Turing’s new phone boasts human and digital assistants

Remember the Turing Phone? You’re forgiven if you didn’t. Turing Robotic Industries unveiled the ambitious phone to much fanfare, only to delay it multiple times and even switch operating systems. That isn’t stopping the company from producing a follow-up, though — it’s teaming up with TCL to make its next upscale phone, the Appassionato. The Android device is still made from Turing’s signature extra-strong Liquidmorphium alloy (complete with a ceramic-like carbon coating), but it now includes a hybrid concierge and voice assistant service named, naturally, Sir Alan. Details of how it works aren’t clear, but it’ll let you get “lifestyle and business recommendations” from both AI and human helpers.

Turing isn’t divulging the full specs just yet. However, you’ll get a not-quite-current Snapdragon 820-series chip, a fingerprint reader and a scratch-resistant sapphire screen. The posh materials and assistant are going to cost you, however: a base PX8 version of the Appassionato will cost $1,099 when it arrives in September, while a “premium-luxury” GX8 version will cost $1,599.

There’s clearly good reason to be skeptical given the historical mismatch between Turing’s hype and its ability to deliver. However, the TCL partnership might help. TCL is no stranger to making smartphones, and recently inked a deal with BlackBerry to take responsibility for its hardware. It may help Turing translate all its high-flying ideas into a product that both arrives on time and meets expectations.

Via: The Verge

Source: Turing Robotic Industries, PR Newswire

Astronomers create first image of dark matter web

See that image above? The one that looks like a cosmic rorschach test? That’s the first composite image of a dark matter web that stretches between galaxies, according to a paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

For decades, scientists predicted that dark matter — a substance that’s largely undetectable because it doesn’t shine, absorb or reflect light — served as a bridge between galaxies. And, apparently, they were right. The composite image suggests that dark matter is basically the glue that holds the universe together. “This image moves us beyond predictions to something we can see and measure,” said Mike Hudson, a professor of astronomy at the University of Waterloo, in a statement.

The Waterloo researchers used a technique called weak gravitational lensing to create the composite. It’s an effect that causes images of distant galaxies to warp slightly when an unseen mass such as a black hole, or dark matter, is present. The composite is made up of more than 23,000 galaxy pairs located 4.5 billion light-years away. “By using this technique, we’re not only able to see that these dark matter filaments in the universe exist, we’re able to see the extent to which these filaments connect galaxies together,” said Seth Epps, the paper’s co-author and a master’s student at the University of Waterloo at the time. Hmm, a mysterious substance that binds the galaxy together. Where have we heard that before?

Via: PhysOrg

Source: Royal Astronomical Society, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Nintendo’s spring-loaded fighter, ‘Arms,’ hits Switch in June

Arms — a fighting game from Nintendo that’s essentially a mix of boxing and a shockingly violent Slinky exhibition — is set to hit the Switch on June 16th. Nintendo revealed the game’s release date during a Nintendo Direct live stream today.

Arms is a brand new IP from Nintendo, and it’s a one-on-one 3D brawl where each character is equipped with a pair of springy arms and special abilities. It’s a cartoon-styled, light-hearted game: Characters have names (and associated abilities) like Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, Ninjara, Master Mummy, Mechanica and Minmin, a ramen-based fighter with two noodly arms, one of which turns into a dragon.

Players earn a form of currency as they play, allowing them to purchase upgraded arms with different abilities. You’ll even be able to equip two different arms on one fighter.

The Arms release date is a welcome sight for many Switch owners. Nintendo’s new console hit the market in March with just a handful of launch games, headlined by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That game kept plenty of players happy for weeks, but now that the new-Zelda honeymoon glow is fading, the Switch simply needs more games.

‘Minecraft’ hits the Nintendo Switch on May 11th

Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition lands on May 11th, bringing the world’s most popular sandbox to yet another gaming platform. Minecraft on Switch supports the Pro controller and up to eight players online, or four locally in split-screen mode. Plus, it comes with the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, which throws classic Mario characters and locations directly into the game.

Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition, including the Super Mario Mash-Up pack, will launch in Nintendo #eShop on May 11. pic.twitter.com/VPxJ726Ex9

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 12, 2017

Nintendo revealed the release date for Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition during its Nintendo Direct live stream, where it also announced details about Arms, Splatoon 2, and other games heading to the 3DS and Switch.

‘Splatoon 2’ launches on July 21st with three new Amiibo figures

If you were hopeful that the Nintendo Switch’s Splatoon 2 Global Testfire event was indicative of an early launch, have a seat: today Nintendo announced that the game’s official release date as July 21st. That’s smack dab in the middle of the Summer launch window Nintendo promised when it revealed the game back in January — but at least you’ll be getting plenty of new content for the sake of the wait. According to this afternoon’s Nintendo Direct, Splatoon 2 will launch with a new PvE game mode and a ton of new Amiibo functionality.

In addition to the game’s (yet to be revealed) single player mode, multiplayer teams will be able to participate in a PvE arena match called “Salmon Run.” This pits four players against waves of enemies, and tasks them with collecting “power eggs” after taking down each volley of baddies. Beyond being a new multiplayer game mode, the trailer seemed to suggest that playing Salmon Run will allow players to unlock new items, weapons and gear.

If you’re looking for an easier way to unlock items, Nintendo has you covered there, too. The game will launch alongside three new Amiibo figures — a new shorter haired Inkling Girl, a fresh looking Inkling Boy and a new leaping squid character. Like the original game, these toys can be used to unlock outfits, but will also be featured as characters in the game that the player can take selfies with. They can also store the player’s loadout in case they want to take their character data on the go.

Splatoon 2 launches on July 21st.

Nintendo still has a stack of 3DS games in the pipeline

Nintendo Switch titles ARMS and Splatoon 2 headlined today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, but they weren’t the only games with news to reveal. The studio has a solid lineup of games coming to the 3DS this year.

The sidescrolling Hey! Pikmin will be coming to the 3DS on July 28th and will get a themed amiibo covered in the critters on the same day. Monster Hunter Stories, the light-hearted spin-off that’s already a hit in Japan, is also coming to the handheld system this fall.

Get ready for a new turn-based RPG unlike anything the @MonsterHunter series has seen before. Monster Hunter Stories will launch this fall! pic.twitter.com/eKoU0ubGVe

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 12, 2017

To celebrate Kirby’s 25th anniversary, the puffball is getting a pair of games. Team Kirby Clash Deluxe is a “free-to-start” sidescrolling brawl game available in the eShop today. Kirby’s Blowout Blast will be a 25-plus stage 3D adventure in a more traditional single-player adventure, launching in the eShop this summer.

Lastly, Nintendo introduced a bizarre and wonderful new title: Miitopia, a custom RPG experience filled with your roster of Miis. Plug your friends and enemies into the game to see them bicker, fight and get along in a fantasy adventure that launches later this year.

In Miitopia, create Mii characters of your friends & family for a customized RPG experience, when the game launches later this year. pic.twitter.com/AnOcAOutOS

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 12, 2017

Source: Nintendo

Nintendo announces Joy-con battery grips for Switch controllers

The Nintendo Switch’s detachable Joy-con controllers already have decent battery life, but if you’re looking to game for even longer sessions, Nintendo has you covered. Today the company announced the Joy-Con AA battery pack, a pair of detachable grips for the wireless controllers that let users extend their longevity with off the shelf batteries. Oh, and you’ll be able to buy the detachable controller in neon yellow soon, too.

Both the new Joy-con color and charging grip launch on June 16th. The a pair of wireless controllers in the new color will probably sell for the same $80 ($50 individually) as the standard model, but unfortunately there’s no word on how much the detachable battery pack will cost. Hopefully, it’ll ring in for less than the $30 Joy-con charging grip.

A ‘brand new’ Google Earth will arrive April 18th

Google just sent out invites for a pre-Earth Day event in New York City next week. In keeping with the obvious theme, the search giant is promising to take the lid off of a “brand new experience” for Google Earth.

While Google doesn’t offer many details aside from the time, date and location — April 18th, 8:30 AM ET at New York’s Whitney Museum of Art — the Earth team did launch a virtual reality version of the planet-visualizing app onto Steam late last year. The app was only available for HTC Vive headsets at the time, but the team promised to add support for additional platforms in the near future. So we’d be surprised if next week’s event didn’t come with an update for Google Daydream, which would make it much more affordable as a VR educational tool. Google has also been developing its stand-alone virtual tours and augmented reality museum experiences for years now and could be incorporating more of those “on-the-ground” kinds of VR experiences directly into its incredibly detailed whole-Earth model.

Apple Has ‘Secret’ Team of Biomedical Engineers Developing Sensors for Non-Invasively Monitoring Blood Glucose

At a nondescript office in Palo Alto, Apple is rumored to have a small team of biomedical engineers researching better methods for monitoring blood sugar, reports CNBC.

Apple’s work on glucose monitoring is said to have started with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who wanted to develop a sensor that could continuously and non-invasively monitor blood sugar levels to improve quality of life. Apple is far enough along in its research that feasibility trials are being conducted at clinical sites in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it has hired consultants to sort out regulatory issues.

The glucose team is said to report to Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies. […]

One of the people said that Apple is developing optical sensors, which involves shining a light through the skin to measure indications of glucose.

Rumors of Apple’s work on advanced healthcare initiatives like diabetes management aren’t new. Early Apple Watch information suggested the wearable device would be able to measure things like blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

Many health-related sensors that Apple wanted to include in the original Apple Watch were reportedly dropped because the technology was not consistently accurate, but rumors at the time said Apple would pursue its work on more advanced health sensors. Apple has also made several health-related acquisitions and around the time the Apple Watch was in development, hired dozens of biomedical experts.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has since said that Apple does not want to put the Apple Watch through the FDA approval process, something that would need to happen for more advanced healthcare features, so it is not clear if this is a feature Apple foresees being added to the wrist-worn device. From Tim Cook in 2015:

“We don’t want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process. I wouldn’t mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long. But you can begin to envision other things that might be adjacent to it — maybe an app, maybe something else.”

If Apple is planning on more advanced sensors for the Apple Watch, such features are not likely to be included in the third-generation device rumored to be coming in the fall of 2017. Information on that device thus far points towards a smaller update focusing on improving battery life and perhaps adding features like cellular connectivity.

While Apple works on its in-house own blood sugar monitoring solution, it has launched CareKit, a platform that allows app developers to create integrated software that allows patients and doctors to better manage medical conditions. Diabetes monitor One Drop was one of the first companies to support CareKit.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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WOW Sound Speaker (review)

Dipping In

World of Watersports (WOW) is known for making some of the most popular inflatable rafts, pool floats, tubes and watersport accessories. Through the help of an IndieGoGo campaign, WOW has decided to dive into the world of waterproof, wireless speakers with the plainly named WOW-Sound Speaker. When hosting a pool party or a get-together at the lake, it’s important to have a good selection of music and a powerful speaker to blast those tunes. That’s where the waterproof WOW-Sound Bluetooth speaker comes in.

Designed to be used at the beach, the pool, while hiking or camping, the WOW-Sound speaker is colorful, portable and unique in design. WOW currently advertises accessories for holding the 3-1/2 lb WOW-Sound speaker that can keep it afloat while keeping your beverage nearby and cold. This unique angle gives WOW an advantage over some of its competitors–one that WOW hopes can be leveraged to sell more of its 50W Bluetooth speakers.

Want to have a few cold ones while jamming to your music? Pick up the compatible Float Fridge from WOW (sold separately)

Overflowing with Features

World of Watersports has done a wonderful job cramming in some great features for this Bluetooth 4.2 speaker. It includes an LED light with three different brightness settings, a handle for easy transport and a 50-hour rechargeable battery. Add to that a fully water-submersible shell that’s not only rugged, but fairly stylish, and it seems that WOW has a winner on its hands.

The WOW-Sound Speaker has features to fit any frequent floater

Having a speaker with a built-in LED light is something I never knew I wanted. While using the WOW-Sound speaker at a late-night get-together, I found more than one occasion where I was able to use the light on the speaker to search the surrounding area. The light can be set to dim, medium, bright or off by cycling through with one, easy to find button.

The speaker also houses a large power button as well as a dedicated button for both volume up, and volume down, which double as skip forward and skip back, if pressed consecutively. I wasn’t too fond of the button layout as it seemed somewhat arbitrary in design but after a bit of time, I had no problem operating the speaker without looking. A bonus feature that I discovered later, but was unable to test, was the pairing feature that WOW advertises; this allows two speakers to be paired together for a more immersive sound.

Lean Marine Machine

It’s not too often you’ll find a handle on top of a Bluetooth speaker but the WOW-Sound speaker’s handle worked perfectly for the times I wanted to get up and go. The exterior of the device is designed to be rugged, but I worried a bit about the thin metal grills that protect the 4.2″ active drivers. World of Watersports advertises this speaker as being “rugged for outdoor activities” but dropping this speaker on a rocky or concrete surface could easily dent in one of the metal grills on the outer edge.

While the layout is a little odd, the rubbery power, plus, and minus buttons work well by providing tactile feedback

Overall, the WOW-Sound speaker is fairly light, but it’s not meant to be portable enough to clip to a bike or toss in a backpack. Given the amount of features and the design intentions here, I never really expected to lug this speaker around on a long walk or bike trip across town. This speaker is meant to be thrown in a pool, a cup-holder on a raft, or on the ground next to a fire pit for hours of musical entertainment.

Battery life was very good, but I didn’t quite reach the 50-hour mark that WOW advertises. I assume this had to do with the volume level I sustained and the 50 hours would be attainable at a more moderate listening level. Still, I was impressed that the WOW-Sound speaker carried a tune for well over 30 hours at high volume. Given that the lights that circle the speaker are small LEDs, they seem to have little effect on overall usable time.

Rippling Sound

So what’s a Bluetooth speaker if it doesn’t sound good? Not much. Thankfully the WOW-Sound speaker delivers exceptional quality for the price. A total of three 4.2″ Neodymium active drivers paired together with a 4″ passive bass driver on top deliver clear sound at fairly high volumes. I was able to turn this speaker up to full volume without any discernible distortion. Music had clear vocals across multiple different genres and the bass was full enough that it never sounded flat or tinny. My neighbors were forced to listen to my music whether they wanted to or not as I blasted the WOW-Sound speaker at full volume.

The WOW-Sound speaker can even link with another speaker for a fuller stereo effect

After deciding to plunge the speaker into the pool (and even the bathtub once), I was concerned how the water might affect the overall sound. Again, thankfully this little speaker continued to bellow out crisp sound while it was in the water or out. The speaker is designed to float upright after submersion and did so every time I tossed it in the water. The 360-degree design was perfect for omnidirectional sound while wallowing about the outdoors. While this is not the best sounding $200 speaker I’ve ever used, it’s definitely the most versatile and retains an overall pure and commendably robust sound.

WOW, that’s a Wrap

World of Watersports has hit the nail on the head here–a rugged speaker with tech features around every corner. The inclusion of IP67 waterproof rating with a smart layout provides for a perfect summer speaker that everyone will adore. If WOW can effectively advertise and demonstrate the power and flexibility of the WOW-Sound speaker to its intended audience, there is no reason this little powerhouse can’t be a rousing success.

Right now, you can still back the speaker on IndieGoGo. It’s at about 80% of its funding goal as of the time of writing. You’re still able to take advantage of the featured perk and get the speaker for $150 (expected shipping of June) instead of full price, $229. There are also additional perks available like the WOW Speaker Float for $19, Float Fridge 30-pack Cooler for $45, and a 2-pack of the speaker for $300. The campaign ends on May 4, 2017, so get it while you still can.