Yahoo Captain: Is it really an assistant and how does it work?

Despite a pending sale to Verizon and an investigation into its data breaches, Yahoo had the time to make an assistant.

Called Captain, it’s one of the cooler services Yahoo has put out in recent years. It’s not a voice-activated assistant or anything like that. Instead, it is a new take on how we use artificial intelligence to manage our busy schedules. And you don’t need to download or even use a dedicated app to take advantage of its useful features. You simply talk to Captain over text. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

• Yahoo confirms state-sponsored hack: Were you affected?

Yahoo: What is Captain?

Captain is an SMS-based digital assistant, though Yahoo has described it as “a bot assistant that streamlines family logistics through text 
without downloading any app”. It primarily combines text with group reminders and shared shopping lists in real-time.

Yahoo: So, Captain is an assistant?

Although it is considered an assistant, Captain is obviously not as powerful as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. The neatest thing about the service is that it acts as an intermediary between you and other people in your family. The point here is to lessen some of the burden around having to manage your life, your spouse’s schedule, and your kids’ activities.

For instance, you can text Captain to remind your husband that your daughter needs to be picked up at 3pm, and it’ll also remind your daughter that her dad is coming to get her soon. Yahoo said Captain helps your family stay organized by keeping shared reminders, grocery lists, to-do lists, and more for your entire family. You can learn more from the Yahoo Captain website.

Yahoo: How does Captain work?

Getting started

Simply text “hi” to the number 773-786 to get started using Captain. You’ll then have to accept the terms, and then Captain will walk you through how to update a shared shopping list, set reminders, and add family members to the group.

Invite members

To invite family members, text “add member [name]” to 773-786. For instance, you can text “add member Stuart”, and then Captain will send you the instructions to invite Stuart to the group. You can learn more about adding family members here.

Reminders and shared lists

Your family can add, remove, and query shared lists and reminders through text messages. You can, for instance, text Captain at 776-786 to set up a timed reminder for your son to pick up the dry cleaning on Sunday. See the full list of supported commands here.

Yahoo: Where is Captain available?

Captain works with all US mobile carriers that accept SMS short codes.

Yahoo: Does Captain cost anything?

Captain is free to use. However, standard text rates apply. If you have unlimited texting, you shouldn’t see any charges for using Captain.

Yahoo: Is this safe?

Yahoo recently admitted to two massive data breaches, so you’re probably wondering if Captain is safe.

The first thing to keep in mind is that Captain is used entirely through text messaging, so there’s no Yahoo account required. Captain will also only share your list and reminders with people in your group. It does collect information that you provide to set up profiles, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses, but it only keeps “anonymised user dialogs for training models and product improvements”.

Also, although Captain doesn’t integrate with any other calendar, list, or reminder app, it does store your family’s shopping list and shared reminders. See the Security at Yahoo webpage more information about Yahoo’s various security steps.

Want to know more?

Check out Captain’s FAQ page.

Meet Sedric: Volkswagen’s self-driving lounge car of tomorrow

Volkswagen has introduced a new car concept that models its vision for autonomous driving.

Called Sedric (as in “self-driving car”), the vehicle is fully autonomous and has no steering wheel or pedals. Volkswagen Group AG, the parent group of Volkswagen, revealed Sedric at the Geneva Auto Show on Monday. During the unveiling, Volkswagen claimed Sedric, which can be summoned at the push of a button for ride-hailing trips, is the first vehicle to be designed for fully autonomous driving “from scratch”.

Volkswagen also said Sedric could serve as a “friend and companion” for your family, which makes us wonder if Volkswagen imagining a built-in artificial intelligence – sort of like Toyota’s Concept-i vehicle, which debuted earlier this year with the “Yui” AI. Volkswagen has suggested we should expect these features in Sedric to appear in its production-ready cars in the coming years, rather than Sedric itself.

• Best of CES 2017 – Cars: All the major announcements from the show

VW

From Volkswagen press materials and video, it’s clear that Sedric is just a dream at this point and may never come to fruition. Both the exterior and interior are unlike anything else on the road right now. The inside appears to be a vintage lounge, with bright yellow seats and wood grain paneling and even a spot to grow potted plants.

Still, it’s neat to see what companies are envisioning for tomorrow’s cars.

Major League Baseball approves another wearable for in-game use

Major League Baseball began allowing players to use two wearable devices during games before the 2016 season started. The league is now adding another gadget to its approved list: the Whoop Strap. While the device has been around for awhile now, players can wear the continuous biometric monitoring wristband during games when 2017 season starts in a matter of weeks. Whoop Strap tracks strain, recovery and sleep to give athletes, coaches and trainers an overall look at a player’s health.

The Whoop wearable monitors heart rate, heart rate variability, ambient temperature, motion and sleep data and can store those stats up to 3 days. Last year, the company conducted a trial with 200 minor league players who wore the device all the time except when they were on the field for games. Whoop says this gave it a truckload of data on things like travel, recovery and more which it then presented to MLB during off-season meetings.

ESPN reports that players won’t be required to wear the device and that Whoop has no rights to any collected data. What’s more, players and teams will be given equal access to the information and any use of those stats for things like TV broadcasts must be approved by both sides. Players can also decide how much information is shared by adjusting the security settings. A couple of NBA players have tried the device during games without permission, so it will be interesting to see if the pro basketball league will make a decision to officially allow or ban the device in the near future.

The Whoop band costs $1,200 and the price includes access to the analytics dashboard. There’s also a consumer-focused Whoop Strap 2.0 that went on sale in November for $500.

Source: Whoop

AI predicts how athletes will react in certain situations

When you think of sports analysis, you probably think of raw stats like time in the opposing half or shots on goal. However, that doesn’t really tell teams how they should have played beyond vague suggestions. Researchers at Disney, Caltech and STATS believe they can do better: they’ve developed a system that uses deep learning to analyze athletes’ decision-making processes. After enough training based on players’ past actions, the system’s neural networks can predict future moves and create a “ghost” of a player’s typical performance. If a team flubbed a play, it could compare the real action against the predictive ghosts of more effective teams to see how players should have acted.

The Toronto Raptors already have a manual ghosting system where coaches mark out where they think players should have been. This technology, however, lifts that burden. It can create ghosts in real time, even in soccer (aka football) and other sports where the continuous play can lead to predictions that gradually veer from realistic outcomes. The scientists rely on imitation learning, where AI bases its actions on demonstrations, to keep that long-term prediction in check.

The early results are promising. In an example soccer match between Fulham and Swansea, a league-average ghost team replacing Swansea performed about as well in a defensive situation… not well at all, unfortunately. However, swapping in the ghost of a strong defensive team dramatically improved Swansea’s chances of preventing a goal. Provided this approach can be adapted to both offense and a wider range of sports, you could see coaches offering more specific advice and shoring up weaknesses that might otherwise go unaddressed.

Via: EurekAlert

Source: Disney Research

Robots could wear flesh to help form transplants

Right now, you have to grow human transplants in a stationary environment. That’s more than a little dangerous when they could buckle under the stresses of a real body. Oxford University may have a clever (if slightly ghastly) solution to that problem: have robots wear the tissue first. If you grow muscles on humanoid robots, the movement and overall shape of those machines would lead to grafts and transplants that are ready for serious strain.

Naturally, this robotic conditioning would be most useful for higher-quality transplants. You could even personalize transplants by modifying the robot to reflect a patient’s anatomy. However, the Oxford team sees other uses. It could reduce the use of animal testing in pre-clinical trials, and could even represent a step toward “biohybrid humanoids” that combine real tissue with mechanical systems. We’re not so sure people are looking forward to that last part (it sounds like the background for a Terminator movie), but the discovery is great news overall for burn victims and others who need transplants. Instead of waiting weeks for replacements to grow on their own bodies, they could have doctors print transplants that get a robotic shakedown in a much shorter time.

Via: The Memo

Source: Science Robotics

PS Vue adds multi-picture feature just in time for March Madness

Sony is launching a new multi-view feature on PlayStation Vue at a very opportune time for sports fans. March Madness begins next week, and starting today, subscribers to the streaming service can watch up to three live channels simultaneously on one screen.

Multi-view will work on any available live TV channel, according to the company’s announcement on the PlayStation Blog. So, you can watch a trio of sporting events on TNT, TBS and CBS, for example, or you can watch a mix of live news programs. But, only the main screen will have audio.

PS Vue’s new picture-in-picture mode is the latest in a series of improvements for the cord-cutting service. It recently added HBO, Showtime and Cinemax to its lineup, making it the first paid streaming service to offer those channels live without a bundled package. Sony also added support for Android TV, PC and Mac. Besides multi-view, the company plans to release other sports-related features in the near future, including real-time sports scores and an option to turn off spoiler alerts for games.

Source: PlayStation Blog

How to connect with friends on Nintendo Switch

At the moment, early Nintendo Switch adopters are more than likely engrossed in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — already one of the most critically acclaimed single-player adventures of all time — but sooner or later you’ll want to see what your friends are up to (probably playing Zelda). As of now, there are a few ways to connect with friends on Switch, and more methods on the horizon.

More: Everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch

Keep in mind that the Switch caps your friend list at 300 people.

Friend Codes

Although Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime promised that they wouldn’t be part of the Switch’s online infrastructure, alas, the Switch’s launch update implemented a modified version of the “Friend Code” system for connecting account. Used on the Wii and, most recently, the 3DS family of systems, a friend code is a twelve digit password you can send to friends outside of the console, which they can then punch in to send you a friend request. Unfortunately, as of now, you’ll need to exchange friend codes via text, social media, or in person to connect with friends with this method.

Find your code

On the home page, click on your account icon in the upper left hand corner, represented in the image below as “Steve’s Page.”

Your friend code is available in two places: on the landing menu (Profile), and under the Add Friend menu. This is the code you should send your friends so that they can find you.

Adding a friend

On the user page, click Search with Friend Code and type a user’s 12-digit code to send a Switch friend request.

If entered properly, your friend’s nickname and user icon will pop up, and you can confirm that you want to send the request.

Back at the Add Friend menu, you can check on your pending requests under Sent Friend Requests.

Unlike previous friend code systems, the user on the receiving end of the request does not need to know the sender’s friend code to become friends. Once accepted, the user will show up in your Friend List on the user page.

Accepting a friend request

When someone sends you a friend request, a notification dot will show up next to the Add Friend section of the user page. The Friend Requests inbox at the top of the menu lets you know that someone has added you.

Click Friend Requests to see the requesting user’s icon and nickname. From here, you can either accept, reject, or block the user.

Yahoo’s new chatbot Captain will help chart a course for your busy life

Why it matters to you

Your new text buddy is also the most organized person you know — its name is Captain, and it’s the new chatbot from Yahoo to help you run your life.

Its sale price to Verizon may be going down, but it looks like Yahoo’s productivity is picking up — and it wants to help you with yours, too. Joining the ever-growing ranks of Yahoo’s bots is Captain, described as “a bot assistant that helps manage lists and reminders for you and your family via text message.” Effectively serving as your imaginary best friend, or rather, your supremely organized imaginary best friend, Captain promises to streamline communication among friends and family members, helping you share activities, set reminders, and even update a master shopping list.

To use the bot, simply text it something you can’t let yourself forget, like picking up your kids from dance practice on Friday night. Out of toilet paper? Remind yourself to grab some on your next trip to the store. And then, when you find yourself out and about, just text Captain and ask what you need to do for the day. Don’t worry, the bot knows.

More: Facebook’s new Messenger menus could mean the end of chatting with chatbots

Using Captain is about as straightforward a process as you can imagine. Simply text “Hi” to 773-786 and start chatting with your new personal assistant. Captain will respond immediately with setup instructions (though Sprint customers will need to unblock shortened links in order to get Captain to work). And while the bot is free to use, users should keep their data plans in mind — if you’re still paying for texts, be aware that Captain may eat some of those up.

If all that sounds peachy, there’s plenty that you can teach Captain to do. You can see a list of all the ways you can interact with Captain here, and start chatting up a storm with the one contact you know will always text you back.

Shazam is now about more than just music — it has an AR platform, too

Why it matters to you

If you thought you’d only ever use Shazam to figure out what song is playing, think again — it now has an integrated AR platform.

You first got to know it as the app that helped you identify your music, but now, Shazam is helping you identify a whole lot more. On Monday, the app announced the launch of a new augmented reality platform for its partners, artists, and “hundreds of millions of global users.” It’s not just about identifying objects via the new AR platform — rather, Shazam hopes to bring marketing materials to life, creating immersive ad experiences on your phone.

“We knew we were on to something big when we released visual image recognition in 2015,” said Shazam CEO Rich Riley. “With the rapid rise of augmented reality, it is a natural evolution for Shazam to be a first-mover in delivering AR at scale.”

More: Budding birders, how about this Shazam-like app for instant bird ID?

To utilize the new platform, users need only scan “Shazam Codes” where they’re available. Doing so will deliver AR experiences like 3D animations, product visualizations, mini-games, and 360-degree videos straight to the Shazam app.

As one of its launch partners, Beam Suntory is working with Shazam to market its beverages to customers of legal age. Beginning in April, you can Shazam some of Suntory’s ads in the company’s stores and play an interactive memory game — because nothing sells booze like a mind puzzle.

“We are excited to collaborate with Shazam on the launch of their augmented reality in-app functionality,” said Michelle Cater, Beam Suntory’s senior director of commercial marketing. “With more than 150 years of experience producing premium tequila, we have constantly innovated throughout the years to reach consumers in new and exciting ways. This breakthrough technology offers an accessible, immersive platform with which to engage in a rewarded gamification experience at the point of purchase leading up to Cinco de Mayo. Sauza Tequila and Hornitos Premium Tequila should effectively break through the Cinco de Mayo advertising clutter thanks to this exciting partnership.”

Shazam hopes to have cracked the code when it comes to helping advertisers connect with their audiences via AR. “One of the things missing from augmented reality for advertisers has been a frictionless way to deliver these experiences at scale,” said Shazam CRO Greg Glenday. “Because Shazam has such a massive install base, and consumers are already accustomed to using the app for discovery — we have now solved that problem. The possibilities for a brand to bring their products to life or make their advertising more engaging are quite literally only limited by the imagination.”

Google Play celebrates anniversary with lists of its most popular apps

Why it matters to you

The most popular content since Google Play’s launch gives a good indication of the direction in which Google and mobile developers and users are heading.

Hard to believe it, but it’s already been five years since Google relaunched the Android Market as Google Play, adding music, TV, movies, and books to games and app sales. The company cites more than 1 billion active users of its entertainment platform across 190 countries since the service’s launch on March 6, 2012. To celebrate the landmark anniversary, Google published a list of the top five most popular products within each category.

Admittedly, most of the chart-toppers aren’t surprising, but they do make for a fun little stroll down pop culture history of the last five years. Candy Crush Saga fronts the list for games, followed by Subway Surfers, Temple Run 2, Despicable Me, and Clash of Clans. The middle three make a clear case for the success of endless runners, and it’s also interesting to note the curious absence of any Angry Birds games.

More: Google Play Music 7.4 brings smaller app size and musical alarms

Moving on to apps — which is perhaps the least shocking of all the categories — Facebook took the No. 1 spot, with Facebook Messenger close behind. Pandora, Instagram, and Snapchat round out the list. The last two are the youngest apps among the five, with Instagram having been released in April 2012 on Android, and Snapchat making its debut on the platform the following October. Not counting Facebook Messenger, which itself was spun out of the original Facebook app that released on the Android Market in 2010, these are at least two years younger than the other most-downloaded apps.

Entertainment is a little less predictable. Among his many accomplishments, English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran can claim the title of artist with the best-selling song on Google Play Music, thanks to the 2014 single Thinking Out Loud. In the album race, Adele takes first with her third full-length release, 2015’s 25. Pop superstar Taylor Swift is the only artist with both a song and album in the top five — Blank Space and 1989 took the third spot in both lists, respectively.

The Interview strained diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea prior to the film’s release in late 2015, but the controversy spurred excellent digital sales on Christmas Eve while the film was temporarily withheld from theaters. It took first place among movies, followed by Frozen, Deadpool, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Finally, the romantic phenomenon that is Fifty Shades of Grey leads Google Play Books’ charts, ahead of the entire Hunger Games trilogy collection, A Game of Thrones, The Fault in Our Stars, and Gone Girl. All five have been adapted to major motion pictures or TV series, continuing Hollywood’s cross-media dominance.