Trump’s website wanted to collect your location data

A redesigned version of Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign website debuted on Tuesday morning, and with it came a new and problematic set of Terms & Conditions. According to CBS News, part of the new terms stated that the website “may… collect other information based on your location and your Device’s proximity to ‘beacons’ and other similar proximity systems.” That means the people who visited the website upon launch unknowingly agreed to have their info collected. Thankfully, its developer killed that part of the T&C after CBS News questioned its purpose.

Beacons are any Bluetooth-enabled devices like phones, and collecting your info based on how close you are to one is a tactic used by advertisers that send people targeted messages. The President’s website even said that if you want to opt out, you’ll have to switch your Bluetooth off when you visit. The term could’ve been put in place so the Trump team could send you messages when he starts campaigning for the 2020 elections, though it could have another purpose altogether.

Unfortunately, the website developer wouldn’t answer CBS News’ questions, but it’s a problematic term to agree to whatever the reason is. While a beacon only shows your general location, nefarious players could take advantage of the technology to track individuals. The publication says the website already pulled the language that pertains to beacons and location data. We just can’t confirm it because the Terms & Conditions link is currently deactivated. The good news is that the section was only up for half a day — hopefully, the website didn’t collect location data earlier than that.

Via: CNET

Source: CBS News

We’re giving away $500,000 to foster art and technology

Last summer something happened. Seemingly out of nowhere, a 21-year-old Japanese video game franchise became a 21st-century runaway hit with the help of the smartphone. After years of hype around the return of virtual reality, Pokemon Go leap-frogged VR and turned augmented reality into a household name. It was clear that we were ready for new ways of looking at the world.

With technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence finally reaching the mainstream, we’re on the cusp of a creative revolution. New mediums have given birth to a new class of artists, entertainers, filmmakers and musicians, limited only by their access to and understanding of technology. Despite this explosion in creative possibilities, however, artists, entertainers and technologists often exist in distinct, isolated worlds. Today, Engadget is doing its part to bring those worlds together.

On November 16th, 2017, we’ll bring together some of the brightest minds in art, entertainment and technology to explore the unique challenges facing today’s creative pioneers. With The Engadget Experience, a one-day event in the historic United Artists Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, California, we’ll attempt to bridge the gap between these often-disparate worlds, through a series of talks, interviews, screenings and installations.

But we’re not just paying lip service — we’re paying artists. To be specific, we’ve gathered a small committee of technology and art tastemakers to award five grants of up to $100,000 a piece toward the production of ongoing or original works addressing the theme of alternate realities.

We’ll select, fund and showcase works that demonstrate the potential of new, immersive mediums and give our audience the chance to engage, not only with the art but also with the people making it. A short documentary series, which will debut alongside those five projects at The Engadget Experience, will follow our committee as they bring the show together and the selected artists as they create their projects.

For more information on The Engadget Experience and the Alternate Realities grant program, visit our events page.

NASA’s mission to Mars includes a year-long stay on the moon

Some astronauts may spend a year orbiting cislunar space before NASA finally makes its way to Mars. At the Human to Mars Summit in Washington DC, Greg Williams from the agency’s human exploration division revealed the details of NASA’s two-phased plan to send humans to the red planet. According to Space, he said the first phase includes four manned flights to cislunar space in order to deliver a crew habitat, a science research module, a power source and an airlock for visiting vehicles. The whole installation could also have a robotic arm like the Canadarm2 with some autonomous functions. All those trips will take place between 2018 and 2026.

If everything goes well, phase 2 will begin in 2027. NASA will start by sending a Deep Space Transport vehicle to cislunar space, followed by the crew who’ll live in the habitat for a year. If you’ll recall, the agency asked six private corporations to design space vehicles for it as part of the NextSTEP program. Boeing conjured up designs for a transport vehicle and a habitat. We’re guessing they’re some of the candidates for what the agency plans to accomplish.

Future manned missions to Mars, which could happen in the 2030s, will then take off from the moon using the Deep Space Transport vehicle. Before any of these could take place, though, the agency has to finish building the Space Launch System (SLS) first, since it aims to use the massive rocket to launch those payloads. If the rocket’s development gets delayed even further, it could impact the plan, too, unless NASA decides to use the heavy rockets private space corporations are also building.

So, how much will going to Mars ultimately cost the agency? In the same event, Pascal Lee, director of the NASA-funded non-profit Mars Institute, said it could cost $1 trillion over the course of 25 years. It’s a “matter of opinion” and a “ballpark figure,” he said, based on the $24 billion the agency spent on the Apollo program for over a decade. That’s $197 billion in today’s money when adjusted for inflation.

Since Mars missions are expected to be a lot more complex than missions to the moon, he said you’ll have to multiply that amount “by a factor of 2 or 3.” That’s why Buzz Aldrin believes that to be able to go forward with the plan, NASA should hand over its ISS activities to the private sector ASAP, since it “simply cannot afford $3.5 billion a year of that cost.”

Source: Space, Conde Nast Traveler

Chatbot-Like Siri Patent Includes Intelligent Image, Video, and Audio Recognition Within Messages

A patent application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office today details a new Apple service where users could make inquiries and talk with the company’s AI assistant Siri through Messages (via AppleInsider). The new patent is similar to a filing the USPTO published late last year, but now includes deeper integration with audio, video, and image files.

Similar to chatbots in Facebook Messenger and other texting services, Apple’s patent describes a Siri that could perform her current duties without the user having to speak aloud, which could be helpful in certain public situations.

The “Intelligent Automated Assistant in a Messaging Environment” could respond to text, audio, images, and video when sent to it by the user, which Apple said would result in “a richer interactive experience between a user and a digital assistant.” The patent gives a few examples of a conversation held between Siri and a user in Messages, with the user asking questions regarding calorie content in food, upcoming meetings, and even asking Siri to text a friend.

Interesting applications include a thread where a user texts Siri a picture of a car or a bottle of wine, and Siri sees the images and can intelligently respond to the user’s inquiries about them. For the car, the user asks Siri for details on pricing for a specific model using only an image, and Siri searches the internet and returns the relevant MSRP information.

The bottle of wine image is used as an example to show Siri’s memory functions, where a user asks Siri to remember their favorite wine, which she can resurface at a later date. Siri sees the wine image, reads the label, and can then respond to a user’s question in text format about the brand and even year it was made.

Other image-related inquiries include “Where is this place?” and “What insect is this?”, to which Siri would respond “This is the country Algeria” and “This is an earwig,” respectively. Audio and video could also be recognized by Siri, including simple Shazam-like questions related to songs and the content of shared videos.

Apple points out in its patent that thanks to the chronological format of texting, users would be able to “review previous interactions” with Siri, unlike how current Siri conversations disappear immediately after they conclude. Subsequently, Siri would be able to use that history to become smarter and “define a wider range of tasks.”

The messaging platform can enable multiple modes of input (e.g., text, audio, images, video, etc.) to be sent and received. As described herein, this can increase the functionality and capabilities of the digital assistant, thereby providing a richer interactive experience between a user and a digital assistant.

A digital assistant in a message environment can thus enable greater accessibility to the digital assistant. In particular, the digital assistant can be accessible in noisy environments or in environments where audio output is not desired (e.g., the library). Moreover, the chronological format enables a user to conveniently review previous interactions with the digital assistant and utilize the contextual history associated with the previous interactions to define a wider range of tasks.

The patent includes a description where Siri would be “a participant in a multi-party conversation,” allowing group chats to use Apple’s AI simultaneously. Apple gives an example where one user asks Siri to list nearby Chinese restaurants to begin making the group’s dinner plans, and then another user responds by asking Siri to whittle down the list to only include the cheapest places. One user’s personal Siri can even be asked to remind other participants of the upcoming dinner.

Apple is believed to be working on an “enhanced Siri” that might launch in iOS 11 this fall, but the exact specifications as to what would make the new Siri “enhanced” have never been divulged. A questionable rumor in March stated that deep Siri integration is coming to Messages in iOS 11, but the source of the news — The Verifier — doesn’t have a previous track record of reporting accurate rumors.

Chatbots are certainly growing in popularity so it wouldn’t be too surprising if Apple introduced some kind of text-based Siri interface, particularly considering the multiple patents the company has published on the topic. Still, as with all patents it’s best to look at Apple’s new filing as an intriguing insight into what the company might be working on for the future, rather than proof of an impending launch.

Tags: Siri, patent
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IBM Watson allows players to talk to their shipmates in ‘Star Trek: Bridge Crew’

Why it matters to you

Star Trek: Bridge Crew is set to be a truly authentic experience for fans of the franchise, and IBM’s Watson technology will make gameplay even more immersive.

IBM and Ubisoft have announced a strategic partnership that will see IBM’s Watson technology implemented in the virtual reality game Star Trek: Bridge Crew. Players will be able to use their voice to interact with the other Starfleet officers and deliver commands to their crew.

Bridge Crew is a co-operative VR experience that sees players take on one of four distinct roles — captain, tactical officer, engineer, and helm officer — then work together with their shipmates to pull off difficult missions. IBM’s technology should ensure that playing the game with computer-controlled partners feels just as natural as playing alongside other human players.

Ubisoft has implemented Watson in Bridge Crew using IBM’s new VR Speech Sandbox, which combines the Watson software development kit for game development platform Unity with the Watson Text to Speech and Watson Conversation services. The VR Speech Sandbox is available now for developers who want to use voice recognition in their VR software.

IBM promises that its Watson technology provides natural language interaction, rather that keyword-driven dialogue. This should mean that players can concentrate on their strategy in the midst of gameplay, rather than fishing for a particular set of words and phrases that their AI companions can understand.

“For the first time, Watson will power the technology that makes it possible for gamers and fans of Star Trek to interact with the crew,” said Willie Tejada, IBM’s chief developer advocate. “We are only just seeing the impact of virtual and augmented reality and IBM is committed to providing developers with the tools they need to innovate and be competitive in this AI and Cognitive era.”

Watson is set to be implemented in Bridge Crew later this summer. However, players will be able to preview the functionality when an experimental beta period gets underway following the game’s launch on May 30, 2017.

How to boot NVIDIA Shield TV straight into live television

It’s a TV box so it’s not unreasonable to want to boot straight into live TV. Here’s how to do it.

If you’re using your NVIDIA Shield TV in conjunction with the Live Channels app for over the air television, then there’s a strong chance that’s going to be the first thing you want to see when you turn it on. But, like any other Android device, the first thing you see when you turn it on is the home screen.

But this is Android so there’s usually a way around things to get exactly what you want. The same is true here, and it doesn’t take much effort on your part to achieve this simple dream.

Head into the Play Store on your Shield TV and search for an app called Launch on Boot. It’s free to download and does, not surprisingly, exactly what the name implies. It’ll let you boot the Live Channels app, or any other app for that matter, every time you turn on your Shield TV.

When you open it up you get a very quick tutorial on what it does, but the options are simple. You’ve a toggle to turn it on, which you need to do to make it work. Below that there’s another toggle to turn on if you want to boot directly into the TV. Make sure this is on, hit test to make sure it’s working and your work here is done.

If you’d prefer a different app to launch, for example, if you’re wanting to see Plex, HDHomeRun or Kodi when you first turn on the Shield, simply turn off the toggle for booting into TV. You’ll then see an option to choose any of the other applications currently installed on your Shield TV. Select, hit test again to make sure all is well and you’re good to go.

It’d be nice to have this built in, but at least for now this is a simple way to get the job done.

More: How to add live TV channels to NVIDIA Shield TV

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Everywhere you can use Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay is available all over the place.

Samsung Pay makes paying for your purchases easier than ever, but knowing when it will work is handy in a pinch. There are plenty of places that work well with Samsung Pay, but it definitely isn’t available everywhere. We’ve got the details for you on where it works, and where it doesn’t.

Where can I use Samsung Pay?

Samsung Pay will work at terminals that use NFC or MST—Magnetic Secure Transmission —payments. While you may be pretty familiar with NFC payments, Samsung phones are the only ones using MST to render payments.

MST Technology allows your phone to trick a terminal into thinking a card has been swiped by using a magnetic field. Using this technology your phone is able to magnetically swipe at terminals as though it were a real card, even if the terminal does not support tap and pay.

Essentially what you need to use Samsung Pay is a terminal where it is possible to just tap or magnetically ‘swipe’ your phone in order to pay. Now, many folks currently have credit or debit cards that require a chip reader in order to render payments. Depending on the card that you are using, the virtual card supplied in the app should be able to bypass this by delivering a virtual card without a chip. And thanks to tokenization, a process that randomizes the numbers of your virtual card from those of your real, physical one, if the terminal is compromised and those numbers are stolen, it shouldn’t affect your account as a whole.

Many retailers that are set up to accept Samsung Pay as a payment method have a sticker on their terminal. This makes it easy to tell at a glance if Samsung Pay is accepted, although in some locations it will work even if it isn’t indicated.

What does not support Samsung Pay?

Samsung Pay is supported at many different locations, from grocery stores to convenience stores to Square readers. However, it isn’t going to work everywhere. Specifically the place where you are going to run into problems is anywhere that requires you to insert your card in order to process payment.

This means that locations like ATMs, or vending machines are not going to be able to process Samsung Pay purchases if they require you to insert a bank card. While you do have a virtual card saved to your account, it isn’t physical and thus can’t be inserted into the machines.

The big thing to remember is that Samsung Pay is only going to work in locations that have a magnetic strip reader using MST, or access to NFC contactless technology. In some cases you may still run into issues with companies updating their terminals for chip technology.

What do terminals that use Samsung Pay look like?

Since so many places now support Samsung Pay, it can be a little bit difficult to figure out which ones don’t support this payment method. We’ve collected some photos for you, so that you know when Samsung Pay ought to work, and when it won’t.

We tested out terminals in chain stores like Target and Journeys, along with vending machines that take Samsung Pay.

Now when it comes to places that aren’t currently accepting Samsung Pay, you’ll often be looking at older locations that haven’t updated their terminals yet.

Have you used Samsung Pay?

Samsung Pay lets you tap your phone to a terminal in order to pay with your phone, and it’s available for use at thousands upon thousands of locations. While it doesn’t work everywhere, or in every case, it is a handy alternative to digging through your wallet for your card. Have you used Samsung Pay? Let us know about it in the comments below!

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How to turn off Galaxy Apps notifications on the Galaxy S8

No, I don’t want to hear about your promotions.

Having the Galaxy Apps store installed on you Galaxy S8 or S8+ alongside the Play Store isn’t ideal, but it’s the only way to update some of your phone’s core services. What isn’t necessary at all are its notifications, which can be useful sometimes but are often just promotional pushes you may not care about.

You can turn off the notifications for the app entirely, though, and it only takes a couple steps. Here’s how to get it done.

How to turn off Galaxy Apps notifications.

Open Galaxy Apps from your home screen or app drawer.
Tap on the overflow menu button in the top-right corner.
Tap on Settings.
Tap on the toggle for Push notifications to turn off promotional notifications. These are the non-critical notifications about sales, deals and promotions from Samsung.
Tap on the toggle for Show updates … to turn off app update notifications. You don’t necessarily need these turned on so long as you have “Auto update apps” turned on above it.

With both of these toggles turned off, Galaxy Apps won’t bother you at all anymore. So long as you keep the automatic updates turned on it will still update some core services periodically, and you won’t ever have to open Galaxy Apps unless you want to.

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iPad Pro 10.5-inch could be launched in June following case leak

The much-rumoured 10.5-inch iPad Pro may be unveiled in June if a leaked stock system document showing upcoming cases for it is to be believed.

The leaked stock report is allegedly from an Apple Authorised Reseller, and subsequently shared with 9to5Mac, and shows an Under Armour Gear Metropolis Folio case for an “iPad 10.5”. The UAG case is noted as being new for June 2017, which would tie in with Apple’s WWDC 2017 conference.

• Apple iPad 10.5 tipped for early 2017, could have A10X processor
• Apple WWDC 2017: When is it, where to watch and what to expect?

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Apple usually reserves WWDC for software announcements, although the company is expected to unveil a Siri-powered smart speaker. Unveiling a new iPad as well may be a step too far.

The same case is mentioned above that listing, and is available for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The listing for the 10.5-inch iPad doesn’t explicitly state it’s for a Pro version of Apple’s tablet. However the Metropolis case is compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard, which can only be used with the Pro model, so we can make an educated guess and assume the 10.5-inch listing is for an iPad Pro.

Apple only released a new version of the regular iPad in March this year, so we’d be surprised if a new screen size for that is released just a few months later. The Pro on the other hand hasn’t had a refresh since it was first announced in March 2016.

We’ve also heard on two previous occasions that Apple was looking to develop a 10.5-inch iPad Pro, dating back to November 2016. A 10.5-inch iPad Pro would obviously provide more screen real estate than the 9.7-inch model, and would be cheaper than the 12.9-inch variant, so would provide a good middle-ground.

• iPad Pro 2 not expected until May or even June, says report

Of course, Under Armour Gear may be producing the cases based on the same rumours and wants to beat other case makers to the punch. So as with any rumour, we’d suggest taking this one with a pinch of salt for now.

This slo-mo film was shot in 960fps, entirely on Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphones

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone is capable of recording slow motion video at an incredible 960 frames per second, as we detailed back in February, but what does that look like in the real world?

You can get a glimpse at what’s possible with such technology in a video Sony itself has put together.

In what it calls the “world’s first super slow motion film shot on a smartphone” you can see a whole bunch of clips recorded on different Xperia XZ Premium devices put together, edited and directed by movie and advertising director Chris Cairns.

Sony claims that the XZ Premium is capable of playing back video four times slower than any other smartphone. The video, as posted on YouTube, shows multiple Sony-like scenes that give you an impression of what that is capable of.

• Sony Xperia XZ Premium vs Xperia Z5 Premium: What’s the difference?

Its Motion Eye camera is also capable of 4K video recording and uses a 19-megapixel sensor, with larger pixels than most – ensuring that light is better read by the sensor than on many rivals.

The phone also has a 5.5-inch 4K HDR display and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. It has a 3,230mAh battery and you can register your interest in pre-ordering one at sonymobile.com.