Kodi 18 on Android TV will have voice search and recommendations

Kodi 18 Leia will be getting even tighter integration into Android TV. Which is awesome.

Kodi 17 Krypton hasn’t been officially around for long but work is already well underway on the next release. Version 18, Leia — named after everyone’s favorite princess — is in the development stage right now and the dev team has given us a sneak peek at what’s headed to Android TV: Voice Search and recommendations.

It’s a neat addition that makes Kodi even better to use on Android TV as your central media center. So far you’ve had to go inside the Kodi app to find content, but with Leia, you’ll be able to speak into your remote and find it in a flash. Content found within Kodi will be displayed alongside other sources such as Google Play and Plex.

The other nice new feature coming specifically to Android TV is recommendations. On your home screen you’ll now get recommendation tiles based on random unwatched movies in your collection and recently watched TV shows that have new episodes available. With a single click you’re straight into Kodi and ready to go.

The video up top gives you a full run through of what you can expect when version 18 hits, but if you’re keen to take a look right now, you can. Head over to the Kodi downloads page and grab the latest nightly build of Leia to install on your Android TV and try it out for yourself.

How to set up Kodi on Android TV

Download Kodi 18 Leia nightly builds at Kodi

Amazon’s latest Dash button orders you fresh undies

Living in an apartment without an in-unit washer and dryer means that occasionally you go to great lengths to avoid carrying all your dirty clothes to the basement’s laundry room. Every now and then that entails saving time ahead of a date or trip (but not necessarily money) by buying new underwear instead of washing what you already have. Amazon is making that slovenly life a little more stylish and easier by offering a slew of new Dash buttons, including one for Calvin Klein undies. That’s right: One press is all it takes to get a fresh pack of Calvins delivered straight to your door.

Other new one-press shopping-widgets include AMP Energy, Lactaid, Listerine, Mountain Dew, Tropicana and, just in time for allergy season, Zyrtec. Amazon says that the Dash buttons have become pretty popular too, and that today’s addition brings us up to some 300 of the branded items in the retailer’s stable.

“Just a year ago, orders via Dash Button were occurring more than once a minute, now that rate has increased to more than 4x a minute,” Amazon said a statement. For some items, like Folgers coffee grounds and Glad garbage bags, Amazon says “more than half” of their orders are made via Dash Button.

Now, depending on where you live, you’ll still have to plan ahead a bit. If you have less than a few clean pair of drawers left in your, err, drawer and a busy social calendar, you might want to hit a local store if two-day Prime shipping is your only option. Or, you know, you could scrounge up a few bucks in quarters and actually do laundry. The choice is yours.

Source: Amazon

Google refines its search results to curb fake news

Google’s quest to fight fake news isn’t stopping with identifying bogus stories and an emphasis on fact-checking. The internet giant is rolling out changes to its search results in hopes of curbing both fake news and offensive material. To begin with, it’s tweaking its “signals” (such as freshness and the frequency of a site’s appearance) to promote more authoritative sources while downplaying the junk. Also, Google’s human Search Quality Raters now have new guidelines to help them spot false stories and ultimately influence search algorithms.

You’ll have more opportunities to influence the results, too. It’s now much easier to flag sketchy material when it pops up in either the search box’s autocomplete results or Featured Snippets (the prominent text box that sometimes appears at the top of results). If you get a conspiracy theory snippet or a racist autocomplete suggestion, you can let Google know by tapping a simple feedback link.

Google is quick to emphasize that these dodgy results are relatively rare — just 0.25 percent are either “clearly misleading” or “offensive.” However, it’s not so much the frequency of these results as the image they convey and their potential for impact. The company was publicly embarrassed in December when search results for the Holocaust were topped by a white supremacist site, and there are concerns that letting fake news thrive could jeopardize real news or even skew elections. If Google can do something to thwart these fraudsters, it both looks good and helps avert disasters.

Via: The Verge

Source: Google

MTV’s ‘Catfish’ will introduce internet trolls to their victims

MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show, a documentary series that brings together online couples who have never met in real life with sometimes disastrous results, is branching out. Instead of pursuing potential romances, the broadcaster is seeking people who would love to square up to their online rivals in the hope that it’ll make engaging TV.

The Verge reports that for the remainder of its sixth season, MTV wants to bring together people who answer yes to questions like: “Do you have an online rival?”, “Do you find yourself arguing with them all the time?”, “Does this person drive you up the wall?” and “Think it’s time to finally meet in person?” That’s exactly what it’s put a call out for on its official Facebook page.

Make no mistake, MTV is actively looking for people that most internet users refer to as an online troll. “Have you been drawn into online debates over topics like veganism, feminism, LGBTQ rights, body shaming, politics, race, religion and other hot button social issues?,” another notice reads.

Believe it or not, Catfish: The TV Show does have its share of happy couples. However, the idea of combining two opposing online personalities — you could even say enemies — isn’t always going to end in a joyous reconciliation. Especially when the beef may continue after the show airs and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people have watched it all unfold.

Via: The Verge

Source: MTV Catfish (Facebook)

I smelled and hugged a tree in VR, because art

At the Tribeca VR arcade this year, there were displays ranging from the harrowing to the distracting, but few were as eye-catching as Treehugger:Wawona. It’s an interactive art installation that had headset-wearing participants hugging and caressing a giant foam sculpture with cutouts (oblivious to how silly they looked). Naturally, I had to check it out, and came away intrigued by its implications for art and museums.

As with other works of art, Treehugger’s meaning lies beneath its surface, requiring a prodding mind to uncover. At its heart, the installation asks if we can use technology to reconnect with nature. “Can we make the invisible visible,” the project’s creative director Ersin Han told Engadget. Some messages are immediately obvious, though, such as the need to preserve our environment and the interconnection between plants and humanity. As you approach the tree, enter it and witness its life force swirling around you and spreading through its branches to the rest of the forest, you (hopefully) realize that those colored specks eventually reach you, too.

But before we get into that, here’s how it’s set up: I was directed to a tree stump-esque seat, where I strapped on a SubPac vibrating backpack, an HTC Vive and a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I was also given two handheld controllers that were mounted on fingerless gloves, so I didn’t actually have to hold on to anything. Once I had run through the simulation’s setup and calibration, I saw a large tree in front of me and walked towards it. As I very carefully made my way to the foam sculpture, I realized that a stream of lightly scented air was wafting up my nose. The woody fragrance was pleasant, but at times I felt like I might choke on the air blowing up my nostril.

Upon arriving at the tree’s base, I stuck my head inside the trunk’s hollow, and watched as swirling blue and orange lights circulated around the tree. After a few seconds, the environment started moving, and I was led on a journey up to the treetop. Throughout the virtual ride, I reached out and swept aside the light particles, looking around wildly as I grabbed onto the real-world sculpture for dear life. But there was nothing to worry about; the entire simulation is drawn-out and somewhat anti-climactic since there really isn’t a goal or objective.

To be clear, the graphics here are not photo-realistic. You’ll be looking at a render of the tree, and the swirling lights look a lot like data-visualization animations, except they flow in an artistic, not algorithmic way. Still, the uniquely named team Marshmallow Laser Feast’s most impressive feat here is putting together such a (pseudo) realistic and immersive scale model of the giant sequoia. The team used architectural scans of the tree to reproduce both the virtual plant and the real-world sculpture. It also recorded the plant’s biosignals to turn into the sounds I heard within the experience, resulting in a calming and somewhat otherworldly soundtrack.

Treehugger’s important messages unfortunately get lost in the simulation’s many moving pieces. I was too caught up in wondering what came next and too distracted by the air shooting up my nose to ponder the team’s agenda. Plus, given the chaotic environment at the arcade, it was difficult to fully appreciate what I was experiencing. In a different place, like a museum, for example, Treehugger stands a better chance of impressing its viewer.

The good news is, after Tribeca, the installation will be heading to other festivals and galleries around the world. Marshmallow Laser Feast (I still can’t get over that name) is also planning on making more episodes based on other regions, including Kyoto’s Bamboo forest and the Amazonian rainforest. Regardless of the success of subsequent chapters, Treehugger is already a telling look at art and museums of the future, and a mostly fruitful marriage of tech and nature.

Follow along with all of our Tribeca 2017 coverage here.

The Avengers take on gaming icons in ‘Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite’

After a year of silence, Capcom has announced eight new characters for its crossover fighter — Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. Doubling down on Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Ultron and Rocket Racoon join the playable roster. On the Capcom side of the fence, the publisher has revealed that players will be able to duke it out as Street Fighter’s Chun Li, Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield, and Strider’s Strider Hiryu. The trailer also announced that the game will be launching on PS4, Xbox One and PC on September 19th for $59.99.

As expected, gamers can also preorder a ‘Deluxe Edition’ which grants them access to future character DLC and two exclusive costumes. Die-hard fans can also opt to splash out on the eye-wateringly expensive $199.99 Collector’s Edition, which includes: plastic character dioramas of Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Mega Man X and Chun-Li, a case filled with six Infinity Stone replicas and a Steelbook game box. Fans who pre-order any edition of the game will get access to two special character skins – Warrior Thor and Evil Ryu.

Featuring a cinematic story mode and two-on-two battles for the first time in the franchise’s history, Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite looks to be a fairly radical departure for the series. With Marvel villain Ultron and Megaman X’s Sigma merging into the imaginatively named Ultron Sigma, both universes find themselves teaming up to defeat him. Thankfully, it looks like Capcom has acknowledged how silly it all is, with the trailer showing Rocket Racoon annoying a bemused looking Megaman.

Abandoning the previous game’s cel-shaded aesthetic for a more ‘realistic’ art style, Capcom looks to be following Marvel’s cinematic look. With the comic giant’s movies continuing to dominate our screens, the franchise’s current gen revival could see the series gain a bigger audience than ever. Yet, with Marvel still bitter that Fox hold the movie rights to franchises like X-Men and Fantastic Four, it’s still unclear whether fan favorite characters like Wolverine will return.

Uber wants to test its flying taxis by 2020

Today in Dallas, Uber is taking the wraps off its flying car plans. The company’s three-day “Elevate” summit is meant to discuss all things relating to vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft and how Uber sees them as a major part of its future strategy. Probably the biggest news coming out of the opening keynote, which just wrapped a few minutes ago, is Uber’s ambition to demonstrate its Elevate Network in 2020 — an aggressive goal, to be sure.

Most of the other announcements this morning focused on the partnerships needed to make the Elevate Network a reality. Uber is working with the cities of Dallas-Fort Worth and Dubai to get pilot programs launched. Dallas mayor Mike Price and Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price both had expressed support in making the metropolitan area the first to experiment with VTOL and Uber’s Elevate pilot program. Uber also entered into a partnership with Dubai’s road and transportation authority to study demand in the region to work on pricing and network optimization. Dubai is also where Uber will attempt at unveiling the first public demonstration as part of the 2020 World Expo.

Other partnerships include one with ChargePoint, which will develop the Uber Elevate battery charger so the VTOL vehicles can be quickly topped up after every landing. Uber is also working on partnerships with local real estate companies to figure out suitable sites to build vehicleports. Naturally, the company is also making deals with a number of “experienced aircraft manufacturers” who are already developing electric VTOL vehicles. The five companies include Aurora Flight Sciences, Pipistrel Aircraft, Embraer, Mooney and Bell Helicopter. They were chosen for their expertise that’ll enable Uber to get its Elevate network up and running as quick as possible.

During its opening keynote, chief product officer Jeff Holden outlined his vision for the VTOL program, painting a picture of customers landing at an airport and taking a VTOL to their ultimate destination. He imagined it taking just a few minutes to get from the airport to a hotel instead of a half-hour or more, and the company wants to target pricing that’s competitive with Uber X right now for a trip of the same distance. That seems wildly ambitious given that Uber X relies on a decades-old transportation model and not new technology that has numerous technical, safety and regulation challenges to meet.

Uber’s Elevate event will be continuing for the next few days, and we’ll be keeping an eye on all the news to see what else the company has to announce regarding its VTOL ambitions.

Apple sees its redesigned retail stores as community spaces

Apple’s retail stores have long had a social side. You might not visit just to hang out, but the combination of free workshops and an abundance of connected devices gives you a reason to stay besides gawking at the latest products… if just to check up on Facebook. And now, Apple is banking on that social aspect as a selling point. The company is both redesigning its 100 largest stores and launching new “Today at Apple” workshops to turn its stores into community spaces of sorts. The shops are still very much geared toward sales, but you’ll have more reasons to swing by on a frequent basis.

The bigger stores are now changing their Genius Bars into “Genius Groves,” complete with lines of trees. We doubt the flora will help you feel better when your iPhone is broken, but they’re at least more inviting. You’ll also see new conference and meeting spaces alongside new video screens.

The workshops, meanwhile, revolve around new in-store Creative Pros who host free sessions based around Apple tools and Apple-friendly devices. There are 90-minute Studio Hours that let you bring in your own project for advice (or simply work outside of your usual space), music and photography labs, a Kids’ Hour with programmable Sphero robots and pro-specific sessions. You’ll even see photo and sketch walks that take you outside of the store. All stores are getting new mobile screens to help present “Today at Apple” sessions, as well as the seating and sound systems to match.

The new workshops will be available by the end of May. As for the larger stores’ upgrades? That’s likely to vary by location, but it’ll likely be impossible to miss.

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts tells CBS that this isn’t so much a reinvention as a logical extension of what the tech giant has already been doing in its stores. And yes, she imagines that people might soon decide to meet at Apple instead of the nearby coffee shop. That may be a tad optimistic when the workshops are clearly tailored to rookies and niche pros. However, the shift is still important — it suggests that Apple will fight retail competition from Microsoft and even Amazon by turning stores into regular destinations rather than strictly functional shopping hubs. If you keep coming back, after all, it increases the odds that you’ll buy an iPhone or Mac for your next tech upgrade.

Via: The Verge

Source: Apple, CBS

Flying, spherical displays are coming to a halftime show near you

Pepsi’s drone show at the Super Bowl this year was impressive, sure, but imagine what those UAVs would’ve been capable of with more than one pixel. To wit, Japan’s Docomo has designed a 144 x 136-pixel spherical LED screen that can display images while in flight. And to give the illusion that the image onscreen is holding still while the drone zips about, “the LED frame spins on its axis in a rapid horizontal motion, forming an afterimage effect to create the illusion of a solid sphere of motionless LEDs,” according to a press release.

The company says that because the display uses a hollow frame, there shouldn’t be any issues with it obstructing a drone’s propellors or weighing the contraption down.

If you’re getting giddy thinking about what this could do for your next concert or maybe a massively-watched sporting event, you’ll have to wait a bit. Docomo says that it plans to start selling the displays sometime after next March. At least that should give you some time to figure out what you’ll put on yours for its maiden voyage.

Source: Docomo

‘Today at Apple’ Sessions About Art, Music, and Coding Expanding to Every Apple Store in May

Apple today announced that it will be expanding its “Today at Apple” educational sessions to all of its 495 retail stores around the world in May.

“Today at Apple” will offer programs with more than 60 different hands-on sessions in creative skills. The free sessions, which have been offered at Apple’s flagship Union Square store in San Francisco since last year, will cover topics such as photography, videography, music, coding, art, and design.

“At the heart of every Apple Store is the desire to educate and inspire the communities we serve,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president, Retail. “‘Today at Apple’ is one of the ways we’re evolving our experience to better serve local customers and entrepreneurs. We’re creating a modern-day town square, where everyone is welcome in a space where the best of Apple comes together to connect with one another, discover a new passion, or take their skill to the next level. We think it will be a fun and enlightening experience for everyone who joins.”

Many sessions will be taught by highly-trained Creative Pros, which Apple describes as the “liberal arts equivalent” to its technical Geniuses. In select cities, Apple says world-class artists, photographers, and musicians will also teach sessions from “basics and how-to lessons” to “professional-level programs.”

“Today at Apple” will cater to all skill levels and ages, with special programs such as Teacher Tuesday and Kids Hour targeted towards families and educators respectively. Other sessions will focus on professional software such as Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X, or coding with the Swift Playgrounds app for iPad.

Teachers can come together for Teacher Tuesday to learn new ways to incorporate technology into their classrooms, or aspiring coders of all ages can learn how to code in Swift, Apple’s programming language for iOS and Mac apps. Families can join weekend Kids Hour sessions ranging from music making to coding with robots.

Apple said each of its stores will receive large displays created specifically for “Today at Apple” sessions. Each store will also have updated seating and sound. Apple has already renovated dozens of its existing retail stores with these next-generation features since 2015, with dozens more locations to follow this year.

Apple has been redesigning its stores under the leadership of retail chief Angela Ahrendts, the former CEO of luxury fashion brand Burberry. Ahrendts wants to position Apple Stores as not only shopping destinations, but also as gathering places for the community. “Meet me at Apple,” she envisions someone as saying.

Video is available in the United States only
Ahrendts, in a new interview with CBS This Morning:

“A lot of the big online guys have said they’re opening stores. Amazon’s investing in stores. Google’s investing in stores. … Starbucks figured it out, you know? Being a gathering place for – right? ‘Meet me at Starbucks,”’ Ahrendts said. “And you know, I’ve told the teams, ‘I’ll know we’ve done a really, really great job if the next generation, if Gen Z says, “Meet me at Apple. Did you see what’s going on at Apple today?”’”

Apple’s latest next-generation store will open at Dubai Mall on April 27, the company recently announced.

Related Roundup: Apple Stores
Tags: Angela Ahrendts, Today at Apple
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