Apple Says Mac Mini is ‘Important’ But Remains Tight-Lipped About Future Updates

Apple today introduced spec-bumped versions of the current Mac Pro, and revealed that it’s working on a “completely rethought” Mac Pro alongside Apple-branded pro displays that will launch beyond 2017. However, Apple remained tight lipped about the Mac mini, beyond noting that it’s an “important” product in its lineup.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller via Daring Fireball:

“On that I’ll say the Mac Mini is an important product in our lineup and we weren’t bringing it up because it’s more of a mix of consumer with some pro use. … The Mac Mini remains a product in our lineup, but nothing more to say about it today.”

Apple last updated the Mac mini in October 2014, a span of over 900 days, according to the MacRumors Buyer’s Guide.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Buyer’s Guide: Mac Mini (Don’t Buy)
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Qube tent lets you build a larger space by linking lots of smaller ones

Why it matters to you

If you love camping and your current tent has seen better days, you might want to check out the Qube. Or several of them.

If you love camping but sometimes wish your accommodation was a little larger, one option is to buy a really huge tent. Alternatively, you could go for the Qube, a modular offering that lets you build a space as large as you like.

Designed by Brit inventor Jason Thorpe, the Qube will connect with any other Qube — whether it’s the two-, three-, or four-person design — allowing you to create a floor plan that suits both you and your fellow travelers.

The Qube can apparently be set up in less than two minutes, which sounds great if it’s your swear words that can often be heard drifting across the campground every time you struggle to set up the same tent you’ve had for the last 10 years. And with generous headroom of at least 215 cm, there’ll be “no more stooping over or doing ‘the dying fish’ while you try and get your jeans on,” Thorpe says.

A nice touch is the Qube’s black lining, which guarantees a total blackout for sleeping so you won’t be rudely awakened by early morning sunlight pouring in through one of its four windows.

It also features a ventilation system, a “special material treatment process” that claims to reduce condensation, and strong rain protection. Constructed from heavy-duty nylon, the Qube should last comfortably for many years.

Fortunately — and importantly — the tent is easy to pack away, too, “so you won’t need to be an expert in origami to try and get it back into the bag when you’re ready to come home.”

More: REI sets camp in the hammock market with the Quarter Dome Air hammock

While the Qube could certainly pave the way to a fun social camping experience with your buddies at a festival, it could also offer some much-needed privacy and space for larger families on the verge of a nervous breakdown after three days or so at the campground in close quarters.

Downsides? Starting at 32.65 pounds for the two-person Qube, it’s not light, so you won’t want to be carrying it far in a backpack. Or at all. Also, if it’s your buddies you want to go Qube-ing with, you’ll need to persuade them that forking out for the tent is a really good idea.

Speaking of money, the Qube is available via its Indiegogo page starting at $250 for the two-person design. With its funding goal already smashed by a factor of more than 10, shipping to the U.S., Europe, and South Africa is set to start in July, 2017.

Hopes for early U.S. release of performance-tracking ‘smart condom’ premature

Why it matters to you

If metrics matter, here’s a tool for taking your measure.

Taking a male-skewed view of sexual performance, British Condoms recently introduced its contribution to wearable technology, the i.Con smart condom. The product will initially be offered in the U.K. only. Customers in the U.S. and other nations will need to show restraint.

The “world’s first smart condom” isn’t actually a condom. It’s a girth-adjustable ring that will “sit over a condom at the base.” So let’s be polite and call it a penis ring. The company swears it’s comfortable, water resistant, and lightweight enough so you can use it over and over again. The little bugger doesn’t get in the way and you can use any actual condom you’d like with it.

British Condoms says, “you won’t even know it’s there, ensuring maximum pleasure and peace of mind.” Peace of mind, we suppose, unless you’re wondering what your numbers will be like, but that begs the question why you decided to keep track of your member’s numbers in the first place.

More: Brilliant new condom fights HIV infection with an antioxidant-embedded hydrogel

The ring holds a nanochip, sensors, a Bluetooth wireless transmitter, and a battery. The battery charges via a MicroUSB port. Charging takes about one hour and each charge is good for 6 to 8 hours of use. Ponder that for a moment or two.

According to British Condoms, the sensors “measure and remember a number of different variables during your sessions.”  Assuming you’re OK with a wireless transmitter in your penis ring, after you’ve finished, it downloads the session data to whatever mobile device you’ve joined it with. At that point, just as you might expect, it erases the data till next time. Heartless, we know.

But what numbers does the i.Con track? As mentioned above, there’s nothing about Mr. Johnson’s length, but girth is indeed scored, or rather recorded. Other closely gathered metrics include calories burnt, thrust speed, number, and velocity, and average skin temperature as well as session frequency and total session duration. So perhaps in that last bit, there is some data that could matter to others or to one other.

Data on different positions is coming soon, the company promises, but that metric is still in beta testing.

In its FAQ-style release, British Condoms replied to a question about data privacy and if anonymous use is possible. “Absolutely! All data will be kept anonymous but users will have the option to share their recent data with friends, or, indeed the world. You will be able to anonymously access stats that you can compare with i.Con users worldwide.” So we all have that to look forward to should the data migrate to social media.

While no firm date has been set, British Condoms says the i.Con Smart Condom will be available in 2017. After an initial market entry in the U.K., the company says that due to widespread interest from retailers they expect the smart penis ring to be available in the U.S. and around the world.

T-Mobile adds Allstate roadside assistance to its SyncUp Drive connected car service

Why it matters to you

Need a tow and have T-Mobile’s SyncUp Drive connected car service? You’re in luck.

We live in a connected world. Our smartphones are connected. Our homes are connected. Even our car, the hunks of metal on wheels that ferry us around, are connected. That’s generally a good thing, but in that last case — connected cars — the techdoesn’t do much good if you suffer a breakdown. If your car happens to be connected via T-Mobile’s SyncUp Drive service when that happens, though, you might be in luck.

SyncUp Drive, for the uninitiated, is an aftermarket plugin that transforms any car with an OBD-II (on-board diagnostics) port into a 4G LTE hot spot. For $150 a year, subscribers get access to vehicle diagnostics, driving behavior analysis, vehicle and location monitoring, speed alerts, vehicle diagnostics, and more.

More: With T-Mobile’s SyncUp Drive, your car will be more connected than ever

On Tuesday, T-Mobile announced a major SyncUp upgrade: Free roadside assistance. Starting April 4, the self-coined “Un-carrier” will add Allstate’s Motor Club program for all SyncUP Drive customers on qualifying plans at no extra cost.

Here’s how it will work: If you spring a flat tire or need a tow, you’ll be able to connect to a dedicated Allstate Motor Club customer service team via the T-Mobile SyncUp Drive app. It’s available for iOS on the Apple App Store and for Android devices on Google Play — if you’ve already installed it, accepting the latest update will add the Allstate Motor Club feature to the dashboard.

T-Mobile said the demand for SyncUp Drive has “exceeded expectations,” nearly doubling early forecasts.

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

“The response to T-Mobile SyncUp Drive has been phenomenal! Customers are telling us what they love — and what they want to see next. And, as always, the Un-carrier’s listening,” John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile, said in a statement. “Customers’ No.1 ask has been for roadside help. So we’ve partnered with Allstate Motor Club to roll out dedicated roadside assistance for SyncUp Drive customers at no extra charge!”

To celebrate the launch of roadside assistance, T-Mobile is offering SyncUp Drive at a discounted rate. For a limited time, you get 2GB of data (or higher) for $48 with a 24-month no-cost finance agreement.

T-Mobile is not the only carrier company targeting the connected car market. In January 2015, Verizon launched Verizon Vehicle, a connected-car subscription service designed to provide roadside assistance, vehicle monitoring, and other services. Shortly after, AT&T inked a deal with Subaru to provide connectivity in the manufacturer’s connected cars. And automaker General Motors recently unveiled AtYourService, a new component of its OnStar subscription service that will let retailers advertise and send deals directly to drivers.

Phones with ‘foldable’ AMOLED displays may not debut until 2019

Samsung Display pours cold water on prospect of a foldable Galaxy anytime soon.

Rumors of a foldable Samsung smartphone have been circulating for years, with the name “Galaxy X” doing the rounds recently to refer to a phone that opens like a book to transform into a larger, tablet-sized screen.

But comments by a leading engineer at Samsung Display — the arm of the Korean electronics giant responsible for making those screens — suggest such a device is still a couple of years off.

Technical challenges and strong demand for bezel-free panels are responsible for pushing back the ‘foldable’ phone.

The Korea Herald quotes Kim Tae-woong, Samsung Display’s principal engineer, at the Display TechSalon in Seoul.

“Because the bezel-free display currently sells well,” Kim says, “we still have enough time to develop foldable display. The technology is expected to be mature around 2019.”

Kim notes that there were still some technical challenges to be overcome before foldable smartphone displays could ship in a retail product, the outlet reports, adding that single-sided foldable phones will likely arrive first. Double-sided foldable devices — where the entire surface area of both sides is basically a screen — should come later.

So unless the demand for bezel-free displays slows unexpectedly in the next year, don’t expect a foldable Galaxy anytime soon. The idea of carrying around a single, super-slim device that can instantly double its screen area as needed remains exciting. But it’s unlikely we’ll see anything besides concept demonstrations from Samsung for the next couple of years.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ hands-on preview!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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What Windows users need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S8

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is probably the most attractive Android phone yet for Microsoft fans and Windows users at large. Here’s what you need to know.

This year, the Galaxy S8 is particularly interesting for Microsoft fans for a variety of reasons. Microsoft is increasingly pulling away from Windows 10 Mobile, and is now tying itself closer than ever to Samsung’s hardware to push its software.

Here’s what you need to know about the Galaxy S8 and Windows 10.

It’s still preloaded with Microsoft apps

Just as several other recent phones and tablets from Samsung have been, the Galaxy S8 comes preloaded with a selection of Microsoft’s applications. It’s also likely that these can’t be uninstalled, but then, why would you want to do that anyway?

Here’s what you get on the regular Galaxy S8:

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Skype
• OneDrive

That ‘regular’ is important for a very good reason. There is another way for the Galaxy S8.

The Microsoft Edition

On a hardware level, the ‘Microsoft Edition’ is exactly the same as the Samsung-sold Galaxy S8. The key differences are that Microsoft will be selling it through its own store and that it’s supposedly going to make it “easier” to install and use Microsoft applications beyond the preloaded ones.

Samsung Galaxy S8 ‘Microsoft Edition’ will be available in Microsoft Stores

It’s not exactly difficult to install apps from the Google Play Store, but this version of the Galaxy S8 is expected to include this in the setup process in the retail store.

If you’re a Microsoft fan and a heavy user of the company’s services, this will potentially be the best version of the Galaxy S8 for you. However, it’s also not that likely to be much different to the one Samsung sells.

DeX is like Continuum

Continuum allows you to connect certain Windows phones to a big screen for a PC-like experience, the same is now true of the Galaxy S8 with DeX. By dropping the phone into the dock, you’ll be taken from the small screen to a full PC-like desktop.

Samsung DeX may beat Microsoft’s Continuum, but it’s still no slam dunk

It’s unclear exactly how many apps will be supporting the feature, but importantly for Windows fans is that Microsoft is on board for launch with the Microsoft Office apps. So, with Office preloaded on the phone, DeX will give you a larger, more desktop-like experience to interact with the apps.

So, it’s like Continuum, but running on an Android-powered phone. With support from Microsoft.

DeX is like Continuum for the Galaxy S8 and supported by Microsoft

Other Microsoft apps

It’s completely possible to go full Microsoft on any Android phone, including the Galaxy S8. If there’s something you use and enjoy on Windows, you’ll find it over on Android as well.

It’s not just about the Windows services, either, Microsoft even has both lock screen and launcher apps for Android, too. Google might be responsible for what’s ultimately underneath, but you can easily have a full dose of Microsoft facing front.

The best Microsoft apps for Android

The bottom line

Aside from Windows phones, the Galaxy S8 is looking like the best Microsoft phone that you’ll be able to buy in 2017. Samsung and Microsoft have been partnering for some time now, but the Galaxy S8 takes it up a notch with both DeX and the Microsoft Edition of the phone.

Importantly, if you’re reliant on Windows and Microsoft’s apps and services, with the Galaxy S8 in your pocket, you’ll be in good hands.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ hands-on preview!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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Samsung’s Tizen said to be riddled with vulnerabilities. Is your smartwatch safe?

A report from Motherboard is some very bad news for fans of Samsung’s other operating system, Tizen.

Speaking with Israeli security researcher Amihai Neiderman of Equus Software, Motherboard tells us that there are currently 40 unreported security vulnerabilities that would allow remote execution and hacking of every Samsung TV, watch or phone that uses Tizen as the operating system. More serious are some allegations about the how and why behind many of these exploits.

It may be the worst code I’ve ever seen.

While Samsung may not be thinking about replacing Android with Tizen on its phones and tablets, the current ecosystem is about to be expanded in a big way: Samsung is committed to using Tizen on most every smart appliance it sells going forward. Smart refrigerators sound like a great idea until someone hacks your email through one.

It may be the worst code I’ve ever seen, Neiderman tells Motherboard. Everything you can do wrong there, they do it. You can see that nobody with any understanding of security looked at this code or wrote it. It’s like taking an undergraduate and letting him program your software.

Any large software project will have its fair share of bugs and exploits. While some are more serious than others, most researchers aren’t looking at Tizen the same way they are focused on Android, iOS, and Windows. That’s largely because Samsung will sell more Galaxy S8 phones in a week that it will likely ever sell of phones running Tizen. But that overlooks several of Samsung’s successful product lines including the Gear S3 smartwatch that many of us have on our wrist right now. Neiderman goes on with some serious shade towards Samsung’s development team for Tizen.

[Neiderman] says much of the Tizen code base is old and borrows from previous Samsung coding projects, including Bada, a previous mobile phone operating system that Samsung discontinued.

But most of the vulnerabilities he found were actually in new code written specifically for Tizen within the last two years. Many of them are the kind of mistakes programmers were making twenty years ago, indicating that Samsung lacks basic code development and review practices to prevent and catch such flaws.

This is particularly worrisome for several reasons. Firstly, the code Samsung adds to Android has no peer review process as it’s not open source. If Samsung, as claimed, is lacking when it comes to coding and review techniques, the same sorts of mistakes could be abundant in its Android portfolio, too. Even if this isn’t the case, the Samsung Gear family of watches is connected to quite a few Android devices and shares a lot of information that could be open to someone with the right tools and a little bit of know-how.

An attacker can install any software they like through the TizenStore application.

Even tokenized financial data through Samsung Pay has to live on your watch at some level, even if only long enough to transmit to a payment terminal or back to your bank. Thankfully, it is stored is a way that makes it mostly worthless without the keys to decrypt it and a reference to what the token is for.

All this aside, the biggest issue is a problem with the Tizen application store and installer.

One security hole Neiderman uncovered was particularly critical. It involves Samsung’s TizenStore app—Samsung’s version of Google Play Store—which delivers apps and software updates to Tizen devices. Neiderman says a flaw in its design allowed him to hijack the software to deliver malicious code to his Samsung TV.

This is a show stopper. The TizenStore app runs with absolute system privileges and can install and run anything with no secondary input from the user. Hijacking this process and using it to install tools for remote access and grant them system privileges means an attacker can do just about anything they like. Every device with access to the TizenStore or another way to install Tizen applications is potentially vulnerable, including the Samsung Gear family.

We’re not advising anyone throw out their watch or television. We’ve reached out to Samsung, which tells Motherboard that it is working with Neiderman to get everything in shape, and we’ll update when we hear something.

For now, exercise the same caution you would with a Windows computer or when sideloading Android applications while you’re using your Tizen-powered gadgets.

Samsung Galaxy S8+ vs. Galaxy S7 edge: Should you upgrade?

Do you really need all the latest and greatest Galaxy S8+? Or will last year’s model suffice?

It’s that time of year again. Spring has sprung and so has Samsung unearthed its new flagship smartphones. This year, the Galaxy S8+ was announced as the larger sibling of the Galaxy S8 for those who like to wield bigger smartphones. It’s also the follow-up to last year’s Galaxy S7 edge.

You might be wondering: Is it worth upgrading to the Galaxy S8+ if the Galaxy S7 edge is already on sale everywhere else? Well, that depends entirely on how big you like your display.

Hardware, specs and features

The Galaxy S8+ will undoubtedly remind of you the fabled Galaxy Note 7. But after you’ve shed a couple of tears for what could have been, wipe them away with your shirt sleeve and give the Galaxy S8+ a good once over. Notice its smooth edges, stunning chassis color, and recessed camera lens. This is an improved smartphone, and although the S7 edge is a looker in its own right, there’s something inherently more polished about the design of the Galaxy S8+.

If you’re looking for a pocket dweller, you might feel better suited with a Galaxy S7 edge.

The real question here is how big do you like the screen? The Galaxy S7 edge’s Quad HD display is certainly large at 5.5-inches, but the Galaxy S8+’s 6.2-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display offers significantly more screen space for watching movies, editing documents, and taking part in brawls on social media. It also supports HDR, which Netflix and Amazon are supporting.

If you’re looking for a pocket dweller, however, you might feel better suited with a Galaxy S7 edge. The Galaxy S8+ is certainly packs plenty of screen space into a thin chassis, but its tall, narrow body requires a bit of space to burrow inside a pair of pants.

The Galaxy S8+’s fingerprint sensor is on the backside, high above the area where your index finger normally rests.

Now, let’s talk about specifications. The Galaxy S8+ doesn’t offer anything particularly groundbreaking when pitted against its predecessor. Despite the larger screen, it is not equipped with a larger battery, nor does it offer more RAM — though you do get a faster processor and an extra 32GB of internal storage. And like the Galaxy S7 edge, it offers wireless charging, an SD card slot, and waterproofing, as well as all the other marketable bells and whistles, including Samsung Pay. Regardless of which one you choose, you’re not getting too much of a difference in terms of marquee Samsung features.

Samsung Galaxy S8+ specs

Software and experience

This is a Galaxy S8 and a Galaxy S7 edge, but you get the idea.

The Galaxy S7 edge is turning into the trusty old steed that’s adopting what it can to remain as capable as the fawns who’ve since been introduced into the barn. It has Android 7.0 Nougat now, which is great if you’re considering a smartphone at a discount but are hoping to avoid regressing on software updates.

When it comes to the day-to-day, there’s not much difference between the software on the Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy S7 edge, and especially not if the latter is updated to Nougat. You’ll get access to Samsung’s lighter layout if the latter is on Android 7.0, though the Galaxy S8+ will have a couple of additions that have carried over from the Note 7’s short-lived heyday.

You won’t get iris scanning and facial recognition on the Galaxy S7 edge because it’s not equipped with the right hardware.

Also, while the camera hardware may not have advanced much, the camera application did receive a bit of an interface trim and some silly feature additions. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary that you’re missing out on.

You are missing out on one software feature, however, that’s possible only because of the hardware inside the Galaxy S8+. The phone features iris scanning and facial recognition to secure your files and folders. You won’t get that on the Galaxy S7 edge because it’s not equipped with the right hardware.

Bottom line: The Galaxy S8+ looks great in Orchid Gray.

The Galaxy S8+ comes with Bixby, Samsung’s new on-device voice assistant, which promises to help you navigate your new smartphone and keep you privy to your town’s weather forecast. The chances are slim that Bixby will make it to the elder Galaxy smartphones, so if you’re keen on living in the future with your favorite device maker, you’ll want to get the phone with the hardware button dedicated to this feature.

The Galaxy S8+ positions itself as a better productivity machine by way of the fact that it’s equipped with Samsung DeX capabilities. DeX is the Galaxy S8’s hidden desktop interface, and you can unlock it by plopping the phone into the sold-separately dock. The DeX dock is a USB-C peripheral, so it’s not inherently meant to work with the Galaxy S7 edge. Even if you inserted a Micro-USB to USB Type-C adapter, it’s unlikely Samsung would spend much time optimizing DeX to make it compatible with older hardware.

Bottom line

New things are really nice to have, and shiny things can help attract new friends. But if it’s the latest technology you’re looking for, the Galaxy S8+ isn’t too much of a leap forward to consider trading in a perfectly capable Galaxy S7 edge. The Galaxy S8+’s performance will be slightly better in the longer run by virtue of the fact that it’s running a newer Snapdragon 835 chip, but its battery life will remain relatively the same, and the photos you take with it won’t look too much different.

If you simply don’t care for a larger display consider saving your money.

You aren’t skimping out on any essential software features, either. Samsung DeX and Bixby are certainly interesting new offerings, but they’re still in their first generation, and it’ll take some time to see how each evolves.

Ultimately, whether you’re looking to switch from a Galaxy S7 edge or are deciding whether to upgrade to the Galaxy S8+, consider your stance on wielding a taller phone. Smaller hands might find difficulty wielding the device one-handed, particularly if they plan to use the oddly located fingerprint sensor. The tradeoff is the Galaxy S8+’s bigger screen, which will net you more multitasking abilities in the long term.

See at Samsung

But if you simply don’t care for a larger display, consider saving your money and adopting the Galaxy S7 edge.

See at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ hands-on preview!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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The Morning After: Tuesday, April 4th 2017

Apple’s dreaming up its own graphics chips for future iPhones, SEALs are using brain-zapping tech to learn and train faster and our parent’s parent company has decided to give Aol a new name, after buying Yahoo. Call it Oath.

New chips.
Apple will dump Imagination, design its own iPhone and iPad GPUs

Even if you haven’t heard of Imagination Technologies and its PowerVR graphics processors, if you own an iPhone or iPad then you’re using its technology. Yesterday, the chip company announced that Apple plans to change that and has notified Imagination that at some point in the future, it will design the mobile graphics hardware on its own. Making the switch could be complicated since Imagination floated the possibility of patent infringement, but stay tuned.

You might want to be careful about docking your Switch for too long.Nintendo Switch owners report yet another issue: warping

The Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling console in the company’s history, sure, but it hasn’t been all roses. Gamers have already encountered significant problems with the dock and Joy-Con controllers. Now, the Switch that has some warping woes. Some users are reporting that their machines are noticeably bowing, particularly after being used in docked mode. Some speculate that this could be because the console works harder while outputting video, so it gets hot enough that internal components are more likely to expand. On the plus side, the bending doesn’t seem to affect the Switch’s functionality.

It’s done.Trump signs bill rolling back FCC internet privacy rules

With the stroke of a pen, the president undid privacy rules created by the FCC last year, potentially allowing ISPs to sell customer data including their browser history without asking first. Consumer rights groups are up in arms about the move, but after it had passed the House and Senate, its fate was pretty much assured. The new FCC chairman says he wants to work with the FTC to implement new regulations, claiming the Obama-era regs disadvantaged ISPs versus Google and Facebook. The problem is that until and unless that actually happens, customers and their data are pushed back beyond square one.

Tests with “Seal Team Six” and other units are promising so far.
Brain zapping helps US Navy Seals learn faster

The Navy wants soldiers who can concentrate better and learn faster, and it’s looking at a controversial piece of tech to do that: transcranial electrical stimulation. It has been testing a passive brain-stimulating device from Halo Neuroscience with “a small group of volunteers” from Seal Team Six, the group that killed Osama Bin Laden, and other units, according to Military.com.

We just work here.Yahoo and AOL are part of Verizon’s new ‘Oath’ brand

Yesterday, Tim Armstrong announced that “Oath: A Verizon Company” will be the umbrella brand covering AOL properties (like Engadget), and Yahoo. Reportedly, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer will not be under that umbrella, but otherwise we don’t know much. What we do know, however, is just how many jokes the internet can make about “Oath.”

Also: change horses into zebras‘Reverse Prisma’ AI turns Monet paintings into photos

Impressionist art is more about feelings than realism, but have you ever wondered what Monet actually saw when he created pieces like Low Tide at Varengeville (above)? Thanks to researchers from UC Berkeley, we can get a close guess. Using “image style transfer” they converted his impressionist paintings into a more realistic photo style, the exact opposite of what apps like Prisma do. The team also used the same AI to transform a drab landscape photo into a pastel-inflected painting that Monet himself may have executed.

Anyone within WiFi range could peek into your intimate moments.
This connected vibrator’s camera is disturbingly easy to hack

While your microwave definitely isn’t spying on you, it’s always important to make informed choices about which connected devices you bring into your home. Case in point: the $249 Svakom Siime Eye, WiFi-enabled vibrator — which comes with a built-in camera for livestreaming and, according to security researchers, an interface that can be easily hacked by anyone within wireless range. The “hack” is remarkably simple, because the smart dildo creates a wireless access point with the easily guessed default password of “88888888”. Anyone picking up the signal can simply tune into the video stream.

But wait, there’s more…

• PicoBrew tries to make countertop beer brewing affordable
• Computer programmers can still qualify for H-1B visas
• What’s on TV: ‘Rogue One,’ ‘Archer,’ Louis CK and ‘Chewing Gum’
• With Amazon Cash, you can shop online without a bank card

Verizon adds cult TV shows to its Go90 video service

Go90, Verizon’s homegrown video network, is making a play for fans of cult TV all across the country after signing a deal with Warner Bros.. From today, the service is the new home of classic shows like Babylon 5, Fringe and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Then, in May, the beloved detective drama Veronica Mars will land on the service.

Verizon’s Chip Canter believes that the deal is a great opportunity to “attract users” to the platform with genres that have “performed well for Go90.” The deal includes seven shows in total, with Almost Human (detective flop starring Karl Urban), Believe (supernatural flop starring Kyle MacLachlan) and Stalker (crime flop starring Dylan McDermott) rounding out the list.

The network, which owns Engadget’s parent company, came under fire for offering Go90 to its customers as a zero-rated service. That, according to the FCC at the time, was a violation of the principles of Net Neutrality that ensured an open and fair internet. With the appointment of Ajit Pai as commissioner, however, the commission ended its investigations into potential violations by T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon.

Via: AV Club

Source: Warner Bros.