Google expands family sharing to Calendars, Photos, YouTube TV, more

Why it matters to you

Families can be better informed and entertained thanks to new features in several of Google’s most popular apps.

Over the past several years, Google has made sharing apps and content with your family quite easy — and now it’s doing the same for Calendars, Photos, note-taking app Keep, and YouTube TV. The company announced a suite of family-focused features relating to some of its most popular apps on Tuesday, May 23.

First, Calendar. Creating a Family Group with a Google account now builds a separate calendar that any user who is part of that group can see and contribute to. Those outside your family cannot be added to that calendar, though you can still invite them to events.

As for Photos, a new Family Group item within the sharing menu will save you the trouble of having to individually select family members anytime you want to send images.

YouTube TV can now be linked to family accounts as well, for no additional cost. Up to five members can access YouTube TV and receive their own profiles, allowing them to keep their viewing history private from the rest of the group — however, only three can watch simultaneously. Even Cloud DVR content is kept sandboxed from other accounts.

Finally, Keep users will benefit from shared lists, reminders, and notes with other family members. Users outside the family can still be added to these notes — a home icon will designate which have been shared among the group.

It’s encouraging to see Google roll out family-sharing features beyond just apps. Coordinating events and keeping everyone up to date is one of the most frustrating tasks for any family, and Calendar and Keep integration should go a long way toward making that more convenient. Likewise, YouTube TV was built with sharing in mind, so extending it to family groups is a natural move.

According to Google, these features have started rolling out now in countries where Family Groups are already live: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To learn how to start a group yourself, check out our handy guide.

Cats keep jumping on your countertops? This robot will scare them off

Why it matters to you

Cats jumping on your tabletop uninvited is annoying and unhygienic. This robot guardian will help teach them not to.

What is the cat’s natural adversary? If you replied “dog,” hang your head in shame! According to the creators of a new Indiegogo campaign there’s only one real answer — and it’s “robot.”

That’s the basis for a device called CatNani, a robot that promises to tirelessly guard the tables and countertops in your home; keeping a beady eye on your furry feline and scaring it off those surfaces by way of an ultrasonic warning — backed up by a quick burst of harmless citronella spray for good measure. Over a short period of time, the hope is that your cat will learn to respect its robot overlord and steer clear of climbing where it doesn’t belong.

A bit like the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, CatNani boasts some smart sensors it uses to get its job done. These include object-detection sensors, pet-location sensors, and all-important table-edge detectors, so your new robo-gatekeeper doesn’t plummet off his perch the moment you leave for work.

The team behind the project is almost comically overqualified for the task at hand — with the inventors coming from, or having done work for, companies including Amazon, Microsoft Research, and Facebook, and having an assortment of deep learning-based image recognition qualifications to back up their dream of cat-free kitchen surfaces.

Right now, the product is available for pre-order on Indiegogo, where a CatNani unit will set you back $55, with a proposed shipping date of January 2018.

Sadly (for us, not the cats) the product may take a bit longer than that to come to fruition. So far, CatNani’s campaign has raised a whopping $330 against a target fundraising goal of an optimistic $500,000, with just 14 days left on the clock. While we fully appreciate that anti-cat robots are something of a niche product, we don’t think it deserves that kind of disappointing fate.

Let’s hope that CatNani has eight more lives left after this one …

Turn your regular AC unit into a smarter one with the Ambi Climate 2

Why it matters to you

Summer is coming, and while you may not want to replace your whole AC unit, you probably want to buy this small device that is meant to boost its performance.

If there’s one appliance in your home that would benefit from a little intelligence, it’s probably your AC unit. After all, keeping your house at the right temperature, especially during the hottest months of the year, is no small task, and one that requires some brains. Luckily, Ambi Climate has plenty of smarts to go around, now that it’s introduced its second model, the Ambi Climate 2.

Described as an AI-enhanced air conditioning tool, this smart home device monitors more than just your home’s temperature. Rather, it takes into consideration a whole host of factors that ultimately affect the comfort of your internal environment, including humidity, sunlight, time of day, and the outside weather.

So why is this important? You see, while your body temperature is constantly in flux, your AC unit (inanimate object that it is), generally is not. That means that you, hapless soul, are constantly adjusting your AC to meet your ever-changing needs, which can certainly become a nuisance when those adjustments have to happen at 2 a.m.

But the Ambi Climate 2 wants to put an end to all that. “In order to deliver an optimal environment, Ambi Climate needs to learn what is comfortable for you,” the team explains on its Kickstarter page. “This is done using machine learning techniques and A.I. technology. You’ll need to help Ambi Climate learn by giving feedback about your comfort in different seasons and times.”

Using the system’s companion app, you can constantly provide feedback to the smart system, helping reduce overheating and overcooling issues over time. And in addition to the data that you provide, Ambi Climate will also use its multiple sensors to automatically adjust the temperature based on a variety of considerations. This, the team says, could help you reduce your energy bill by up to 30 percent.

The best part about the Ambi Climate is that it’s not a brand-new AC unit — rather, it’s a tool that can be paired with your existing appliance, indeed making it smarter. Simply place it in clear view of your AC, download the Ambi Climate app, pair the device with your AC unit, and make use of those brains.

You can pre-order an Ambi Climate now from Kickstarter for $90, with an estimated delivery date in June.

Intel-based Chromebooks fall behind when running Android apps

Why it matters to you

If you’re choosing a new Chromebook and care about Android app performance, then consider an ARM-based model.

Google’s Chromebook platform is getting a real shot in the arm with the impending widespread arrival of Android app support. Some newer Chromebooks are already supported, while most older machines have not yet received the necessary bits.

While many Chromebooks will eventually be able to run Android apps, some new research is indicating that not all of them will provide the same experience. Specifically, Chromebooks built around ARM processors will provide better Android app performance than the generally faster Chromebooks based on Intel processors.

The information comes via Shrout Research, which tested the performance of Android apps on two Acer Chromebooks, the R13 and the R11, which differ primarily in which processor is utilized. The R13 uses the Mediatek M81732C ARM processor, while the R11 uses the Intel Celeron N3060 CPU. A variety of Android apps were downloaded from the Google Play Store and then their performance tested in terms of startup time, stability, and battery life.

According to the tests, the ARM-based R13 provided a consistently “good” or “very good” experience on every tested app. The Intel-based R11, however, had a few apps that provided “poor” or “very bad” experiences, with some stuttering, long load times, and general instability on even more apps.

Shrout Research

In addition, the R13 was more power-efficient when running Android apps. On average, 11.5 percent power savings were realized by using an ARM versus an Intel processor.

Shrout Research

These results should come as no surprise, given that Android apps are written and optimized for ARM processors. Running them on Intel-based systems, therefore, provides a wider range of functionality for Chromebook users but creates some performance issues.

Generally speaking, Intel-based Chromebooks provide superior Chrome OS performance. But they do fall a bit behind when running the full range of Android apps, something that those still waiting for Android support should keep in mind.

Verizon CEO confirms it is preparing its own live-TV streaming service

Why it matters to you

Cable-cutting seems like it is here to stay and Verizon will be joining the fray, trying to court you to its upcoming service.

As if we didn’t already have enough options for live-TV streaming services, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed during a telecom conference that the cell carrier plans to launch its own over-the-top (OTT) TV streaming service in the near future.

Verizon is currently closing an acquisition deal with Yahoo, which is expected to be finalized in June. Once that deal is signed and Verizon takes over Yahoo and AOL, McAdam says the company plans to use the two platforms and their combined 1.3 billion users to test this future streaming service.

While this is a major move for the company, it won’t be Verizon’s first streaming service. Go90 is the company’s on-demand video service, functioning similarly to Netflix or Hulu. You would be forgiven for having never heard of it, though. The service has been unable over its nearly two years of life to attain a userbase to go toe-to-toe with the various other on-demand services out there. Despite this, Verizon has made numerous investments into original content for the service despite its smaller share of the market in hopes of drawing more users. It even carries content from high-profile internet content creators like Rooster Teeth, Vice, Funny Or Die, Elite Daily, and more. Further, thanks to an exclusivity deal, NFL games can be streamed on the service.

Sadly, these strategies haven’t worked, with Go90 facing recent layoffs and even going through major overhauls. Despite the previous rocky path of video streaming for Verizon, having 1.3 billion potential testers for a future service seems like a good place to start. Should original content and perks like NFL streaming show up on Verizon’s upcoming service, it could pose as competition to what os out there now, including YouTube TV, Hulu, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, SlingTV… did we miss any?

We do not know when the service will be officially launched but since it depends on the finalization of the Yahoo deal in June, we don’t expect Verizon to announce anything until after that time.

The world’s largest floating solar power plant just went online in China

Why it matters to you

This sprawling, floating solar power plant could change the way other nations design city centers.

China has announced that the largest floating photovoltaic (PV) facility on earth has finally been completed and connected to the local power grid. Long reviled for its carbon emission record, this is the Chinese government’s latest achievement in its ongoing effort to lead the world in renewable energy adoption.

Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province, the 40-megawatt facility was created by PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ironically, the floating grid itself was constructed over a flooded former coal-mining region.

Floating solar farms are becoming increasingly popular around the world because their unique design addresses multiple efficiency and city planning issues. These floating apparatuses free up land in more populated areas and also reduce water evaporation. The cooler air at the surface also helps to minimize the risk of solar cell performance atrophy, which is often related to long-term exposure to warmer temperatures.

This is just the first of many solar energy operations popping up around China. In 2016, the country unveiled a similar 20MW floating facility in the same area. China is also home to the Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, a massive 10-square-mile, land-based facility touted as the largest solar power plant on earth.

This transition to solar is in large part due to the rapidly plummeting cost of the technology itself. By 2020, China could reduce prices offered to PV developers by more than a third with solar power plants projected to rival coal facilities within a decade. The nation has also announced plans to increase its use of non-fissile fuel energy sources by 20 percent.

An annual report released by NASA and NOAA determined that 2016 was the warmest year on record globally, marking the third year in a row in which a new record was set for global average surface temperatures. That said, if we as a species hope to reverse this dire trend, initiatives like this and others will need to be adopted around the globe.

Hackers manage to fool the Galaxy S8’s iris scanner with a photo

Why it matters to you

While your Samsung Galaxy S8’s iris scanner still has plenty of security, it can be tricked with an elaborate ruse.

Germany’s venerable Chaos Computer Club (CCC) takes no prisoners — especially when it comes to smartphone security. After successfully fooling a fingerprint sensor using high-resolution images of a hand, specialized computer software, and a standard printer last year, the hacker collective set their sights on a new target: The Galaxy S8’s iris scanner.

In a video released on Monday, the white-hat team of hackers demonstrated how Samsung Galaxy S8’s iris sensor, supplied by security firm Princeton Identity, can be tricked into unlocking the phone with a cropped picture of a person’s irises and a pair of contact lenses. After toying around with the photo’s brightness and color contrast, printing out a high-resolution copy, and placing the contact lenses on top of the print, the CCC was able to unlock the Galaxy S8.

It was a little more challenging than it seems. In a blog post, CCC spokesperson Dirk Engling conceded that most selfies won’t fool the Galaxy S8’s iris scanner — a hacker would have to capture a person’s iris with a digital camera in night-shot mode or the infrared filter removed.

“In the infrared light spectrum — usually filtered in cameras — the fine, normally hard to distinguish [sic] details of the iris of dark eyes are well recognizable,” Engling wrote. “[We were] able to demonstrate that a good digital camera with 200mm-lens at a distance of up to five meters is sufficient to capture suitably good pictures to fool iris recognition systems.”

Still, the CCC’s workaround would appear to contradict Samsung and Princeton Identity’s messaging. In marketing materials, Samsung’s highlighted the Galaxy S8’s iris scanner as a “secure” alternative to PINs and passcodes. In an interview with Business Insider in April, Princeton CEO Mark Clifton characterized the Galaxy S8’s iris scanner as “better” than the FBI’s fingerprinting technology.

“[The FBI] uses 13 points of identification per fingerprint, so with all 10 finger you might have 130 unique identifiers,” Clifton said. “[The] Galaxy S8’s iris scanner can register up to 200 identifying features from a single iris.”

It is not the first time the CCC has demonstrated flaws in iris-scanning technologies. In March, the group fooled a commercial system with a 75-pixel image of an iris printed at a resolution of 1,200 dpi (dots per inch).

“If you value the data on your phone, and possibly want to even use it for payment, using the traditional PIN-protection is a safer approach than using body features for authentication,” Engling said.

Two pros enter, one pro leaves: Microsoft’s Surface Pro takes on Apple’s MacBook Pro 13

Now more than ever, ultra-portable tablets and laptops allow us to get work done from anywhere, without sacrificing power for portability. These two features are no longer mutually exclusive, which means the market is chock-full of nimble, lightweight solutions that will appeal to consumers of all demographics. Capitalizing on the burgeoning trend, Microsoft has doubled-down on its popular Surface Pro 2-in-1, by refreshing the internal components with the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 chips, refining the internal design, and iterating on a winning form factor.

But it’s still just a tablet, right? Well, yes and no. Between the Type Cover and a full version of Windows 10, the new Surface Pro continues to provide a decent mobile computing experience in a lightweight package. Unlike the iPad Pro, which uses a modified version of Apple’s iOS, the Surface Pro is a fully-functional laptop (when you want it to be).

With that in mind, let’s see how the new Surface Pro stacks up against a portable, premium laptop: Apple’s latest MacBook Pro 13.

Specs

MacBook Pro 13

Surface Pro (2017)

Dimensions
13.75 x 9.48 x .61 (in)
11.50 x 7.9 x 0.33 (in)
Weight
 4.02 pounds
1.69 – 1.73 pounds
Processor
 6th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7
7th-generation Intel Core m3, i5, or i7
RAM
8GB, 16GB
4GB, 8GB, or 16GB
Display
13.3-inch Retina display
12.3-in PixelSense Display
Resolution
2,560 × 1,600
2,736 x 1,824
Storage
256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD
Networking
802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2
802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, optional LTE
Ports
2x or 4x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge; 3.5mm headset
1x USB Type-A, Surface Connect, 3.5mm headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, microSDXC card reader
Webcam
720p FaceTime HD
Windows Hello face sign-in camera, 5.0MP 1080p front-facing camera, 8.0MP 1080p rear-facing autofocus camera
Operating System
MacOS Sierra
Windows 10
Battery
Up to 10 hours
Up to 13.5 hours
Price
$1,500+
$800+
Availability
Available now
Available June 15, 2017
Review
6 out of 10
Hands-on

Design: Magnesium vs. aluminum

The MacBook Pro 13, for all its faults, is a remarkably well-designed product. Apple’s industrial design is iconic, simple, and high-quality in a way most competitors have yet to match. That said, Microsoft has come closer than ever before with its latest Surface lineup, including the new Surface Pro.

The Surface Pro’s magnesium-alloy chassis feels every bit as nice as the MacBook Pro 13’s aluminum unibody. They’re both rock-solid, and nearly seamless. Metal-and-glass construction makes both a joy to use, and they’re robust enough that tossing them in a bag never feels like a dangerous proposition.

In everyday use, the MacBook Pro is just present enough — it does an excellent job of getting out of your way. The keyboard has short travel, but a welcome tactile feel, and the trackpad is large and spacious. Conversely, the Surface Pro offers a uniquely intuitive user experience with its touchscreen and Surface Pen integration.

The MacBook Pro 13 is a great laptop, but the Surface Pro is a great tablet, with some laptop functionality. The keyboard cover, upholstered with that super-soft and luxurious Alcantara fabric, gets the job done and looks good doing it — but more often than not you might find yourself foregoing it entirely to interact with the Surface Pro’s gorgeous and responsive touchscreen.

Both products exemplify different design sensibilities, delivering near-perfect craftsmanship in their own unique ways. They’re both at the top of their respective games, using clever, elegant design to elevate what could otherwise be typical and pedestrian user experiences.

Bottom line, which one has the better overall design? Considering nothing else but product design, the MacBook Pro 13 is hard to beat as a laptop, and the Surface Pro is hard to beat as a tablet. That’s really it. This is the one area where there these two products are too different to really compare. Declaring a winner here would be a disservice to both products, both achieve and execute their design goals near-perfectly.

Winner: Tie

Power: 6th-generation Iris vs. 7th-generation HD

If you just looked at the spec sheet, it might be hard to determine which one of these products was which. Both feature similar processor options, both have similar RAM and storage options, and both have a conspicuous lack of ports. Plus, neither the MacBook Pro 13 or the Surface Pro feature discrete graphics cards, instead relying on Intel HD or Intel Iris graphics.

When it comes to memory and storage, both products have a decent range of choices available. The Surface Pro dips a little deeper into the low-end with its lowest RAM and storage options than the MacBook Pro 13 does, but otherwise the mid and high-end versions of both products can be scaled up to the same maximums — 1TB of storage space, and 16GB of RAM.

In everyday use, both products provided more than enough horsepower to get through a typical workday. Neither one is going to be good for games beyond maybe Hearthstone, but neither is going to hold you back while doing some serious multi-tasking, either.

It’s worth mentioning that the Surface Pro is running the latest 7th-generation “Kaby Lake” processors from Intel, so even though they’re comparable to what’s under the hood of the MacBook Pro 13, they’re going to have a little bit of a leg up when it comes to raw performance and energy efficiency.

Also, the MacBook Pro features Intel Iris graphics up and down the line, which is a bit of a step up from the Intel HD graphics featured on the Core m3 and Core i5 versions of the Surface Pro. However, you can enjoy Intel Iris graphics if you opt for the Core i7 model of Surface Pro.

Overall, the systems are very similar in performance. The MacBook Pro is more powerful in its base configuration, but also more expensive. They’re about equal in top-tier trim; however, the Surface Pro uses the latest Intel processors, so it obtains the win.

Winner: Surface Pro

Form factor: Tablet vs. laptop

This is a battle between two ultra-portable computers, after all, so portability is of critical importance. Which one has the greater work-from-anywhere factor? Well for that answer, we’ll need to carefully weigh our options. Seriously, weight is an important aspect here.

The MacBook Pro 13 is remarkably small; it’s svelte and slim, and at just four pounds, it fits in almost any messenger bag or backpack with ease. The Surface Pro is also thin and light, weighing in at just under two pounds. You could stuff two Surface Pros into a bag and it would still be lighter than a single MacBook Pro 13.

It’s almost cheating, though. The Surface Pro’s keyboard doesn’t house any hardware — it’s just a keyboard — and it’s partially made of fabric. Still, the Surface Pro is far lighter than the lightweight MacBook Pro 13, and it has a few other advantages worth mentioning.

Namely, it’s a 2-in-1. Need to type up a paper from a coffee shop? No problem, just pop the keyboard on there and get started. Need a tablet to read before bed? Sure thing, Surface Pro has you covered… just snap the keyboard off. These are two things that the MacBook Pro 13, as a traditional laptop, just can’t do.

Add on top of that the Surface Pro’s superior battery life, and we have a clear winner here. The Surface Pro lasts around 13 hours on a single charge, while the MacBook Pro 13 only made it about nine hours on our internal tests. While the MacBook Pro 13 is one of the most portable laptops on the market today, the Surface Pro has it beat because of its versatility — it is by its very nature more portable.

Winner: Surface Pro

Price: A lot of money vs. even more money

Well, this one’s pretty straightforward, right? Just point out which one costs more, full stop. Unfortunately, it’s actually a little tricky to tease out which one is the better value. Sure, the MacBook Pro 13 starts at $1,500, and the Surface Pro starts at $800 — that’s a pretty clear-cut difference — but that’s for the barebones versions of both products, and the prices only go up from there.

For $1,500, you can get a decent MacBook Pro. For $800, however, you’d get a very underpowered Surface Pro running an Intel Core m3 processor that has pretty low headroom when it comes to real computing tasks — like running more than a handful of applications at a time.

Moving on up the spectrum, the MacBook Pro 13 tops out at $2,900 for the fully tricked-out version, while the Surface Pro tops out at $2,700. At those prices, that’s a pretty narrow margin, and both products net you nearly identical specs.

It’s also worth mentioning that no matter how much you spend on the Surface Pro, it doesn’t come bundled with any of the above-pictured accessories. That’s right, no Type Cover, Surface Pen, or Surface Dial will be in the box — even if you invest in the fully-loaded version. It’s an odd choice, given that the Surface Pro isn’t a 2-in-1 without the keyboard component, and you’ll have to spend an extra $130 for the privilege. Add on to that another $60 for the Surface Pen, and the grand total comes out to $2,890. That only puts it at ten bucks cheaper than a fully maxed-out MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar.

Add the keyboard cover and pen to the low-end version of the Surface Pro and you’re looking at $990, which is an awful lot to spend on a “laptop” with an underpowered Intel m3 processor and the bare minimum amount of RAM and storage space.

Winner: Tie

Innovative design gives Surface Pro the win

Which one should you buy? Well, there are plenty of great laptops, tablets, and hybrid 2-in-1s on the market today, and some of them might even require less compromise than one of these two products. The Surface Pro suffers from unfortunate up-charging, and the MacBook Pro 13 is a little too expensive for what you end up getting, and the Touch Bar is only available on the mid and high-end models.

Still, the Surface Pro gains the nod. It’s slightly less expensive and more versatile than the MacBook Pro 13, yet also takes a minor edge in hardware. Apple’s MacBook Pro 13 is no slouch, but it feels a bit old-fashioned compared to Microsoft’s latest.

Whiteboard is Microsoft’s Windows 10 app for collaborative inking

Microsoft has unveiled a new Windows 10 app called Whiteboard.

It’s a “collaborative inking” app meant for Microsoft’s Surface devices. Microsoft demoed the app while on stage at its Surface event in Shanghai, China on 23 May. The company explained that the app offers not only two-way inking, but also “geometry recognition, table conversion, and automatic table shading”, as well as exclusive capabilities for Office 365 subscribers.

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The point of the app is that it will help you illustrate your ideas together with others – regardless of the device you’re using. While it’s not yet widely available for all to use, Microsoft has opened a private preview for Surface Hub and education customers. The app should be available on more Windows 10 devices, such as the Surface Studio and Surface Pro, later in 2017.

Microsoft

Alongside the Whiteboard app, Microsoft announced improvements to its inking technology and the inking experience in its Office apps. It even said Office will support the new Surface Pen low-latency and tilt options, so you’ll be able to adjust the thickness and texture of ink in Office apps by physically tilting the Surface Pen on the new Surface Pro.

With the new Surface Pen, Microsoft said the ink reacts a user’s touch with pressure sensitivity of 4,096 pressure points – up from 1,024 pressure points. The stylus offers “almost zero latency” when used with Office apps, Microsoft explained.

Ikea’s smart lights add voice control via Alexa, Assistant, and Homekit

You will soon be able to control Ikea smart lights using your voice.

The Swedish retailer has revealed the Tradfri range will get voice control for owners of Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Amazon Alexa devices. The feature is expected it to arrive by this autumn, according to Ikea (via MacRumors). Here’s how the functionality is explained:

“In the summer and autumn, IKEA takes the next step towards the smart home. With increased functionality, IKEA’s smart lighting range can be used with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant, which means that you can voice-control your lighting. We believe that smart home technology should be accessible to everyone. For this reason, we will continue to work with our products to be compatible with other products available.”

Ikea introduced its smart lighting collection in March. The new range, which starts at £15, includes the Tradfri LED bulb, £69 Tradfri gateway kit (includes two white spectra LED bulbs), £29 Tradfri dimming kit white spectrum, £25 Tradfri wireless motion kit sensor, and £90 LED light doors and panels. And all these devices can be managed and customised via the Tradfri app for phones and tablets.

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The lights can be switched from warm to cold light using a remote control or the app, and you can group individual lamps together to create lighting moods. Ikea is basically going after Philips Hue and other smart LED lamp products, but unlike Hue, its offering is much easier on the wallet. Plus, now that the Tradfri range supports voice commands, it’ll be easy to control, too.

Ikea has said it plans to introduce more smart home products.