Intel may accelerate its CPU timeline in response to Ryzen, report says

Why it matters to you

The rivalry between Intel and AMD is heating up once again, which will hopefully mean that users get both companies’ best offerings faster and at a better price.

Since its launch in February, Ryzen has proven to be a major boon for AMD, prompting speculation that the company is in the midst of a major comeback. That seems to have triggered a response from its biggest rival, as Intel is apparently making preparations to accelerate its release schedule.

Sources in the Taiwanese computing industry are reporting that Intel will lift the lid on its Basin Falls platform at Computex 2017, according to Hexus. This event begins at the end of May, which means that the reveal is coming a few months earlier than previously anticipated.

Basin Falls is comprised of the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors, as well as the X299 chipset. Skylake-X will apparently consist of three 140W processors that utilize architectures with six, eight, or 10 cores. A 12-core variant will apparently follow in December. Basin Falls is expected to launch at E3 2017 in June, several weeks after it is scheduled to be unveiled at Computex.

Meanwhile, Intel is also amending its plans for the release of the 14nm Coffee Lake architecture. The first chips produced as part of the line were expected to be made available in early 2018, but it now seems that they could be released as early as August.

Intel has apparently increased its manufacturing capacity by purchasing five new EUV machine sets from Dutch photolithography specialists ASML. This hardware will be used to make several K-series Core i3, i5, and i7 processors and Z370 chipsets available later this year, with further CPUs and H370, H310, and B360 chipsets set to follow in subsequent months.

If Intel’s amended schedule is accurate, the company is poised to showcase Basin Falls at two major conferences related to the computing and video game industries. As its years-long rivalry with AMD continues, all eyes will be on Basin Falls over the next few months.

Verily’s Baseline study seeks to build a perfect model of human health

Why it matters to you

Verily’s Baseline study could have huge implications for medicine, if things pan out as planned.

Verily Life Sciences, formerly Google Life Sciences division, wants to build a model of perfect human health. To do so, it is launching Baseline, a multi-year study with thousands of volunteers who will regularly supply metrics on sleep, fitness, heart rate, genomics, and more.

Baseline, which Google announced in 2014, seeks to “create a map of human health” — an “early discovery platform” that will nail down key correlations between physiological changes and disease. Verily, which is undertaking the study with Duke University and the Stanford Unversity School of Medicine, will enroll about 10,000 participants from half a dozen study sites in California and North Carolina. That is up from a pilot in about 200 people that began three years ago.

“What we are really aiming to do is figure out how do we identify people who have a change in their health where we can make an intervention so they don’t come into the hospital?,” Adrian Hernandez, a professor of medicine at Duke, told Business Insider.

Researchers will recruit subjects across a range ethnicities and age groups, including groups at risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, to build a nationally representative sample. Participants will have their genomes sequenced and get blood work done at study sites run by Duke and Stanford. Over the course of a year, they will respond to survey questions and upload data from the Study Watch, a digital timepiece that measures electrodermal activity and heart rate.

Verily’s current plan calls for a four-year study, the findings from which will be made available to “qualified researchers.” Jessica Mega, the chief research officer at Verily,  told The Verge that an “executive committee” will review and approve requests for data. Initially, the scope is limited to cancer and heart disease, but researchers hope to extend its length. That will depend on funding, partially — Bloomberg pegs the Baseline study’s cost at $300 million.

Baseline may be Verily’s largest project yet, but it is far from its only one. The health spinoff, which has attracted funding from Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings and pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Biogen, and Dexcom, has been developing glucose-monitoring and autofocus contact lenses. It makes tableware designed to make it easier for people with hand tremors to eat independently, and it’s partnered with a surgical robot spin-out company and a bioelectronics company working to develop ways to use electric signals to treat chronic illnesses.

Verily’s Baseline study seeks to build a perfect model of human health

Why it matters to you

Verily’s Baseline study could have huge implications for medicine, if things pan out as planned.

Verily Life Sciences, formerly Google Life Sciences division, wants to build a model of perfect human health. To do so, it is launching Baseline, a multi-year study with thousands of volunteers who will regularly supply metrics on sleep, fitness, heart rate, genomics, and more.

Baseline, which Google announced in 2014, seeks to “create a map of human health” — an “early discovery platform” that will nail down key correlations between physiological changes and disease. Verily, which is undertaking the study with Duke University and the Stanford Unversity School of Medicine, will enroll about 10,000 participants from half a dozen study sites in California and North Carolina. That is up from a pilot in about 200 people that began three years ago.

“What we are really aiming to do is figure out how do we identify people who have a change in their health where we can make an intervention so they don’t come into the hospital?,” Adrian Hernandez, a professor of medicine at Duke, told Business Insider.

Researchers will recruit subjects across a range ethnicities and age groups, including groups at risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, to build a nationally representative sample. Participants will have their genomes sequenced and get blood work done at study sites run by Duke and Stanford. Over the course of a year, they will respond to survey questions and upload data from the Study Watch, a digital timepiece that measures electrodermal activity and heart rate.

Verily’s current plan calls for a four-year study, the findings from which will be made available to “qualified researchers.” Jessica Mega, the chief research officer at Verily,  told The Verge that an “executive committee” will review and approve requests for data. Initially, the scope is limited to cancer and heart disease, but researchers hope to extend its length. That will depend on funding, partially — Bloomberg pegs the Baseline study’s cost at $300 million.

Baseline may be Verily’s largest project yet, but it is far from its only one. The health spinoff, which has attracted funding from Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings and pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Biogen, and Dexcom, has been developing glucose-monitoring and autofocus contact lenses. It makes tableware designed to make it easier for people with hand tremors to eat independently, and it’s partnered with a surgical robot spin-out company and a bioelectronics company working to develop ways to use electric signals to treat chronic illnesses.

Android users can now live-stream to Facebook in 360 with Giroptic’s iO camera

Why it matters to you

The Giroptic iO is a simple and affordable 360 camera add-on that’s now available for Android. Collaboration with Facebook could help push 360-degree capture among consumers.

The Giroptic IO, an easy-to-use 360-degree camera that connects directly to an iPhone, is coming to Android. On April 19, the company announced the Android launch of its camera during the Facebook F8 conference.

The Giroptic iO is a 360 camera that aims to make creating immersive photos and videos as simple and as connected as possible. The iOS version makes short work of live-streaming in 360 and now that same capability is coming to Android. Giroptic says the 360 add-on camera is the first of its kind for Android devices (although Insta360 might argue against that).

The company, in fact, worked with Facebook to ensure compatibility, though the device is also compatible with live-streaming to other media platforms and social networks, such as YouTube. Thanks to that cooperation, attendees at the F8 Facebook conference will receive an iO (Android or iOS), to further promote Facebook’s 360 platform – particularly Facebook Live, which now supports 360-degree viewing.

“We worked closely with Facebook to ensure that the iO would deliver a smooth 360 degree live-streaming experience,” Richard Ollier, co-founder and CEO of Giroptic, said in a press release.

While the iOS version uses a Lightning port, the Android version comes with either a Micro USB or USB Type-C connector, depending on the device. Otherwise, both cameras’ guts are the same: The Android version maintains the original’s simplicity and portability, with a dual-lens design for capturing 360 stills and footage.

“We believe putting the iO in the hands of F8 attendees and the developer community will unlock even more exciting uses for 360,” said Pascal Brochier, president and COO of Giroptic, said in the same release. “The freedom of field of view offered by 360 coupled with live-streaming technology enables people to experience moments in an unprecedented way. We are grateful for our partnership with Facebook and excited to see the new ways people will capture and share key moments of their lives in 360.”

Both iOS and Android cameras will retail at $249 price tag. You can click here to read our full review of the iOS version.

Homemade tarantula-inspired robot can slowly scamper over uneven ground

Why it matters to you

This homemade DIY. spider robot was designed to scamper over uneven surfaces. According to its creator, it could be used for search and rescue missions.

“It’s a terrifying robot tarantula, run for your liiiii — oh, it’s slow. Maybe just walk for your life, then!”

The MX-Phoenix isn’t really that scary at all. It’s a six-legged, spider-inspired robot — yes, we know that spiders have eight legs — that uses 18 different motors to crawl over uneven ground.

Unlike most of the impressive robotics projects we see, MX-Phoenix didn’t spring from a top-flight university or Google-owned research lab, but rather from the garage of Norwegian amateur robot maker Kåre Halvorsen, aka Zenta.

An engineer at the Assistive Technology Centre for Rogaland in Bergen, Norway, Halvorsen’s robotics career is relegated to evenings and weekends.

“MX-Phoenix is a six-legged hexapod walking machine with three motors on each leg,” Halvorsen told Digital Trends abouthis latest creation. “Almost all parts are 3D printed in ABS plastic. It’s remotely operated using a custom-made remote controller. Unlike most of the hexapod robots, MX-Phoenix is able to walk on rough terrain, not just flat and level floor. All 18 motors are controlled using advanced control algorithms that are computed inside an onboard microcontroller.”

The robot has been in development since last November, but only took its first (surprisingly fluid) steps recently. The advantage of a hexapod robot is that it is more stable than two or four legged robots, and can keep moving even if a leg is disabled.

“My main goal is to have fun, and keep learning and developing new robots,” Halvorsen said. He added that a few potential uses for this particular bot could include “search and rescue” missions, or as some kind of animatronics tool for movies.

“My future plan is to work more on the gait algorithm and do some minor modifications,” he said.

There’s no word yet on whether he plans to market and sell this particular creation any time soon, but it’s certainly something we’d love to have crawling around our apartment.

Android Central Podcast: The Galaxy S8 super show!

It’s here! Daniel, Florence, Michael Fisher (MrMobile), and special guest David Ruddock of Android Police have all reviewed the Galaxy S8 and S8+ and go in-depth about what’s good and what’s not so good.

Why did Samsung ship Bixby half-finished, and was the oft-criticized fingerprint sensor going to be somewhere else until a last-minute change forced Samsung’s hand? And are the cameras better because they’re more accurate, or in spite of it?

Join us as we answer these questions and more!

• Android Central’s review of the Galaxy S8
• iMore’s review of the Galaxy S8
• MrMobile’s review of the Galaxy S8
• Android Police’s review of the Galaxy S8

Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/androidcentral332.mp3

ShopAndroid has you covered for all your Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ accessory needs

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are likely to be two of the biggest smartphone reveals of the year, and you may be ordering one for yourself. While it features a beautiful design, it has a whole lot of glass and not a whole lot of bezel, which means you may be looking for a case to keep it in. Whether you are looking for something to show it off that adds a little protection or you want to go all-in on the protection, ShopAndroid has you covered.

We’ve got a number of great cases in stock already, and much more on the way. Beyond cases, we’ve got chargers, USB-C cables and much more, so let’s take a look at some of the stuff you can get your orders in for now!

Samsung LED View Cover

Samsung’s LED View Cover is always an extremely popular case, and there is a good reason for that. When you look at the case, it looks pretty basic, like any other folio case, except it isn’t. The case actually lets you see what types of notifications you have pending without opening the case, as well as see what time it is. Inside the folio, you’ll have a single card slot to carry your ID or credit card with you, and the case keeps the phone nice and thin.

This time around it comes in black, blue, silver, and violet, so you can pick one that matches your phone or just one that you enjoy the look of. At closer to $60 you’re definitely paying more for this case than others, but it is worth it.

Pre-order Samsung LED View Cover for Galaxy S8 | Samsung LED View Cover for Galaxy S8+

Shop all Samsung Galaxy S8 accessories Learn More

Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case

Cruzerlite cases have been around for quite some time, and the Bugdroid Circuit ones are always super popular. The cases are made of a thin TPU material and make your phone stand out in the crowd. They come in a few different colors, including red, clear, black, and teal, so you can find one that matches your style the best. You can still easily access all the ports and the power button on the phone, but this is a great way to prevent scratches and dings without making your phone too thick.

Priced at just under $10, you can’t go wrong with having one of these around the house.

Shop Cruzerlite Bugdroid Galaxy S8 | Cruzerlite Bugdroid Galaxy S8+

Amzer SlimGrip Shockproof Hybrid

Amzer makes some really great cases that are nice and thin but still add protection. One of the best features of these cases is generally their price points, but there is more to this one than just that. The smooth outer back shell provides a bit more grip to the phone, and the TPU bumper will protect your phone from the impact of falls or bumps.

You can go with a clear back with clear sides, or clear back with black sides for just under $15, which is quite a steal for the amount of protection you are getting.

Shop Amzer SlimGrip Shockproof Galaxy S8 | Amzer SlimGrip Shockproof Galaxy S8+

Krusell Leather Case

Cases aren’t for everyone, and that is fine, but that doesn’t mean that not everyone likes to keep the phone protected while traveling with it. Krusell’s leather case is a belt holster that gives you a safe place to keep your phone when you are traveling between meetings or rushing to catch a train. The inside is lined with a soft suede to prevent it from scratching your phone, and the clasp has a strong magnet to keep it closed.

The case is under $30, and is a great option for those who prefer to use the phone without a case but still want protection while moving around.

Shop Krusell Hector Leather Case

Cruzerlite Fender Case

This case is very similar to the Amzer SlimGrip case, but has a few differences as well. One of the key differences here is the color options, which means that you can also grab this one in a nice teal color. The durable TPU material does a great job of protecting the phone and also makes it very easy to put the case on or take it off whenever you want to.

At under $10, you may want to grab one of these in each color just to have around.

Shop Cruzerlite Fender Case for Galaxy S8 | Cruzerlite Fender Case for Galaxy S8+

Samsung 25W USB-C Fast Charger

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ use USB-C instead of Micro-USB for charging, so you may need to replace some of your old chargers around the house with newer ones. Sure, there will be one in the box, but are you going to want to carry that one around with you everywhere you go or is it easier to spend a little money to ensure you have them where you need them? This one will ensure you get the fastest charge possible when you plug it in, which is pretty important.

At right around $30, you’ll want to have one of these at home and in the office.

Shop Samsung USB-C Fast Wall Charger

Shop all Samsung Galaxy S8+ accessories Learn More

Samsung 3.3ft USB-C cable

The move from Micro-USB to USB-C means that a lot of the old cables you have laying around may not work with your new phone. The cables you used to charge the phone, sync it with your computer, and charge it in the car all need to be replaced with new ones. It may sound crazy to have to do it, but if you do it will make things much easier. This Samsung USB-C cable supports up to 3A of power for fast charging.

For under $15 each, you may want to pick up a couple of these to have around with your new phone.

Shop Samsung USB-C cable

Gadget Guard Black Ice Liquid Screen Guard

There is a whole lot of screen on the front of the Galaxy S8+ which is great, but it also means there is a lot of potential area that can get scratched. Don’t worry about the screen, and instead keep it protected with this liquid screen guard that is designed to protect the surface from abrasions and scratches. The instillation is pretty easy, and once it is all done you won’t even be able to see that it is there.

At around $20, this may be one of the most important accessories that you buy.

Pre-order Gadget Guard Screen Guard for Galaxy S8+

Much More!

This is just some of what ShopAndroid has to offer for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. We’ve also got you covered with an assortment of memory cards, Bluetooth headsets, stylus’s, and even keyboards. Be sure to browse all the accessories and see which ones you may be interested in.

Remember, ShopAndroid offers free, fast shipping on most orders over $50, so get your order in today!

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• 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

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint

Life is a musical and these wallpapers are your song

Music makes us better, brings us together, and it helps me get back that spirit they stole!

It’s no secret that I’ve steeped my life in music. I do not leave the house without my trusty headphones, and I guard my authorizations for Google Play Music viciously because I will not be caught with a full device list. A music widget is always and forever a part of my home screen, but there are times I like to devote my entire screen to music. To that end, here are some positively melodious wallpapers to help fill your home screen and hopefully your life with music.

“Taller than the tallest tree is, that’s how it’s got to feel… Deeper than the deep blue sea is, that’s how deep it goes if it’s real…”

Sinatra is a word that conjures up more than a style, but an era, a way of life. It conjures up cosmopolitan lounge clubs and dry martinis, it conjures up rat pack skinny ties and thin-lapeled suits. It conjures up a simpler time, with simpler goals and simpler songs. And while this wallpaper is adorably retro, for it to have full effect, you simply have to get a Sinatra ringtone to match it!

Sinatra Mic Wallpaper by RurouniVash

When I was in middle school, I played french horn. I loved the sound of the instrument, and I loved when I could pick them out in orchestrations. It’s so easy to french horns to blend into the rest of the brass section; it’s so easy for them to be covered up in the crowd, as it were. But they have such a wonderful sound, and they have an iconic shape that still haunts my dreams every so often. I kept my mouthpieces after I gave back my horn, and every now and then I’d remember the feel of the metal vibrating with each blown note…

French Horn by zanabri

Hatsune Miku is a musician with a following and a body of work most would envy. This twin-tail sporting singer sells out concerts all over the world, sells millions of records, she even has fan conventions devoted to her! Even more amazing is that the voice behind Miku’s digital persona isn’t a person, it’s a program. Hatsune Miku is known and loved far beyond the Vocaloid brand, and while much of her artwork highlights the digital and technological basis of her existence, it’s a wonderful change of pace to see her savoring a more natural scene.

Hatsune Miku by alchemaniac

So many of us spend our whole lives singing into shower heads, hair brushes, and bananas, dreaming we were singing into a microphone for the whole world to hear. I’ve relished my time with the mic at every karaoke night, and seeing a beautiful microphone like this on my home screen re-ignites that hunger in me every time I see it.

Here’s to hoping it also lights that fire in you, too.

Artistic Microphone by ViniciusCarbonera

Piano is an instrument of such range, of such understated elegance and such simple joy. It’s often a musician’s first instrument, and listening to a live pianist can brighten a room or plunge it into seductive, intimate shadows. This wallpaper is a mesmerizing tribute to the way Piano can open up new worlds of music and emotion to us all.

The Blues by Shortgreenpigg

Facebook’s latest drone delivers internet during a disaster

Internet connectivity is kind of like air: something we take for granted until we can’t get it. To help make communications easier during disaster scenarios, Facebook has come up with the “Tether-antenna.” At its simplest, it’s a small, unmanned helicopter that can hook onto undamaged fiber-and-power lines (when cellular connectivity has been damaged or is otherwise unavailable) and then hover “a few hundred feet from the ground,” according to a Facebook Developers blog post. “When completed, this technology will be able to be deployed immediately and operate for months at a time to bring back connectivity in case of an emergency — ensuring the local community can stay connected while the in0ground connectivity is under repair.”

Facebook admits that the tech is still early in terms of development and that lots more work is needed before it will see use. But, like the company’s plans for blanketing the developing world with a limited form of internet connectivity, it’s a signal that Zuckerberg and Co. have serious plans for more than just shoving augmented reality into your News Feed.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!

Via: The Verge

Source: Facebook Developers

Alphabet starts collecting health info to better predict disease

It didn’t take long for Alphabet’s Verily to get its watch-based health study off the ground. The life sciences company has launched its 4-year research initiative, Baseline, to potentially spot early signs of diseases before obvious symptoms appear. Verily’s health-tracking Study Watch plays a central role, of course, as it will track everything from heart rate to ECGs to the skin’s electrical conductivity. However, that’s just one piece of the puzzle — the team will look at numerous other factors to see where disease begins.

For one thing, Verily will sequence the genomes of all 10,000 subjects. That’s no mean feat when it costs several thousand dollars per person, but it might help explain the genetic conditions that lead to certain illnesses. The firm also wants to analyze protein sets and the microscopic ecosystems inside the subjects’ bodies. Participants will get results throughout the study, so they won’t have to wait long to comb over their own data.

With that said, don’t expect to hear about any insights for a while. Investigator Adrian Hernandez tells CNBC that it’ll be “at least” 5 years before the knowledge from the study is useful to the public. Also, the research fields are still young enough that there’s no guarantee they’ll be useful to the healthier people in the study. In a sense, though, that’s the point. Even if the information from healthy Baseline subjects doesn’t turn up anything interesting, it’ll tell scientists where to focus their research. And for Verily, this would tell it to shift its attention to its numerous other projects.

Source: CNBC