AI-equipped drones taught themselves how to fly by crashing 11,500 times

Why it matters to you

Drones need to be able to autonomously fly better to cope with the complexities of the real world. This is one way of teaching them to do so.

You know the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again?” Well, it also counts for drones. At least, that is the takeaway message from a recent paper titled “Learning to Fly by Crashing,” published by roboticists from Carnegie Mellon University.  They subjected hapless drones to 11,500 collisions in 20 different indoor environments, spread over 40 hours of flying time, to prove it.

They did it for a good reason, too — and it is not because they have a whole lot of old quadcopters to get rid of before the start of the next academic year.

“We are interested in the problem of drone navigation: How does a UAV learn to avoid obstacles and learn to navigate,” Abhinav Gupta, an assistant professor in CMU’s Robotics Institute, told Digital Trends. “Unlike most other problems where data is the answer to many hard questions, what makes this problem hard is [a] scarcity of relevant data. We can use human experts and ask them to fly drones, but such data is small in size and biased towards success since the number of crashes is very low.”

Instead of using a computer simulation to solve the problem, Gupta and colleagues set out to build a framework where the goal of the drone is to crash. In their study, the drones were instructed to fly slowly until colliding with something, after which they would return to the starting position and set off in a new direction. By doing this repeatedly and then feeding the crash data into a convolutional neural network, the team was able to train a drone to be able to more successfully fly autonomously — even in narrow, cluttered environments.

The algorithm controlling the drone works by splitting the picture the drone sees into two separate images and then turning in the direction of whichever looks less likely to result in a crash. The results were surprisingly effective.

The drone still runs into problems, particularly involving glass doors and plain walls, but it is a whole lot better than it was before its training. Should we wind up living in a world where thousands of drones are constantly buzzing around, carrying out a range of tasks in complex real-world environment, research like this is going to be vital to developing better autonomous flying machines.

In the meantime, researchers get to exercise their destructive whims by making robots crash for the sake of “science.”

Verizon’s new Fios chatbot wants to tell you what is on television tonight

Why it matters to you

If you need to know what’s on television tonight, you can now just ask the new Verizon Fios chatbot on Facebook Messenger.

We’ve become an antisocial bunch.

After all, now that you can email, text, or instant message someone rather than, you know, talk to them, why would you ever opt for real human interaction anyway? Verizon understands this mentality and on Thursday, the company introduced the Fios chatbot on Facebook Messenger, branded as “a new way for Fios customers to find, watch, and manage the video content that matters most to them.”

The new bot lets customers search and discover new content, find personalized viewing recommendations, and even manage their DVRs simply by posing a question in the Facebook Messenger app. All you need to access the bot is a Fios account, and once you logged in and made contact with the AI system, you can ask questions like, “What’s on tonight?” From there, you’ll receive a Facebook message about programming, suggested content, and more. If you like what you see, you can elect to watch a program immediately via the Fios Mobile app, or if you would rather watch it at home later, set your DVR to record the program.

“The Fios chatbot is one example of everything we’re doing to digitally transform the customer experience at Verizon,” said Miguel Quiroga, head of digital for Verizon’s Fios consumer business. “We’ve built these capabilities because our customers want us to be available wherever they’re increasingly active. This is an example of how we at Fios are leaning in towards a customer-first experience.”

While the chatbot is focused on entertainment content, Quiroga notes that “it will continue to evolve based on how people use it. In effect, our customers will be ‘co-creating’ the platform with us.”

Verizon is the latest in a string of companies following customers to their platforms of choice, which these days, increasingly seems to be messaging and social media platforms.

“Our customers expect Verizon and the other brands they follow to engage and interact with them on an on-demand basis,” Quiroga said. “And they want that interaction to be personalized based on their needs and preferences.”

So if you need to know what is on tonight, Verizon and its new chatbot can help.

Apple launches new website for budding iPhone photographers

Why it matters to you

Apple’s new website makes phone photo techniques digestible.

It’s no secret that the iPhone has fantastic cameras. Thanks to innovations like optical image stabilization and high-quality zoom, it’s produced some of the most stunning smartphone photography the world has ever seen. Need evidence? Look no further than Flickr — or your local movie theater.

But Apple thinks that a little technique can take iPhone photography to the next level. And to that end, it’s launched a new tip-packed website for dilettante photographers.

A collection of guides — 16 in all, covered in a series of video clips — give an overview of iPhone camera basics like close-ups, framing, lighting, zooming, and more. They explain concepts like “the golden hour” — the natural lighting conditions right before sunset — and techniques like shooting backlighting a subject with locked focus and low exposure. Other tips include portrait framing with the iPhone’s “depth effect” cue, snapping selfies one-handed, capturing street light, converting pictures to black and white, shooting without flash, and more.

“Every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera in the world,” Apple said. “We believe that everyone can take great photos. So we’ve put together these tips and techniques to help you take even better ones with your iPhone.”

Apple’s new page also highlights camera features available exclusively on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple’s newest models. Apple said the iPhone 7’s OIS sensor helps deliver up to three times longer exposure compared to the iPhone 6s, and that its True Tone flash — an array of four LED lights that adjust to color temperature of the environment — produces up to 50 percent more light than the iPhone 6S.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus’s dual-lens camera system — two 12-megapixel sensors, one with a 56mm “telephoto” lens — enables unique effects, too. Both have optical image stabilization up to two times and Portrait mode, which applies a depth-of-field effect that blurs out the background and sharpens the foreground subject.

“[Portrait] mode, known as ‘bokeh’ and previously only capable on DSLR cameras, turns the camera you carry around with you everyday into an even more powerful photography tool,” an Apple spokesperson said.

It’s not the first time Apple’s honed in on the iPhone’s camera features. Its most recent “Shot on iPhone” campaign, which went live in 25 countries in early 2017, put a spotlight on nighttime shots from photographers around the world. Jennifer Benni, one of the featured artists, said that the iPhone’s photos “blur the line” between phone photography and photography shot on higher-end cameras.

There’s real merit to Apple’s claims. In September 2016, camera authority DxOMark called the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7s’s cameras “Apple’s best yet.” It praised their brighter f/1.8 lenses (compared to the f/2.2 of the 6S and 6S Plus), “vivid and pleasant” color capture, and “good stabilization.”

The goal of Apple’s new website, it would seem, is to help people put it to great use.

High-end laptop Shootout: Microsoft Surface Laptop vs. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch

Microsoft introduced its first traditional notebook at a recent educational event, rounding out its Surface line of hardware. While the apt-titled Surface Laptop is ostensibly directed toward the education market and runs the limited Windows 10 S, it’s priced and equipped to compete with high-end notebooks. In fact, the Surface Laptop aims to compete with the MacBook Pro, and Microsoft went so far as to highlight the laptop’s alleged battery life and performance advantages over Apple’s flagship.

However, does the Surface Laptop bring something new to the traditional notebook market, or does Apple’s venerable MacBook Pro 13 manage to teach Microsoft’s latest machine a thing or two? Read on to find out which high-end notebook is worthy of your hard-earned cash.

Specifications compared

Surface Laptop

MacBook Pro 13 (with Touch Bar)

Dimensions
 12.13 x 8.79 x 0.57 (in)
11.97 x 8.36 x 0.59 (in)
Weight
 2.76 pounds
3.02 pounds
Processor
7th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7
6th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7
RAM
 4, 8, or 16GB RAM
8 or 16GB RAM
Display
 13.5-inch IPS PixelSense display
13.3-inch IPS display
Resolution
 2,256 x 1,504
2,560 x 1,600
Storage
 128GB, 256GB, 512GB SSD, 1TB (coming)
256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD
Touch
10-point touchscreen
Touch Bar
Ports
 USB Type-A 3.0, mini-DisplayPort, SurfaceConnect, 3.5mm headset
4 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge; 3.5mm headset
Webcam
 720p HD with infrared camera for Windows Hello support
720p FaceTime HD
Operating System
Windows 10 S (upgradable to Windows 10 Pro)
MacOS Sierra
Battery
 TBA
49.2-watt-hour battery
Price
$999+ 
$1,799+
Review
Hands-on impressions
3 out of 5 stars

Tried-and-true design takes on something new

When Apple updated the MacBook Pro line in late 2016, it opted for the same aluminum chassis and reiterated the same elegant, understated design that has adorned its lineup for a few generations. The new MacBook Pro looks a lot like the old MacBook Pro, with a chassis that’s considerably thinner and a display that’s framed by smaller bezels. As always, the MacBook Pro looks good in just about any environment, and Apple had no good reason to change things all that much.

Microsoft was designing something new, however, and it went in the opposite direction in creating the Surface Laptop design. First, the Surface Laptop utilizes a wedge shape that tapers from really thin at the rear to even thinner at the front. The hinge is also hidden to keep things streamlined, and the use of the same Alcantara fabric that covers some other Microsoft Surface keyboards both maintains the brand’s familiarity and promises a soft-touch feel when typing.

In addition, Microsoft is offering the Surface Laptop in four colors — platinum, burgundy, cobalt, and gold. The machine is made of machined aluminum, which is a departure from the magnesium alloy that Microsoft used to fashion its other Surface products.

It’s hard to fault either design. Both machines are thin, light, comfortable to hold, and crafted with some serious attention to detail. We think Microsoft has offered enough personality, though, that it deserves some credit — the Surface Laptop is a unique design that manages to stand out without putting off, and that’s a fine line to walk.

Winner: Surface Laptop

Both are easy enough to carry around, and should last a while

The Pro 13 is a light machine at just over three pounds, and it’s also quite thin at 0.59-inches thick. Like many modern notebooks, the overall chassis size was minimized thanks to the thin bezel that frames the display. Needless to say, it’s a comfortable machine to carry around.

At the same time, Apple decreased the battery capacity with the revised Pro line in its quest to decrease thickness. The Touch Bar version has the smallest battery in the current Pro lineup (49.2 watt-hours), but it still managed to squeeze out 10 hours and 17 minutes in our battery tests.

As previously mentioned, the Surface Laptop is a wedge, starting at 0.57-inches thick at the rear and tapering to 0.39-inches thick at the front. It’s very light at 2.76 pounds. Because its display uses Microsoft’s unusual, 3:2 aspect ratio, the Surface Laptop’s dimensions are a litter wider and taller than those of the MacBook Pro.

Microsoft promises 14.5 hours of battery life on the Surface Laptop, though the company has yet to publish the device’s official battery capacity. Given that Microsoft’s video testing showed the Pro as offering around the same 10 hours as our own test, we’re comfortable assuming that we can trust its Surface Laptop estimates.

Going by these numbers, the Surface Laptop promises superior battery life, at least while watching video. It’s also thinner and lighter than the Pro, though it is a bit wider and taller. In terms of portability, then, Microsoft’s first notebook is the preferable machine to carry around.

Winner: Surface Laptop

The pen (and touchscreen) is mightier than the Touch Bar

Apple focused its user interface innovation on the Pro’s keyboard, eschewing a full touchscreen in favor of an OLED strip that runs along the top of the keyboard where the physical function keys used to be. Called the Touch Bar, this new feature has generated some support among developers, and has gone on to become a useful addition in a variety of circumstances (despite our personal reservations).

The MacBook Pro also sports a massive touchpad that utilizes the company’s faux-click Force Touch technology. Some people love it, some not so much. At the same time, making the machine so thin meant squeezing in the second-gen of Apple’s butterfly keyboard, which has extremely shallow key travel and a very specific feel. Again, some people love it, and some hate it.

The Surface Laptop, of course, utilizes Microsoft’s well-conceived touchscreen technology with 10-point multitouch support. It also offers full support for the Surface Pen, and for the innovative Surface Dial that Microsoft debuted alongside the Surface Studio last year. Apple’s Touch Bar is nice, but a touchscreen display, active pen, and the Surface Dial allow for more power and flexibility. Note, though, that the Pen and Dial are not standard.

In terms of the keyboard, Microsoft utilized a variant of the mechanism used in its various Type Cover keyboards, which offers 1.5-millimeter travel, and a mechanism that Microsoft promises is comfortable for long-term use. According to early impressions, the Surface Laptop’s keyboard is also somewhat hit or miss depending on the user, but it’s likely nowhere as polarizing as Apple’s newest keyboard. The decently-sized touchpad with Precision Touchpad support seems more conventionally useful, and that might be a net benefit in this case.

Winner: Surface Laptop

Only the slightest performance advantage (on paper)

The Pro 13 is built around sixth-gen Intel Core processors, and relies exclusively on Intel Iris integrated graphics. RAM can be bumped up to 16GB, and up to a 2TB PCIe SSD can be configured.

The Surface Laptop, on the other hand, utilizes seventh-gen Intel Core processors, and offers a choice between standard Intel HD graphics and the slightly improved integrated Intel Iris Plus GPU. Up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB PCIe SSD can be selected, though a 1TB model will be available down the line.

In other words, both machines are powered by very similar components. We haven’t yet run benchmarks on the Surface Laptop, but Intel’s seventh-gen Core processors offer a 15-percent performance improvement out of the box. For this reason alone, it’s likely that loading up with newer components gives the Surface Laptop a slight advantage.

Winner: Surface Laptop

When it comes to connectivity, the future outweighs the past

Apple drew some criticism for dropping any semblance of legacy support and equipping its new MacBook Pro machines with only the new USB Type-C connection. The Pro 13 with Touch Bar includes four of these futuristic ports with full Thunderbolt 3 support, meaning that although you’ll need dongles to connect your legacy devices, you’ll still be able to connect quite a few of them.

Microsoft went in a different and, dare we say, somewhat archaic direction with the Surface Laptop. It’s not only lacking in connectivity, with only three total inputs, but they’re decidedly old-school. There’s a single USB Type-A port, a DisplayPort, and Microsoft’s proprietary Surface port for charging or connecting a dock.

While the use of USB Type-A provides some legacy support, it’s only one port, and it’s slower than USB Type-C / Thunderbolt 3. The DisplayPort is nice, but if you want to connect via HDMI, then you’ll need an adapter anyways.

Both machines offer modern Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, along with 3.5-millimeter headphone jacks. Those are pretty standard fare today, however.

We prefer to see a mix of legacy and future support in terms of connectivity, and so we’ve dinged the newest Pro in comparison to machines such as HP’s Spectre x360 15, which manages both USB Type-A and USB Type-C connectivity. However, we have to give Apple the nod in this particular case.

The Surface Laptop is almost comically under-equipped in terms of connectivity, and it’s hard to imagine why Microsoft wouldn’t equip even a single USB Type-C port. We just don’t understand Microsoft’s decision here.

Winner: MacBook Pro 13

Two excellent screens, no real advantage

Apple equipped the Pro 13 with what’s widely characterized as one of the best displays you can buy in a notebook today. It’s extremely bright, with excellent color quality, accuracy, and strong contrast. It’s a 13.3-inch display with 2,560 x 1,600-pixel resolution and 227 pixels per inch.

The display on the Surface Laptop still needs to undergo independent testing, but if Microsoft’s other Surface displays are any indication, then this one is likely to be excellent as well. It’s a 13.5-inch display that uses Microsoft’s PixelSense technology for accurate touch and pen input, and it runs at 2,256 x 1,504-pixel resolution, or 201 pixels per inch. Because it utilizes the usual Surface 3:2 aspect ratio that’s a bit taller and squarish than most widescreen displays, it’s great for productivity. Nonetheless, it does have some letter boxing when watching video.

Both machines offer excellent displays, although we’ll need to wait for final colorimeter testing to see just how good the Surface Laptop panel really looks. It’s hard to call a winner here because, while the Surface Laptop offers a slightly larger display, it’s also a bit less sharp. We’re going to go ahead and call this one a tie, and say that regardless of which of these machines you pick up, you’re going to love the display quality.

Winner: Tie

Price and Availability

Simply stated, the Pro 13 is an expensive machine. The Touch Bar version starts at $1,799, and comes with a 2.9GHz Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD. This goes all the way up to $2,899, which nets you a 3.3GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Needless to say, that’s one expensive notebook.

Microsoft, however, priced the Surface Laptop to be marginally more competitive at the low end and then ramping up from there. With an Intel Core i5-7200U processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD, the Surface Laptop costs $999. The current high-end machine is configured with an Intel Core i7-7500U processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, and costs $2,199.

That means that when similarly equipped with a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, the Pro 13 is $2,499 whereas the Surface Laptop runs $2,199. Microsoft priced its new notebook at the high end, but Apple still carves out a special place for itself.

The Surface Laptop will ship in June, whereas the Pro 13 is available today. Nevertheless, Microsoft maintains a small advantage in pricing, which is faint praise given how the generally stratospheric pricing strategies that both companies have employed.

It’s worth noting that the Surface Laptop ships with Windows 10 S installed, which along with some other limitations, means you won’t be able to install applications from outside of the Windows Store. From now until December 31, Surface Laptop owners can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for free, and after that, it will cost $49. That’s not enough to sway our decision, but we find it an interesting decision on Microsoft’s part.

Winner: Surface Laptop

Conclusion

Both the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar and the Surface Laptop represent their respective company’s best effort at producing the perfect notebook. They’re both thin and lightweight machines with superior designs and build quality, and they both enjoy an attention to detail that’s otherwise unmatched in the PC industry.

At the same time, they represent different philosophies. Microsoft went with a modern, fresh, and somewhat unusual approach, particularly in regards to the keyboard. Apple, on the other hand, took something that’s tried-and-true and made it thinner, while still managing to stock it with the company’s most up-to-date technology. Which approach is better comes down to personal preference, and to one’s tolerance for standing out in the crowd.

In the final analysis, both the MacBook Pro and the Surface Laptop are excellent machines that also command high-end prices. Regardless of which you select, you’re going to spend a pretty penny. We might change our opinion once we’ve had a chance to review the Surface Laptop in full, but for now, we give the overall win to the newest addition of the Surface lineup.

Winner: Surface Laptop

Just can’t resist the urge to peek at Facebook? Here’s how to block it, or any other website

We’ve all been there. You’re sitting at your desk at work, fiddling with some spreadsheets or documents online when you get a sudden urge to take a peek at Facebook. A harmless mistake, sure, but you’re not feeling so productive once an hour rolls by and you’ve gotten absolutely nothing done. And what about those kids of yours? Staying up all night perusing Facebook, YouTube, and god knows what else certainly isn’t conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Fear not, though! There are plenty of ways to block access to certain time-consuming or explicit websites, whether you want to restrict access altogether or only during specified hours of the day. Here’s how.

Altering host files

Block using Windows hosts file

Blocking specific websites in Windows is child’s play — and usually childproof. It’s completely free, doesn’t require any additional software, and just takes a few quick alterations to the Windows hosts file on your computer. The hosts file, a plain text file your operating system utilizes for mapping IP addresses and hostnames, can be used to redirect a domain name back to the local computer, essentially blocking the desired website. It’s a simple process and a great way to restrict users from seeing content you don’t want them to see, regardless the browser and the time of day. Keep in mind, however, that you must have administrator privileges in order to change the file, and you can always undo the change if need be.

Disclaimer: Altering your computer’s hosts file to block a website can be a little technical. Avoid doing so unless you feel comfortable making the modifications and taking the risk.

Step 1: Enter “C:WindowsSystem32driversetc” in the Windows search bar, or navigate to the folder by clicking your way through Windows Explorer.

Step 2: Double-click hosts and select Notepad when prompted to choose a program to open the file with. Alternatively, you can launch Notepad and navigate to the host file by choosing File > Open, and locating the C:WindowsSystem32driversetc folder in your computer’s directory.

Step 3: In Notepad, you will see several lines of text used for mapping purposes. Underneath the last line of text — it should say something regarding a local host — enter “127.0.0.1” and press the spacebar. Next, type the IP address of the website you want to block on the same line. For example, type “127.0.0.1 http://www.youtube.com” to block all traffic from the popular video-sharing site.

Continue to add websites you wish to block in this manner, each beginning with”127.0.0.1.” followed by a space and the appropriate website. Make sure to only use “www” and avoid adding “http,” unless you want to render the entry invalid, and do not alter any other text in the hosts file.

Once you’ve added the sites you want to block, click the File option in the upper-left corner, choose Save — do not change the name or save location — and ignore any warnings regarding editing the hosts file. Then, close Notepad when finished.

Now, open your favorite browser and test the results! You should automatically get a blank page whenever you attempt to access any of the sites on your blocked list. You may have to restart your browser and wait several minutes for the changes to take effect.

Using MacOS hosts file

Blocking websites using MacOS works in a similar fashion to blocking them using Windows. The process is free, relatively quick, and requires altering your Mac’s hosts file to redirect a specified domain name. It’s a simple process that will prevent users from seeing content you deem block-worthy across browsers, but one that can be reversed if you want to grant access to the sites in the future.

Disclaimer: Altering your computer’s hosts file to block a website can be a little technical. Avoid doing so unless you feel comfortable making the modifications and taking the risk.

Launch Terminal by accessing the main applications folder, clicking Utilities, and selecting the program from the resulting list. You can also do so by searching for the program in Spotlight.

Now it’s time to make a copy of the hosts file just in case something goes awry. Type “sudo /bin/cp /etc/hosts /etc/hosts-original” on the Terminal command line to make a backup of the file in question. Afterward, hit Enter and type in your administrative password when prompted. It may appear as though the keystrokes aren’t being registered properly — i.e., your cursor won’t move — but rest assured that they are.

Next, type “sudo nano /etc/hosts” and hit Enter on the Terminal command line to open up your hosts file in a nano box. Then, enter your administrative password when prompted.

Once the hosts file is opened, you will see several lines of text used for mapping purposes. Underneath the last line of text — it should say something regarding a local host — enter “127.0.0.1” and press the spacebar. Next, type the IP address of the website you want to block on the same line. For example, type “127.0.0.1 http://www.youtube.com” to block all traffic from the popular video-sharing site.

Continue to add websites you wish to block in this manner, each beginning with “127.0.0.1.” followed by a space and the appropriate website. Make sure to only use “www” and avoid adding “http”, unless you want to render the entry invalid, and do not alter any other text in the hosts file.

When finished, hold down the Control key and press “O” to save the changes. Then, hold down the Control key and press “X” to exit the hosts file.

Next, type “sudo dscacheutil -flushcache” and press Enter to flush your existing cache and put the changes into effect. Alternatively, you can restart your computer.

Once you’re back up and running, open your favorite browser and test the results! You should automatically get a blank page whenever you attempt to access any of the sites on your blocked list.

Twitter’s NFL show is a consolation for losing games to Amazon

During the 2016 NFL season, Twitter streamed the league’s slate of Thursday Night Football matchups. The 2017 season will be a lot different for the social network as it lost those weekly livestreams to Amazon last month. Twitter won’t miss out completely though, and its users can expect a daily dose of pro football coverage when the new season kicks off this fall.

The NFL announced today that it would team up with Twitter for a range of video content, including livestreams. First, the league will produce a 30-minute live show that will air on the social network five days a week during the 2017 season. As you might expect, it will feature NFL Network hosts running down the latest news, highlights, fantasy info and more. The NFL will also provide fans with pre-game coverage on Periscope for “each of its prime time game windows, as well as other key match-ups” throughout the season.

While a relationship between Twitter and the NFL already existed, it’s not the only pro sports league streaming live shows on the social channel. Last week, Twitter announced a full slate of live video that will debut in the coming months, including similar live sports analysis from Major League Baseball, WNBA game streams, PGA Tour coverage and more. That’s on top of 24/7 news from Bloomberg, a morning show from BuzzFeed and live concerts. So if you enjoyed those Thursday evening broadcasts, the NFL will still give you live TV on Twitter, it’s just going to look a lot different this year.

Source: NFL

Watch Microsoft’s Build Day 2 keynote in under 7 minutes

While yesterday’s Build keynote was almost purely developer focused, today’s presentation fest dove deeper into Microsoft’s consumer offerings. We learned about the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the next big upgrade for the OS that’ll bring in a slew of features connected to the Microsoft Graph. The key takeaway? They should make it even easier for you to work across Windows, iOS and Android hardware. We also got a brief glimpse at Microsoft’s new style paradigm, Fluent Design System, which makes it simpler for developers to build apps that work across new types of devices (while packing in some new visual flourishes).

The biggest surprise of the day: iTunes is coming to the Windows Store. It’s the first Apple app to make its way to Microsoft’s storefront, and it could be a sign that other major apps will follow. We also got our first glimpse at Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Controllers, which will accompany its new MR headsets this fall.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Microsoft’s Build 2017.

Valve brings 360-degree videos to Steam VR

While it’s not quite as immersive as a full virtual reality experience, 360-degree videos and photos are becoming more common (especially on Facebook and YouTube), and now Valve has released a Steam 360 Video Player. It uses adaptive streaming from a company called Pixvana, which should enable playback with just one click on your Rift or Vive headset. According to the FAQ, even if you don’t have a headset, it will soon support playback on the desktop with control and navigation by mouse.

Currently, playback requires users to run Windows 10 64-bit, with a minimum NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 GPU. To play 4K x 4K stereo video, you’ll need to bring at least a GTX 1070. Steam’s marketplace is offering a few sample videos to try out, including the recently released Alien Covenant in Utero.

Source: Steam

Apple Launches New Website and Videos Featuring iPhone 7 Photography Tutorials

Apple today launched a new iPhone 7 video series entitled “How to Shoot on iPhone 7,” featuring a range of tutorial videos that it’s uploaded both to a new website and to its YouTube channel.

There are five videos on YouTube, which are designed to teach iPhone 7 and 7 Plus owners how to use the camera on their devices to capture various types of photos, including panoramas, portraits, action shorts, and more.

Each video is approximately 40 seconds in length and features a clear step-by-step tutorial on how to use each feature directly on the iPhone. For the Portrait Mode video, for example, step 1 is swiping over to Portrait Mode, while Step 2 is looking for the depth effect tag before taking the shot.

All of the videos are super simple and are going to be most useful for people who don’t often use the camera or who haven’t invested a lot of time in learning the features. Each video is just one or two steps, covering readily available photo features. The most complicated video, for example, covers taking a vertical panorama.

Apple’s “How to Shoot on iPhone 7” website has a much wider range of videos, all of which might eventually be uploaded to YouTube.

The videos on Apple’s website are more specific and could be useful even to those who are familiar with the iPhone camera, as they contain tips like shooting at the golden hour for the best light, shooting a backlit subject, capturing a group portrait, shooting with street light, capturing a unique angle, and many more.

Tag: Apple ads
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DOJ code-breaking project found unencrypted on the internet

Encryption is the key to our digital privacy. It keeps eavesdroppers from reading your private conversations and checking out which sites you’re visiting. It’s important enough that iOS and Android will encrypt your entire device just in case it falls into the wrong hands.

But the mass adoption of encryption has also become a thorn in the side of law enforcement and other government agencies. So their reaction has been to develop methods to either crack or circumvent encryption. A good reminder of that strategy was found in a code-breaking project that was accidentally exposed to the open internet. Ironically, the file that were stored on a backup drive connected to an NYU server weren’t encrypted.

The Intercept reports a joint project of IBM, NYU and the department of defense called “WindsorGreen” was found by a security researcher looking for open devices on the internet. The program details a system rife with the kind of complex math needed to take down encryption and brute-force passwords. The code-breaking project seems to have been in development between 2005 and 2012 with a suggestion within the documents that it would not be ready until 2014.

While the documents describes an incredibly powerful code-breaking project, according to what hacker and computer researcher Andrew “Bunnie” Huang told The Intercept, if you’re using the latest encryption, you don’t have anything to worry about. “Even if [WindsorGreen] gave a 100x advantage in cracking strength, it’s a pittance compared to the additional strength conferred by going from say, 1024-bit RSA to 4096-bit RSA or going from SHA-1 to SHA-256.”

At least when it comes to this venture. Who knows what’s currently being developed?

The story is an interesting read and a cautionary tale about being extra diligent when setting up your network and remembering to encrypt everything. And be doubly sure to encrypt your potentially top secret files about cracking encryption.

Source: The Intercept