. So here it is.”

The Galaga Pro will ship in April Pre-orders will be available soon.

PowerPoint QuickStarter, enhanced Editor come to Office Insider Slow Ring

Why it matters to you

If you’re brave enough to try out the Office Insider Slow Ring, then Microsoft has some nice new features for you in its latest update.

Being an Office Insider provides early access to the latest and greatest Office 365 features. Microsoft typically releases these new features on a monthly basis and pushes them to either the Slow or Fast rings for Office users with varying levels of risk aversion.

The February update for Office Insiders on the Slow Ring offers up a number of new features aimed at making it easier to get started on new Office documents, clean up your writing, and more easily create better-looking documents. Microsoft provides the details on the February update on its Microsoft Community page.

More: Office Insiders get Outlook collaboration in January 2017 Slow Ring update

First up is the same PowerPoint 2016 QuickStarter feature that was recently introduced for Fast Ring users. QuickStarter helps create a collection of slides to provide research and design suggestions based on a presentation topic. Just go to File > New and then tell PowerPoint what subject you’re going to be lexploring.

Next is a new ruler available in the PowerPoint 2016 Draw tab that can be used to draw straight lines and align objects along a path. The ruler can pivot horizontally and vertically and provides a degree setting that lets you establish a precise angle. The ruler feature will be rolling out to PowerPoint users on a staggered basis, and so some patience is recommended.

Word and Outlook 2016 are getting an enhanced Editor function that’s been available to Fast Ring users. Editor is now better at recognizing spelling errors and providing the correct suggestions via new built-in intelligence services.

All of the major Office 365 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, are getting an easier way to remove and edit image backgrounds. The applications no longer require you to draw a rectangle around the image foreground; rather, the applications can now automatically identify the background areas and select them for you. If you want to mark an area to keep or remove, you’re no longer constrained to straight lines.

Work 2016 has also received new navigation functionality for Print Layout view. You can now view pages side-by-side by going to the View tab and selecting Side to Side.

Finally, you can now more easily create a PowerPoint slide from a portion of a Visio 2016 diagram by going to View > Slide Snippets Pane, then selecting Add to create a snippet of a diagram and then Export to send snippets to a new slide deck.

As always, you’ll need to be an Office Insider in the Slow Ring to gain access to these new features. You can sign up to be an Insider here while keeping in mind that these features are in preview and aren’t guaranteed to be problem-free. If you’re a support professional who needs to see new features before your users, or you just like to stay ahead of the game, then the Office Insider program just might be for you.

Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler blasts his replacement, supports net neutrality

Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler blasts his replacement, supports net neutralityIt’s only been a month since Tom Wheeler stepped down from his post as chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, but he’s already lined up a new gig. In late February, Actility, a Paris-based Internet of Things management firm, signed on Wheeler as the newest member of its board.

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, he and Mike Mulica, CEO of Actility, sat down with Digital Trends to talk about the company, the future of IoT devices, and the importance of net neutrality.

IoT is about to explode in a big way

The IoT industry is ripe for innovation, Mulca told Digital Trends. Rapid advancements in miniaturized electronics, particularly in the areas of batteries and wireless radios, have driven a veritable explosion of IoT devices.

“Open networks are essential to Actility’s vision of the future.”

“It’s great from a cost standpoint,” Mulca told Digital Trends. “We have very long-range radio protocols that are low-cost, and low-cost sensors that have great battery life. You can put a battery-powered sensor on something and it lasts up to five years.”

But cheap IoT sensors don’t any good if there isn’t a management solution, and until now, there hasn’t been. “Sensors aren’t difficult, connectivity isn’t difficult, but you need sensors that all work together,” Mulca said. “And that’s where Actility comes in.”

Mulca describes Actility’s MO as “disruption” in open systems — a software layer that allows IoT customers to manage connected objects, deploy them, and monitor them on their network of choice. “We’re radio agnostic,” he said.

Mulca contends that the model fosters innovation. Developers certify IoT products themselves, often collaborating to ensure compatibility with the broader network. “We built an end-to-end software framework that allows companies to collaborate around our network and build a platform,” he said. “We don’t pick winners.”

“Open networks are essential to Actility’s vision of the future,” he said. Eventually, Mulca predicts most people will buy services that come with connections. “You’ll get a subscription for security, or electricity optimizations, or XYZ. You’ll have a bunch of subscriptions.”

Net neutrality levels the playing field for IoT devices

Of course, IoT devices require a network, and in the U.S., those networks are increasingly favoring first-party services at the competition’s expense. These companies are picking winners and determining the losers. AT&T, for example, doesn’t count DirecTV traffic against customers’ data plans, a practice known as zero rating. Programs like AT&T’s fly in the face of net neutrality, a principle that Wheeler believes is vitally important.

“You have to have open networks — permissionless innovation. Period. End of discussion,” he explained. “They’re crucial to the future.”

There are exceptions, Wheeler said, like throttling the speeds of certain customers in congested cell sites. “There’s nothing wrong with reasonable network management,” Wheeler said. “The airwaves are a finite resource.” But when it’s used without good reason, he said, it’s “inexcusable.”

“Where it becomes hideous is where [an internet provider] says, ‘Well you know, the average Netflix users uses 350MB a month, so I think I’ll just draw the line at 300MB a month, which favors my cable service,’” Wheeler said. “We tried to be the referee on the field.”

More: Trump is against net neutrality, and Republicans agree with him

Wheeler was instrumental in advancing the cause of net neutrality, or the idea that internet providers should treat all content, sites, and platforms equally. In 2015, the FCC reclassified broadband providers as “Title II” common carriers, or services bound to “act in the public interest.” They’re prohibited from making “unjust” or “unreasonable” charges, and from arbitrarily blocking connectivity, throttling speeds, or creating creating special “fast lanes” for content.

“You have to have open networks — permissionless innovation. Period. End of discussion.”

“We put out a report that AT&T was using their ownership of the network to favor their content and thwart competition from others’ content, and that was bad, and that was a violation of [net neutrality] rules,” Wheeler said. “Then [current FCC Chairman Ajit] Pai came in, and immediately repudiated that [and] took it down.”

Pai has said publicly that he would like to revisit the net neutrality rules, which he believes has held up investment in the marketplace.

Wheeler vociferously disagrees. “There will be no competition for managed services if they use the lack of competition as leverage to shut down your ability to drive your smart car, for example,” said Wheeler. “That’s exactly what the [net neutrality] rules protected against. We went down this road on zero rating to enforce it, and the new FCC has undone that.”

The FCC doesn’t have absolute authority to impose new regulations, Wheeler noted. The Administrative Procedure Act requires that they give the public notice that it’s considering adopting or modifying rules on a particular subject and seeks the public’s comment, and FCC decision can be appealed to court.

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

Ensuring networks remain open will require vigilance on the part of the public, Wheeler said. “It’s important that people feel empowered and aware that they can speak out of this. There have to have to be people working hard on … raising these issues.”