Google Assistant will help with your chores on LG appliances

Google Home’s voice platform will soon be supported by some LG smart appliances. Today, as part of the search giant’s I/O 2017 developers conference, LG revealed that its Signature-branded washing machines, dryers, fridges, ovens and air purifiers are getting a Google Assistant update later this month in the US. This means you’ll be able to use voice commands to do things like tell your fridge to make more ice, or get real-time air quality updates from your air purifier. LG says these kind of features are also coming to its connected air conditioners and robotic vacuums, such as the Hom-Bot Turbo+, adding that the goal is to make even more appliances compatible with Google Assistant down the road.

Source: LG

Google I/O 2017 by the numbers

It was an exciting few hours in Mountain View California on Wednesday when Google took over the Shoreline Amphitheater for its annual I/O Developers Conference. The company announced a bunch of updates to its AI efforts (including Google Assistant), previewed some of the features of the Android O beta, and announced that 360 degree YouTube videos are coming to your living room. Numbers, because how else will you know how much you need to save up for the new standalone Daydream headset?

Google I/O 2017: Assistant on iOS, Bluetooth Streaming on Google Home, and Easy Sharing With Photos

Google today kicked off its annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View, California, beginning with a keynote where the company announced Google Assistant for iPhone, new Google Home features including the ability to stream Apple Music via Bluetooth, and new photo sharing features in Google Photos.

Google Assistant on iOS

As it was rumored earlier this week, Google today announced that its AI helper Google Assistant is out now for iOS as its own standalone app [Direct Link]. This way, users will be able to chat with Google and gain access to all of its interactive features without needing a Pixel or Android smartphone.

The company also revealed that Google Assistant will be gaining new chatbot abilities and integration with a new technology called Google Lens, which enhances a smartphone’s camera with AI learning. As an example, Google showed a demo where a user took a picture of a business’s sign, and gave them reviews, menu items, friend check-ins, and more. Other examples include the camera’s ability to identify what a user is looking at, such as the species of a flower, or connecting to a Wi-Fi network by taking a picture of a sticker on a router.

Google Home

Google highlighted a few new abilities coming to its smart home speaker Google Home, including personalized assistance features that will keep on top of each user’s schedule. With the help of Google Assistant, Google Home will light up and warn users that they might be late for an upcoming appointment due to traffic or flight delays, and tell them when to head out accordingly.

Hands-free calling is also coming for free on any landline in the United States and Canada, and can be activated by saying something like, “Hey Google, call mom.” Google Home also supports multiple accounts and will learn the voices of each person over time, automatically adjusting certain commands depending on who is speaking. By the end of the year Google Home will launch to users in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan.

Integration with Spotify’s free music service, Soundcloud, and Deezer is coming so users will have more music listening options. The addition of Bluetooth support will greatly expand audio playback as well, meaning anyone with an iOS, Android, or any Bluetooth-supported device can stream audio from the handset directly to Google Home. This way, users can now stream Apple Music on Google Home.

Visual responses with Google Home will speak directly with other Google products, like a Chromecast device, and let users check out their upcoming appointments or look at the weather forecast by simply asking Google Assistant on Google Home, and seeing the info on their TV.

Google Photos

For Google Photos, the company announced major sharing options coming to the photography app, including smart search and automatically curated albums, similar to Apple Photos. “Suggested Sharing” will use machine learning to remind users to share photos from a party or family gathering, smartly picking out the best pictures and sending it to other users on Google Photos.

The receivers can see the shared photos in a new “shared” tab in the app, and anyone not on Google Photos will be able to get a text message or e-mail invite to check out the pics and save them to their phone. Further expanding on the sharing abilities of Google Photos, users will be able to share entire photo libraries with friends and family to collaborate and interact with their photo albums.

The updates aren’t just for digital photos either, with Google announcing a new feature called Photo Books. Similar to companies like Shutterfly, Photo Books will send users real albums filled with photos taken with their smartphone. Using Photo Books, users can select a variety of pictures, have Google Photos intelligently detect the best shots, and create a twenty-page softcover ($9.99) or hardcover ($19.99) book that’s sent to them in the mail.

Other Announcements

Google announced Smart Reply is coming to Gmail on iOS, suggesting to users three responses based on the email that was received. Users can tap and send the reply right away, or edit it, and Google said that over time Smart Reply will figure out each user’s preferred method of responses. So, for example, it’ll be able to tell “if you’re more of a “thanks!” than a “thanks.” person.”

Throughout the keynote Google covered a variety of other topics, including new streaming options for YouTube, ongoing VR initiatives with Google Daydream, and detailed updates coming to Android. More information about the announcements, and what else is coming during the remaining days of I/O, can be found on Google’s website.

Tags: Google, Google I/O, Google Assistant, Google Home
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Logitech’s HomeKit-Compatible POP Smart Button Now Available in Apple Stores

Starting today, Logitech’s HomeKit-compatible programmable POP Smart Button can be purchased exclusively from Apple retail locations in the United States.

The Logitech POP Smart Button is designed to allow any smart device in the home to be controlled through the push of a button, allowing things like lights to be activated without the need for a smartphone.

Connected to a user’s HomeKit setup via a bridge, the POP Smart Button supports three customizable gestures, with each bridge able to support multiple buttons. Buttons can be used to activate full HomeKit scenes or simply turn a smart accessory on and off. Each button supports three preset commands, activated with a press, a double press, or a press and hold gesture.

While the POP Smart Button works with HomeKit, it can also be used with other non-HomeKit devices like Sonos wireless speakers or Logitech Harmony hub-based remote controls.

The Logitech POP Smart Button Kit, which includes one bridge and one pre-paired smart button in White or Alloy, is priced at $59.95 and will be available from Apple.com and Apple retail stores today. Additional Add-on Smart Buttons can be purchased for $39.95.

Tag: Logitech
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iPhone Scores 92% Loyalty Rate in Recent Survey Ahead of iPhone 8

92 percent of iPhone owners that are “somewhat likely” or “extremely likely” to upgrade their smartphone in the next 12 months plan to purchase another iPhone, according to investment banking firm Morgan Stanley.

Apple’s loyalty rate, up from 86 percent a year ago, is based on an April 2017 survey of 1,000 smartphone owners aged 18 and above in the United States. It’s the iPhone’s highest retention rate measured by Morgan Stanley since a record high of 93 percent set in September 2015, when the iPhone 6s launched.

An excerpt from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty’s research note distributed today:

It’s our belief that a maturing installed base that is accustomed to iOS and increased press around potential new technologies in the upcoming iPhone drove the strong year-over-year increase. Importantly, the rise in Apple’s loyalty rates comes after Samsung, Apple’s biggest competitor in the United States, introduced the Galaxy S8, which was available for pre-order starting March 30th. Apple’s loyalty rate of 92% dwarfs that of all other vendors, with Samsung garnering a 77% retention rate, followed by LG (59%), Motorola (56%), and Nokia (42%).

Despite reports suggesting “iPhone 8” mass production could be delayed by months, Huberty said Morgan Stanley’s Greater China Technology Research colleagues have “not yet seen delays in the supply chain” and still expect new iPhone production to start on time for most components, including the OLED display.

“Nevertheless, we remain conservative in our initial expectations for iPhone supply,” the research note cautioned.

Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Apple’s stock to $177 today, up from $161, given growing confidence in its 2018 fiscal year “supercycle” estimates, along with a greater mix of recurring, high-margin services revenue, and a larger cash balance with potential for repatriation in the United States.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tags: Katy Huberty, Morgan Stanley
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Source Code for Several Panic Apps Stolen via HandBrake Malware Attack

In early May, a mirror download server hosting popular Mac transcoder app HandBrake was hacked, and the legitimate version of HandBrake was replaced with a version infected with OSX.PROTON, a remote access trojan giving hackers root-access privileges to a Mac.

In a blog post shared today, Panic Inc. developer and co-founder Steven Frank said he downloaded the infected version of HandBrake, which led to the theft of much of the source code behind Panic’s apps. Panic offers several apps, including web editor Coda, FTP app Transmit, SSH client Prompt, and Firewatch, an adventure game.

Hackers accessed Frank’s computer through the infected HandBrake software and were able to obtain his usernames and passwords, including login information for Github. Several source code repositories were cloned by the attackers, who have demanded “a large bitcoin ransom” to stop the release of the source code, a ransom Panic does not intend to pay.

While Panic’s source code has been stolen, the company says that a careful review of its logs indicates that the theft was the extent of the damage – the hacker did not access customer information or Panic Sync Data.

– There’s no indication any customer information was obtained by the attacker.
– Furthermore, there’s no indication Panic Sync data was accessed.
– Finally, our web server was not compromised.

(As a reminder, we never store credit card numbers since we process them with Stripe, and all Panic Sync data is encrypted in such a way that even we can’t see it.)

According to Panic, the source code for the apps could potentially be used by hackers to create malware-infected builds of the company’s apps, so users should be vigilant and download Panic apps only from the company’s website or the Mac App Store.

Panic has been in contact with both the FBI and Apple. Apple’s security team is “standing by to quickly shut down any stolen/malware-infested versions” of Panic apps that are discovered, while the FBI is actively investigating the attack.

Panic is asking customers to notify the company of any unofficial or cracked versions of Panic apps that are discovered in the wild, as any such content is likely infected with malware.

Tags: malware, Panic, Handbrake
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Acorns – dip your toes into investing (Review + Deal)

Investing in stocks has always seemed like a daunting and confusing process to me. I just don’t get it. Acorns has made it utterly painless, and has helped me save some money in the process!

Here’s the skinny; Acorns is an app that takes money you designate for investment and automatically invests it into a portfolio of stocks curated by Acorns staff. How do you designate such funds, you ask? There are two ways of doing so – the first is to automatically withdraw money from your bank account in specified quantities and at specified intervals (for example, $10 a week); the second is to have Acorns “Round-Up” your purchases (though I feel “Round Off” is a more apt term) to the nearest dollar, and invest that money into your portfolio.

Here’s how it works in practice. Let’s say you have your Debit card connected to Acorns, and you spend  $4.65 on a Venti Vanilla Latte at Starbucks. Acorns sees that purchase and rounds it off to the nearest dollar – $0.35, for those keeping track at home – and then invests it into your portfolio. So your purchase total comes to $5.00 – $0.35 you’ll never, ever miss. But say you’re one of those people that goes to Starbucks and buys that same Vanilla Latte every single day. $0.35 a day for 30 days is $10.50 a month – $126.00 a year. This isn’t just Starbucks purchases, though, this is every purchase you make with any associated accounts in Acorns. As of today, after two months of using Acorns, my current portfolio stands at $244.47. Not bad, considering I haven’t made a concerted effort to save anything!

Once you’ve invested some cash, you’ll be able to see how and where that money is allocated into your portfolio. For example, here’s mine (at right), using the “Aggressive ” setting (Portfolios are separated in five groups: Conservative, Moderately Conservative, Moderate, Moderately Aggressive, and Aggressive).

As you can see on the left, the large companies in which my money has been invested focuses on Fortune 500 companies, including tech juggernauts like Google.

In addition to direct deposit and round-ups, there are two more ways to earn money using Acorns – Referrals and Found Money. Referrals, as you’d expect, revolves around getting credit for having someone that isn’t currently using Acorns create an account after using your referral link ($5 for you, $5 for them). The second method is Found Money, which generally involves spending money at companies that have partnered with Acorns in order to receive a percentage of your purchase “donated” back to your Acorns account. These partners range from Walmart to Nike, Blue Apron to MeUndies, and vary in offers from a percentage of your purchase to a flat “bounty” for signing up.

What I like best about Acorns is how simple and easy it is to get into it. You sign up, answer a few questions about your income, link a bank account (using your login for that bank) and credit cards (likewise) and you’re set. In about 15 minutes I was up and running, with a $20 base deposit and $10 a week thereafter to supplement my Round-Ups.

I know there are probably a couple questions floating around inside your head, so I’ll try to address the ones that I had initially:

How secure is Acorns?

According to the company, your money is completely SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation) insured (up to $500,000) while the site itself uses 256-bit security to keep your information protected.

Can I withdraw money from my account?

The short answer is yes, you can – and it’s easy. The long answer is that you always have access to the money in your Acorns account but not always right away – as with any investments, it takes time to turn that liquid asset into something more substantiative (5-7 days for a withdrawal, according to the app).

How much does it cost?

Acorns is $1 monthly on portfolio valuations of up to $5000. Anything higher and the rate is 0.25% per year. When compared to traditional portfolio management services, this rate is exceptionally low.

How do I get started?

First, download Acorns. If you want to get a free $5 deposited into your account courtesy of a referral code use THIS LINK when registering. Once your password is created, you will then be asked to link your bank (by signing in with your online account), enter some tax information, and then answer some questions based on your income and spending habits, so Acorns has an idea of which portfolio to choose for you.

AMD targets esports audience with new Radeon RX 560 graphics card

Why it matters to you

The RX 560 offers a good upgrade path for AMD fans running hardware several generations old, and it does so comparatively cheaply.

Although AMD fans may be eagerly awaiting its Vega graphics cards, the red team isn’t quite finished with its RX 500 series just yet. It’s quietly debuted a new card called the RX 560, which it claims offers “smooth esports performance,” and is ready for AAA gaming.

One of the hallmarks of games aimed at mass adoption, especially with a competitive, esports flavor to them, is that they aren’t too taxing on a system. Yes they can be prettier with high-end graphics cards, but they don’t need that to look good or hit high framerates. That’s what AMD is banking on with its RX 560, which is much more impressive than its predecessors, but hardly set to break any records.

That’s not what it’s designed for, though. In marketing material, AMD highlights that it’s capable of offering as much as 2.5 times the performance of an RX 360 from two generations past. It is also said to be capable of hitting 110 frames per second in Overwatch when running on ‘epic’ settings at 1080P.

The testing saw the card paired up with an Intel Core i7-6700K CPU and 8GB of DDR4, which helped deliver frame rates above 70 on average in Hitman and Battlefield 1, as well as 68 and 65 FPS in Doom and Civilization VI, all on medium settings.

The card itself sports 16 compute units, giving it 1,204 stream processors. As Hexus points out, the more apt comparison, with the RX 460, shows it adding a pair of CUs which gives it that extra 128 stream processors.

The clock speed has also been increased over its last generation counterpart, though that’s been a hallmark of the RX 500 series. It’s now 1,175MHz at base, with a boosted clock speed of 1,275Mhz, which works out to 85Mhz and 75Mhz more than the RX 460.

That added performance has raised the power requirements, too, though only by five watts. The new RX 560 demands just 80w of power to operate. Memory wise, buyers will have a choice between a 2GB and 4GB version, both using GDDR5.

The price tag for the RX 560 is around $100, though partner versions ranging up to $120 are already available if you want more advanced cooling and factory overclocks.

Comcast’s new wireless service goes live for current Xfinity subscribers

Why it matters to you

Comcast wants to supply your smartphone internet via Xfinity Mobile, a new wireless plan for its current cable and internet subscribers.

Comcast already pipes internet into millions of homes, and now it wants to take its service to the airwaves. In April, the media giant announced the details of a new service, Xfinity Mobile, that will compete toe-to-toe with Google Fi, US Cellular, and incumbents like AT&T and T-Mobile. Now it appears the company is in the initial stages of launching the service nationwide.

If you’re already an Xfinity subscriber, you can head to the company’s new mobile website now to get started. The service is available in all markets in which Comcast already operates.

Xfinity Mobile features an unlimited data, talk, and text plan starting at $65 a month for up to five lines ($45 per line for customers with Comcast’s top X1 TV packages), or $12 per GB a month a la carte. The unlimited option has been reduced to $45 a month through July 31 for the network’s first customers.

A combination of Comcast’s 16 million Wi-Fi hot spots and Verizon’s network will supply coverage, and, as with Google’s Fi technology, phones will automatically switch between Wi-Fi and cellular depending on network conditions. Xfinity Mobile customers have their choice of the iPhone, 7, 6S, and SE series, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S7 series, and the LG X Power.

Sign-ups have been restricted to Comcast’s 25 million subscribers at launch, which the company said is to ensure a “high level” of customer service. Xfinity Mobile subscribers will be able to get in touch with reps via text and “other means,” Comcast said.

The pricing is in line with the competition — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint offer plans ranging from $50 a month for a single line to $90 a month. And that’s no mistake. “We believe we have very competitive unlimited plans,” Greg Butz, president of Comcast’s mobile business, told Reuters.

With this launch, Comcast becomes the first cable mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) — in other words, the first wireline internet provider to buy capacity on other wireless carriers’ networks.

“The lines between wired and wireless networks are blurring,” Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told Fortune. “For Comcast […] being a wireless operator isn’t optional. All network operators are going to be in the wireless business whether they like it or not.”

It’s a logical step for Comcast, which faces declining revenue in the wake of an ongoing cable TV exodus. In August 2016, every major cable TV company, including DirecTV, Comcast, and Character, lost subscribers. A collective 812,000 U.S. customers canceled their pay TV subscriptions, and there were 1.4 million fewer cable subscribers in the quarter overall compared to the same period a year ago.

It isn’t all doom and gloom. A forecast from analysts at SNL Kagan projects that broadband subscriptions will increase by 8 million over the next decade, heading off an expected 1.5 percent decline in traditional TV subscriptions. But Comcast’s not taking chances.

And Comcast isn’t the only company in this position. Charter Communications is also said to be launching a wireless service next year. And AT&T, which owns satellite provider DirecTV, debuted an internet TV package — DirecTV Now — earlier this year.

Article originally published on 04-06-2017 by Kyle Wiggers. Updated on 05-17-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added news that Xfinity Mobile has been launched.

Powered exoskeleton helps those with limited mobility maintain their balance

Why it matters to you

This lightweight exoskeleton could save wearers from bone-breaking falls.

A powered exoskeleton connected to the waist, and intended to support people as they walk in order to prevent dangerous slips and stumbles, is now undergoing trials. Created by researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), a research institute and university in Switzerland, the device is lightweight and easy to personalize for movement on the go.

Most exoskeletons are designed to aid in regular movements, such as bending, squatting, and lifting. Companies like SuitX, Superflex, and recently Lowe’s have invested in these devices in order to help workers move heavy objects.

The EPFL device on the other hand is specifically designed to prevent elderly or physically impaired people from falling. Just a few minutes of fitting and calibration help adjust the device to the way a wearer walks.

During calibration, the device notices the nuances of an individual’s stride and uses an algorithm to detect and correct movement when a wearer begins to fall. A series of motors respond to the fall by pushing the user’s thighs downward to reestablish stability.

The exoskeleton was tested with subjects at a rehabilitation center in Florence, where Fulvio Bertelli, a 69-year-old subject, wore the device while a treadmill intentionally made him fall off balance. “I feel more confident when I wear the exoskeleton,” he said in a statement.

One of the team’s main goals is to make the exoskeleton effective but non-intrusive, so it won’t disturb a wearer or compromise their stability while falling. Though the device has been effectively demonstrated within the lab, the next steps entail making it less obtrusive so it can be more comfortably worn out on the streets.

“This work paves the way for imagining a completely new generation of exoskeletons that will actually be effective outside of research laboratories thanks to their ability to augment users’ movement and make their mobility more stable and safe,” said Nicola Vitiello, an exoskeleton researcher who worked on the project. “To reach these goals, exoskeletons must be endowed with features, like the one proved in this study, that really take into account what users can experience in real-life unstructured environments.”

A paper detailing the research was published last week in the journal Scientific Reports.