Giphy Stickers lets you send your friends some love in a GIF

Why it matters to you

GIFs are surely the best way to communicate, and now, you can do so more easily than ever with a new GIF sticker app from Giphy.

No time for a GIF? First of all, who are you? But second of all, and more importantly, there’s a solution (even if it’s not a real problem). Giphy wants to make sure that everyone everywhere is capable of enjoying the distinct joy GIFs can bring (like nothing else really can), and it’s doing it by way of new GIF stickers.

Thanks to a new app creatively named Giphy Stickers, you’ll be able to search, download, and yes, even create your very own GIF-based stickers to share with others, or just keep to yourself for a laugh on a rainy day. The app, which is available on both Android and iOS, is certainly an improvement over Imoji, a sticker app Giphy acquired with very little fanfare at the end of last year. And now, we understand just what the company has been up to since making that mysterious purchase.

More: Google’s Allo messenger gets GIF sharing, animated emojis in latest update

Whereas previously, the Imoji app only allowed you to make and share unmoving images, the new-and-improved version a la Giphy allows you to create living stickers. You can make them turn, shake, sparkle — just about anything you want.

“Developers who want to bring sticker search to their apps will now have the easiest way to access the best content,” a Giphy spokesperson told Mashable via email. “Stickers are the ultimate quick mode of communication, and since Apple launched iOS 10, they’re now an amazing way to annotate other content.”

This isn’t the first time Giphy has expanded its offerings, especially as they relate to text messages. Earlier in March, the platform debuted Artist Sticker Packs, which were 13 sets of GIF-esque stickers made specifically for iOS 10. Oh, and Giphy is also introducing a Stickers API for developers, which means you can expect even more moving stickers in the coming weeks and months. See what’s shaking already in the Giphy Stickers channel, and get ready to GIF up your life.

We took the Mule Light V2 on an overnighter in the woods to put its illumination to the test

Like many backpackers, and those who constantly spend time in the wilderness, I’ve developed an obsession with flashlights. Even after finding what I think will be the last light, I see another that’s brighter, or lighter, or more energy efficient than the last.

Recently I came across the Mule Light V2 by UV Paqlite, a unique flashlight that touts a complete package of features and energy efficiency and uses nontoxic strontium aluminate crystals encased in a molded resin to extend illumination time.

Unlike traditional glow-in-the-dark stuff — which comes in a powder whose particles are so small the amount of light they hold and emit is minimal — the UV Paqlite’s crystals absorb more light and emit it longer. The crystals are protected from oxidization by the resin and avoid degradation via light absorption or brightness unlike other glow-in-the-dark products.

So the company claims, anyway. We hit a few trailheads overnight to find out first hand.

Trek Into darkness (under stars)

At night in the woods, it can get pretty dark. Trees overhead block out the moonlight, and as you’re hunting for a good spot to set up a tent — and poring over a map praying for your eyes to adjust — the right flashlight is key.

Wesley Parrell/Digital Trends

Wesley Parrell/Digital Trends

Wesley Parrell/Digital Trends

Wesley Parrell/Digital Trends

I began hiking a section of the Arizona Trail leading out of Pine, AZ east to the Mogollon Rim. This rim forms the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, where views of pine forests and desert canyons provide dramatic scenery. At nearly 5,500 feet in elevation it winds through the Coconino National Forest, the largest Pondarosa Pine forest in the world. A combination of the elevation, towering vegetation and time of year, contributed to a short amount of actual daylight.

The overall design, being light weight and energy efficient, made me believe that the company really had the wilderness adventure in mind.

I found the level of illumination from the rechargeable Mule Light V2 to be impressive. During my review, I was easily able to read my trail guide book by the light from the crystals. It also maintained a consistent glow, one comparable to that of traditional glow sticks but without the inconvenience of carrying multiple sticks — saving pack space, reducing weight, and eliminating extra trash.

Built into the side of the flashlight’s non-conducting, shock-resistant casing is a two function 12 Cree LED utility light. The first, a UV black light, is useful for anyone that frequents the desert to check their boots, packs, and sleeping bags for scorpions or other potential stowaways. The second function, a 100 lumen work light, can be used to illuminate the inside of a tent, and can also be set to a delayed pulse mode which is used to recharge the detachable and reusable strontium aluminate crystals glow stick.

The Mule Light V2 has a three setting (high, low, and strobe) 300 lumen spotlight and attachable red lens filter. This bright, focused beam was strong enough to pierce the darkness of the trail on a moonless night.

Power Source Flexibility

The functionality of this light is completed by the multi-option power source choices. The light comes with two different battery packs, a 3 AAA battery adaptor and 1 USB rechargeable lithium ion battery. Either battery pack can be used to power the light, allowing for flexibility between the availability of a recharging source and the convenience of using traditional lithium batteries when your setting is more off-the-grid.

Wesley Parrell/Digital Trends

When either battery pack is used in conjunction with the flashlight’s hybrid energy saving mode, UV Paqlite boasts a combine use time of over 600 hours with these power sources. The light can also be used with alkaline batteries for 240 hours of operating time in the hybrid energy saving mode.

Warranty

UV Paqlite has a lifetime warranty covering materials and workmanship and will repair or replace it—hassle free. All other components are covered by a 90-day warranty. UV Paqlite advertises the overall case construction as a highly durable copolymer non-conducting shock resistant case which seemed durable during our testing and the resin coated strontium aluminate crystal glow stick was solid. With proper care and nonintentional abuse, this light should last for years to come.

I was impressed in how this light broke the industrial, bulky stigma of multifunction lights.

There are other light manufactures out there and definitely better specific use lights such as headlamps, tactical light, and spotlights, but I could not find one that combines all of the functions that this light possesses in one unit. The combined energy efficiency and power source options really made this light stand out especially in the multi-function light market.

There were some misses in this light’s design. The clip used to attach the light to a pack trap seemed flimsy and untrusting without also using the provided lanyard as a backup to keep the light attached to the pack. Although we liked having a red lens option, the small detachable lens would be easy to lose or misplace. A red led light option would be better.

More: Vibram Arctic Grip Soles review

Overall I was impressed in how this light broke the industrial, bulky stigma of multifunction lights. The design, being light weight and energy efficient, made me believe that the company really had the wilderness adventure in mind. You should buy this light if you’re looking for a way to cover multiple lighting needs and want to cut pack weight. Don’t buy this light to replace the hands free function of a headlamp for hiking.

Highs

• Energy efficient
• Multi-option power source
• Rechargeable glow stick
• Compact multifunction capability

Lows

• Flimsy attachment clip
• Small red lens could be easily lost

Acton’s Blink S electric skateboard is finally here for your adventure needs

Why it matters to you

The Blink S was one of the most anticipated electric skateboards last year, and now, it’s starting to ship to its earliest supporters.

It may be a retro hobby, but this new skateboard is all new tech. Following one of the most successful Indiegogo campaigns in the crowdfunding platform’s history, electric skateboard designer and manufacturer Acton has begun shipping its Blink S board. The skateboard raised more than $1.4 million in funding last year, and now, skating enthusiasts from around the world have renewed reason to rejoice.

Promising a top speed of up to 15 mph and a battery life that will last you seven miles, the Blink claims to be the “perfect rideable for city dwellers [and] college students.” You can charge the skateboard in as little as an hour, and the hub motors promise a powerful yet smooth ride. Speaking of hub motors, the Blink will still work as a conventional skateboard even if you run out of juice, as these sorts of motors don’t slow you down in the way belted motors might.

More: Carvon’s next-gen electric skateboards boast all-wheel drive, can hit 35 mph

With an aircraft aluminum extrusion and a wood deck, the Blink S is super lightweight and portable. The board also comes with a remote control that allows you to control the forward and reverse functions, and also doubles as an accelerator and brake. So really, all you need to do is keep your balance.

And of course, because this is a smart, connected board, it comes with an app that allows you to set modes, check mileage, track routes, and otherwise stay engaged in the skateboarding community. You can now order the Blink S for $699 on the Acton Online Store.

If you’re in the market for other skateboards, however, Acton has a couple more products in the pipeline. There’s the Blink S2, which features two-wheel drive, which allows for “effortless uphill power” for your hillier commutes (the Blink S has one-wheel drive). And the most powerful of the lot is the Blink Qu4tro, which offers an impressive four-wheel drive to adventurers. These two boards are expected to start shipping in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled.

ZTE teased a March 21 event that could host a dual-camera Nubia smartphone

Why it matters to you

Dual cameras are becoming commonplace, meaning better quality photos that can be taken straight from your phone.

It looks like we could be getting a new ZTE smartphone in the near future. ZTE began teasing a March 21 event on its Weibo account, where the company is expected to unveil a new Nubia smartphone with a dual camera on the back. It’s not known exactly what device in the Nubia series the phone will end up being but if it does have a dual camera, it will mark ZTE’s first attempt at bringing that feature to its Nubia range.

How do we know that there will be a dual camera phone at the event? Well, we don’t know for sure but accompanying the teaser is a graphic that shows two circles that look suspiciously like camera lenses.

More: ZTE will pay U.S. government $892 million for illegally selling American tech to Iran

There don’t seem to be any rumors about a Nubia device with a dual camera just yet and we may just have to wait until the event to get any details about it. According to a user on Chinese social media network Weibo, however, the phone may boast a borderless display and it could be powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. If that is true, it will only be the second smartphone with a Snapdragon 835 — coming after the Sony Xperia XZ, which was the first Snapdragon 835-powered phone.

This will mark the second Nubia phone to be released in a month — the company launched the Nubia N1 Lite at MWC at the end of last month. The phone boasts a 5.5-inch HD display with a 1,280 x 720-pixel display and a MediaTek 64-bit processor with 2GB of RAM. It also had 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot and a single-lens 8MP camera. It’s powered by a 3,000mAh battery and 4G connectivity and has a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device.

Oxford scientists are building robots that ‘wear’ artificial skin before it’s transplanted

There’s a thin line between man and machine, and it’s only getting thinner. Intelligent algorithms are starting to perceive sights and sounds like human beings. Androids are taking more anthropomorphic forms, powered by actuators wrapped silicone and latex skins. Even these skins are becoming increasingly lifelike. Earlier this year, researchers created an artificial material that’s twice as sensitive as human skin. And this month, a team of Oxford professors proposed a provocative idea — grow human tissue on humanoid robots.

“Humanoid robots have the potential to closely mimic both the structure and the movements of the patient’s body.”

Pierre-Alexis Mouthuy and Andrew Carr didn’t at first intend to delve into robotics. They’re biomedical researchers, concerned with interactions between tissue and bone. But, while studying strategies to repair tendon injuries through tissue engineering, the pair realized they’d need to test their lab-grown tissues in dynamic environments that simulate what it’d be like to be stretched, pulled, and contracted by the human body.

“The current bioreactor systems offered for that are still in their infancy and are relatively expensive,” Mouthuy told Digital Trends. “Therefore we have decided to look into designing our own bioreactor systems to solve this problem.”

In a review published this month in the journal Science Robotics, Mouthuy and Carr explore a the concept of growing human transplant tissue on “humanoid bioreactors.”

“We have always been well aware of the technological developments that are being made in robotics, and in particular in musculoskeletal humanoid research,” Mouthuy said. “Musculoskeletal humanoids, which mimic the human body’s skeletal structure, are rapidly becoming better at mimicking natural body movements. We thought that investigating whether or not these robots could support the growth of tendons and other musculoskeletal tissues was now becoming both technically possible and scientifically relevant.”

The purpose isn’t necessarily to start some sort of cyberpunk revolution

Tissue tears and, the older we get, the more fragile our bodies become. Failures in tendons, ligaments, and bones can cripple patients and cause burdens to society. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just as researchers have created sophisticated ways to replace teeth, hair, and even limbs, scientists are working on better ways to engineer tissue grafts. In 2013, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine grew human heart tissue that could beat on its own. Last, year scientists from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Japan reprogrammed cells to grow as complex skin tissue, hair follicles and all.

More: Researchers have created an artificial material that’s twice as sensitive as human skin

Current tissue engineering techniques require a controlled environment within what’s known as a bioreactor, which sustains conditions needed for cells to live outside the body and stimulates those cells to develop as desired. However, as Mouthuy and Carr point out in their review, the chemical and mechanical stimuli provided by current bioreactors don’t do enough to replicate the dynamic stresses of the body – all the stretching, pulling, and contracting that your skin experiences as your move.

In order to grow clinically relevant grafts, the researchers say future bioreactors will need to push and pull tissues in multiple directions, adapt stresses depending on where the tissue will be implanted into the body, and be able to grow tissue to scale. “In this context, humanoid musculoskeletal robots become very relevant as they have the potential to closely mimic both the structure and the movements of the patient’s body,” Mouthuy said.

The researchers point to a few humanoid robots — such as Kenshiro and Eccerbot —  for ideas of how these bioreactors may take shape.

More: Robots and AI are coming for our jobs. But can augmentation save us from automation?

The purpose of the article wasn’t necessarily to start some sort of cyberpunk revolution — although, we say, Viva la révolucion! Rather, Mouthuy said he and Carr wanted spark discussion and collaboration between roboticists and regenerative medical experts.

Moving forward, the team will need to conduct a proof of concept. “We are currently designing small bioreactor prototypes that could be used in combination with musculoskeletal robots,” Mouthuy said. “We hope to be able to test these in the near future.”

Scientists create ‘lip password’ that IDs users by their lips’ movements

Why it matters to you

The latest research into biometric authentication looks at verifying users through their lip motions.

A team of scientists have developed a new biometric authentication method that identifies someone through the motions of their lips.

The “lip motion password,” or lip password, has been designed by Professor Cheung Yiu-ming and researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University. The method involves matching the lip motion associated with saying your password to the user’s lip characteristics.

More: Study: Accuracy of voice biometrics can diminish as we age

The researchers at the university’s department of computer science claim that lip movement is unique to the individual. It cannot be easily impersonated and an impostor will be denied entry by the system, they said. “The same password spoken by two persons is different and a learning system can distinguish them,” commented Professor Cheung.

Cheung and his team developed a computational learning model that examined the visual features of a person’s lips including shape, texture, and movement.

Professor Cheung Yiu-ming

Hong Kong Baptist University

This biometric authentication method could provide an additional layer of security for access to programs or systems. According to Cheung, it is a better system than voice activation, which can be inhibited by background noise. Further, lip passwords can be used by people with hearing or speech impairments and the method is not susceptible to language barriers, allowing anyone to use it, at least in theory.

In the future, the lip password could be integrated with facial recognition authentication systems for even more robust security and verification, the researchers said.

Biometrics using features like fingerprints have become much more common in recent years but they present a fundamental problem – they can’t be changed. If fingerprint scan data is ever stolen, the user needs to find a new method of authentication. The researchers in Hong Kong believe their new method of lip motions can provide security while allowing the user to change or reset it when they want.

The researchers have already obtained a patent for the method and expect to see it first deployed in financial transaction verification. They added that other use cases include ATM verification, mobile payments, and managing access to private premises.

See what a rocket engine’s 512K pounds of thrust looks like up close — and in 360

Why it matters to you

As if an engine that could help send a spaceship to Mars isn’t cool enough, NASA tested the engine — and recorded it with 360 cameras.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle is expected to boast an unprecedented 2 million pounds of thrust to explore deeper into space — but watching just one of the four engines being tested is quite impressive by itself. Earlier this month, NASA shared a 360 video offering a glimpse at just how powerful the RS-25 engine is.

Four of the RS-25s will eventually be used to carry an unmanned Orion spaceship deeper into the solar system, including on a possible mission to Mars. The launch system is based on three decades of research. For added power, the new RS-25 uses 25 percent more fuel than the one that powered the space shuttle. The SLS is designed to launch only once, unlike a shuttle.

More:  This is what it looks like if you strap a GoPro to a rocket

The test shows just how much smoke the heat of the engine creates. Multiple 360 cameras were used to record the testing from a number of different vantage points, including one camera that was placed right inside the flame trench, which helps to direct the exhaust away from the launch pad, and ends up surrounded by smoke and water. The water in the trench is even vaporized enough to make a double rainbow.

The hot fire test was conducted at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi in February. The entire test lasted more than six minutes, but the video was trimmed to a little over two minutes.

The Space Launch System is NASA’s largest rocket to date, designed to be adaptable for both unmanned and crewed missions. The RS-25 is the engine that powered the space shuttle during 30 years of operation. It’s one of the most tested large rocket engines in history, with more than 3,000 starts and more than 1 million seconds of total ground test and light ring time. NASA is upgrading the engines for the SLS with electronic controllers and new nozzle insulation. While the SLS is expected to have two variations with different boosters, the system uses four of the RS-25 engines in both cases.

Mysterious Google Carrier Services app lands on Google Play, but what does it do?

Why it matters to you

Could this unexplained app one day bring the next generation of SMS support to your Android smartphone?

It looks like our Android phones may have yet another preinstalled app in the near future. In many cases device manufacturers opt to have preinstalled apps available on the Google Play Store, so that they can update individual apps rather than pushing an entire system update. Another one of those apps, called “Carrier Services,” has appeared on the Google Play Store.

According to the app description, the app “helps carriers provide mobile services using the latest networking capabilities,,” including support for the Android Messages app.

More: Turn any old Android into your Android with Google’s #myAndroid site

So what exactly does Carrier Services do? Well, right now, nothing. Android Police has gone over the app’s code to find that it only contains a dummy service, which simply means that it doesn’t do anything. In other words, the app is up on the Google Play Store, but it won’t actually do anything until Google updates it.

We could speculate as to what the new app is all about. Some reports hint that it could have something to do with RCS, or Rich Communication Services — which is an advanced communications style that supports high-resolution phones, read receipts, a better chat group support, and more. It’s essentially a futuristic version of SMS.

So what is the appropriate response to an app like this appearing on the Google Play Store? Apparently, it’s leaving funny reviews. One review reads “Google had once again achieved what no other country on this earth can. After updating this cellular services app I can tap into any network of the world.”

Another reads that “after a bit of experimenting,” you can “Wave Charge” your phone by putting it in the microwave. Pro tip: Under no circumstances should you put your phone in the microwave unless you want a fire hazard and a fried phone on your hands.

Google, NASA will install D-Wave’s latest 2,000-qubit quantum computer at Ames

Why it matters to you

Google and NASA installing the latest quantum computer in the Ames facility means complex problems can be resolved quickly, advancing space exploration and other fields at a faster rate.

D-Wave Systems said on Monday that Google, NASA, and the Universal Space Research Association (USRA) chose to upgrade the current quantum annealer computing system installed in NASA’s Ames Research Center to the new D-Wave 2000Q platform. Previously, Ames relied on the D-Wave 2X system made available in August 2015. The new 2000Q model hit the quantum computing scene in January packing 2,000 qubits, nearly doubling the number of qubits provided in the previous 2X-branded generation.

As a brief explainer, a qubit is short for a quantum bit, which is a unit of quantum information. It’s different than a standard binary bit in that the state of a qubit can be zero, one, or a superposition of those two states whereas a normal bit can only be zero or one. The superposition aspect is part of quantum mechanics declaring that any two or more distinct quantum states can be added together to create another valid quantum state. As this video demonstrates, just imagine that a qubit state can be a slice of pizza and a bagel at the same time.

More: D-Wave sold its first 2,000-qubit quantum annealer to a cybersecurity firm

The point is, quantum computing is the next step in the evolution of computing on a whole. It’s based on the use of quantum particles that can exist in multiple states at the same time. This increases the overall computation power along with their ability to become entangled with each other, providing parallel processing that can cut down on the overall computing time. That means quantum computers can solve problems that usually take a very long time for traditional bit-based computers to complete.

“The new system will be the third generation of D-Wave technology installed at Ames,” D-Wave CEO Vern Brownell said. “We are pleased that Google, NASA, and USRA value the increased performance embodied in our latest generation of technology, the D-Wave 2000Q system, for their critical applications.”

Right now, the drawback to quantum computing is the needed extreme environment conditions. The processor resides in a high vacuum with a pressure of 10 billion times lower than the Earth’s atmosphere. The qubits also must be chilled close to absolute zero “to harness quantum effects,” thus the environment inside the massive 2000Q enclosure is 180 times colder than interstellar space, or 0.015 degrees above absolute zero.

Unfortunately, D-Wave isn’t forthcoming about all the hardware inside the 2000Q system. However, here are a few additional highlights:

• Provides 200 I/O and control lines from room temperature to the chilled processor.
• The overall system consumes less than 25 kilowatts of power.
• It’s shielded to 50,000 times less than Earth’s magnetic field.
• The processor is enclosed in a closed cycle dilution refrigerator.

D-Wave said that NASA is installing the 2000Q quantum computer at its Ames Research Center later in 2017. Used by the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory team, it will be accessed to address the challenges NASA faces by utilizing quantum computing approaches and creating quantum artificial intelligent algorithms. NASA began its quantum journey with the D-Wave Two (2013) followed by the D-Wave 2X (2015).

Google, NASA will install D-Wave’s latest 2,000-qubit quantum computer at Ames

Why it matters to you

Google and NASA installing the latest quantum computer in the Ames facility means complex problems can be resolved quickly, advancing space exploration and other fields at a faster rate.

D-Wave Systems said on Monday that Google, NASA, and the Universal Space Research Association (USRA) chose to upgrade the current quantum annealer computing system installed in NASA’s Ames Research Center to the new D-Wave 2000Q platform. Previously, Ames relied on the D-Wave 2X system made available in August 2015. The new 2000Q model hit the quantum computing scene in January packing 2,000 qubits, nearly doubling the number of qubits provided in the previous 2X-branded generation.

As a brief explainer, a qubit is short for a quantum bit, which is a unit of quantum information. It’s different than a standard binary bit in that the state of a qubit can be zero, one, or a superposition of those two states whereas a normal bit can only be zero or one. The superposition aspect is part of quantum mechanics declaring that any two or more distinct quantum states can be added together to create another valid quantum state. As this video demonstrates, just imagine that a qubit state can be a slice of pizza and a bagel at the same time.

More: D-Wave sold its first 2,000-qubit quantum annealer to a cybersecurity firm

The point is, quantum computing is the next step in the evolution of computing on a whole. It’s based on the use of quantum particles that can exist in multiple states at the same time. This increases the overall computation power along with their ability to become entangled with each other, providing parallel processing that can cut down on the overall computing time. That means quantum computers can solve problems that usually take a very long time for traditional bit-based computers to complete.

“The new system will be the third generation of D-Wave technology installed at Ames,” D-Wave CEO Vern Brownell said. “We are pleased that Google, NASA, and USRA value the increased performance embodied in our latest generation of technology, the D-Wave 2000Q system, for their critical applications.”

Right now, the drawback to quantum computing is the needed extreme environment conditions. The processor resides in a high vacuum with a pressure of 10 billion times lower than the Earth’s atmosphere. The qubits also must be chilled close to absolute zero “to harness quantum effects,” thus the environment inside the massive 2000Q enclosure is 180 times colder than interstellar space, or 0.015 degrees above absolute zero.

Unfortunately, D-Wave isn’t forthcoming about all the hardware inside the 2000Q system. However, here are a few additional highlights:

• Provides 200 I/O and control lines from room temperature to the chilled processor.
• The overall system consumes less than 25 kilowatts of power.
• It’s shielded to 50,000 times less than Earth’s magnetic field.
• The processor is enclosed in a closed cycle dilution refrigerator.

D-Wave said that NASA is installing the 2000Q quantum computer at its Ames Research Center later in 2017. Used by the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory team, it will be accessed to address the challenges NASA faces by utilizing quantum computing approaches and creating quantum artificial intelligent algorithms. NASA began its quantum journey with the D-Wave Two (2013) followed by the D-Wave 2X (2015).