Google is abandoning Nik Collection now that Photos is done with it

“There are no plans to update or add new features.”

The folks at PetaPixel noticed a new banner over the Nik Collection site recently, explaining Google will continue offering the popular software suite it acquired back in 2012, but it would no longer be updated. Google got a lot of positive attention for buying Nik and making the $150 professional photo editing software free, but the real reason behind the purchase was to improve the editing features of Google Photos and Snapseed.

This move obviously doesn’t make any huge difference to most Android users, who have been benefiting from Nik software for the last couple of years, but it does make Google’s priorities even more clear. Image quality from the crazy good sensor on the Pixel and quick, simple edits through Photos and Snapseed are going to continue to be a huge focus. That’s great news for anyone eager to see image quality on phones continue to improve, but maybe not the best news for people hoping Google cared about more than just phones.

Android O is coming to OnePlus 3 and 3T

Last year’s phones are being updated to this year’s OS.

Friendly neighborhood CEO Pete Lau has confirmed via Twitter that your OnePlus 3 and 3T will be updated to Android O. This announcement doesn’t include a timeframe, which makes sense since Android O itself doesn’t have a hard launch date, but at some point in the future this update will come.

A lot of you have been asking, so I’m proud to say Android O will come to OnePlus 3 and 3T.

— Pete Lau (@petelau2007) May 31, 2017

While this announcement seems a little on the obvious side, it’s important to remember OnePlus has a shaky history when it comes to delivering timely updates for its phones. The OnePlus 2 never got an update to Android N, and the OnePlus X eventually started seeing support from third-party maintainers. For several reasons, OnePlus 3 hasn’t had these problems and is widely considered a quality turning point for the company in general.

Still, it’s good to know that hype for the upcoming OnePlus 5 hasn’t done anything to dampen support for the current OnePlus phones. Now all everyone has to do is wait, and we’re all really good at that, right?

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums

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Build your own video games forever with this lifetime membership to the School of Game Design

The popularity of video games continues to grow, and the industry surrounding our favorite past-time keeps getting more and more lucrative. Despite the enormous list of games available across so many platforms, the next big hit is still waiting to be discovered.

Stay current with video game design with this lifetime membership! Learn more

Have you always been interested in video games? Why not create your own? If this thought has already crossed your mind, Android Central Digital Offers has a deal for you.

The School of Game Design is home to over 75,000 students who are passionate enough about video games to want to create their own. This industry moves fast, so signing up for a few courses simply won’t do. Instead, we’re offering right now a lifetime membership to the School of Game Design for only $69. That’s 98% off the regular price of $5,990.

Not only will you have access to over 120 hours of video training, you can also reach out and receive support from instructors who are embedded in the industry. Here you’ll learn how to create 2D and 3D games that can be published anywhere.

Get a lifetime membership to School of Game Design for only $69! Learn more

If you’ve been thinking about breaking into the world of video game design, the time is now. A lifetime membership to the School of Game Design will turn you into a pro in no time, and you’ll always be up to date with the current trends and practices. Don’t wait too long; this deal doesn’t last forever.

Common LG G6 problems and how to fix them

Having issues with your LG G6? We’re here to help.

The LG G6 is a solid phone, and LG has regularly used the word “reliable” to describe its construction. But no phone is entirely immune to issues once people load it up with apps and data — and you may be running into issues with yours. Fear not! No matter the issue you’re having, there’s a good chance you aren’t alone and there are ways to fix it.

Here are some tips to help solve some of the most common LG G6 problems.

Bad battery life

Most people will be totally fine with the 3300mAh battery in the LG G6, but if someone offers you more you’d take it. If your battery isn’t holding up, try these tips:

• Battery saver mode can help you get the most out of your battery — you can turn it on at any time from the settings, or you can set it to come on automatically at 15% or 5% battery. When enabled, battery saver mode will reduce brightness and vibration, and limit apps from running in the background.
• Sometimes it’s simply an app or two running unnecessarily in the background that’s draining your battery. To check for battery-draining apps, head into the settings, then “battery & power saving” and tap on “battery usage” to see if any apps are using a considerable amount without reason. You’ll want to uninstall any apps that are using a lot of battery when you’re not actually using them.
• Along those same lines, you should uninstall unused apps that may be running without your knowledge. If you have unused apps the G6 should be “optimizing” them to not run in the background, but the best way to guarantee that is to uninstall them.
• It looks great, but you can turn off Always-on display to save a notable amount of battery over the course of the day. You can turn it on or off from the display settings, or you can choose to do a “daily timeout” and have always-on display only turn on for a specified period of the day which may work as a nice middle ground.

More: How to fix LG G6 battery life problems

Running out of storage

While some areas of the world get an LG G6 with 64GB of storage, if you have a model with just 32GB you may be feeling the squeeze a bit once you have your usual set of apps and media loaded on your phone.

• The quickest way to fix storage woes is to get an SD card. There are lots of great SD cards out there to strike whatever balance you need between capacity, speed and price. Pop it in your LG G6 and start to use it for files like photos, videos and music — just remember you won’t be able to move most apps to the SD card.
• Offload photos to a cloud management service like Google Photos. Google Photos offers unlimited high-quality backup of your photos (or you can pay to upload full-quality images), and once they’re uploaded you can safely delete local copies if you need to save space. It’s always a good idea to back them up somewhere else, too, though!
• Delete unused apps. Chances are you have a dozen or more apps that you installed thinking you’d use them one day and never do. Big culprits can be games, which can be gigabytes in size each. Remember, you can always download them from Google Play again if you decide you want them back.

Home screen launcher isn’t right for you

We would say that LG’s home screen launcher is an acquired taste. If you don’t like what your LG G6’s home screen looks like right out of the box, there are a couple things you can do to tweak it.

• Turn on the app drawer by long-pressing on your home screen and tapping on “home screen settings” — tap on “select home” and choose “home & app drawer.” This will switch the home screen to a more typical layout that puts all of your apps in an app drawer and lets you choose what’s on the screens themselves.
• If you don’t find it useful, turn off Smart Bulletin on the launcher. This is the leftmost home screen that gives you questionably useful information from your calendar and accounts, along with lots of fluff from LG. Swipe over to Smart Bulletin, tap the gear icon in the top-right corner and tap the toggle to turn it off.
• Maybe you don’t like the odd frames that LG puts on every icon — you can turn off the icon frames. Head into the phone’s settings, then “home screen” and tap on “icon shape” to change this. Unless you have some strong affinity for squircles, chances are you’ll prefer the “original” setting where icons can just be whatever the app itself decided they should be.
• If these tips don’t help, you can consider a new launcher altogether. There are dozens of great launchers in the Google Play Store, and if you give a few a try you may find one that has the features and design that you like. Most of them are very customizable so you can find exactly the look you desire. Need help finding one? We’ve got you covered!

Read: The best Android launchers

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS problems

Issues with wireless radios on your phone can be some of the most frustrating, but also tough to diagnose, problems. There are so many variables at play here that your issues may not be related to the phone itself — but if you’re having trouble these tips may be able to help.

Make sure you turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, wait a few seconds and turn it back on. If that doesn’t fix the problem, head to the next step.
Restart your phone. Sometimes all that’s needed a quick kick to the reset button and you’re good to go.
If Wi-Fi problems persist, try forgetting the network by long pressing on the network name and tapping Forget network. Then tap the network again to re-enter the password and re-connect.
If Bluetooth problems persist, try unpairing the device from your phone and re-pairing. To do that, tap on the cog icon next to the product’s name and hit Unpair. Put the device you’re connecting to in pairing mode and connect again.
If you’re worried you may have tweaked settings inadvertently and want to start over, go to Backup & reset, Network settings reset and then tap Reset settings to start fresh

If the problems persist at this point, chances are they are related to something else in the chain, like the wireless router or Bluetooth accessory you’re trying to use. Follow troubleshooting steps for those devices and start fresh.

How to factory reset the LG G6

Sometimes an issue — or confluence of several issues — just can’t be solved, and the only solution is to factory reset your phone and start over. It’s annoying to go through that, but sometimes it’s your only hope. Back up any data you want to save, then follow these steps:

Open your phone’s Settings.
Scroll down to Backup & reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Tap Reset phone.
Enter your PIN/pattern/password and confirm.

When your phone restarts, it will be as if you just took it out of the box for the first time. Start fresh, be judicious about the apps you install and see if you can remedy your issues.

Other issues

What are your main issues with the LG G6? We’ll keep this article updated as new information becomes available, and you can also find help in our forums!

LG G6

• LG G6 review!
• LG G6 specs
• LG G6 vs. Google Pixel: The two best cameras right now
• Everything you need to know about the G6’s cameras
• LG forums

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Best Case-friendly Screen Protectors for Samsung Galaxy S8

Which screen protectors work best with cases for Galaxy S8?

Update May 31: The Whitestone Dome Glass is once again available on Amazon. Check it out!

To protect or not to protect? That is the question many of us are asking as we debate whether or not to buy screen protectors and cases for the beautifully designed Samsung Galaxy S8

In the forums, there’s been a pretty great discussion on the merits of using a screen protector at all on the Galaxy S8. Some folks swear that improvements to Gorilla Glass over the years have made screen protectors obsolete and question why anyone would want to possibly affect the clarity or touch sensitivity of the GS8’s beautiful display.

On the other hand, a number of people have had screen protectors take the brunt of drops or scratches, while keeping their phone’s screen safe from harm and point out that a purse or something in your pocket (or even those little rivets just outside the front pockets on a pair of jeans) can cause damage seemingly out of nowhere. Fact is, as tough as Gorilla Glass has become, it is always possible for it to get scratched or broken.

No matter where you fall on the debate, the fact is that it’s hard to find a screen protector — especially one made of tempered glass — that accommodates the curved screen of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ and also lets you use the case of your choosing. Here are a couple options pulled from the forums that seem really promising.

• Armorsuit MilitaryShield Galaxy S8 Screen Protector
• Yootech Galaxy S8 Wet Applied Screen Protector
• Whitestone Dome Glass

Armorsuit MilitaryShield Galaxy S8 Screen Protector

Made with a durable military-grade film, the Armorsuit MilitaryShield is a thin screen protector that offers edge-to-edge protection. It requires a wet installation, with all the required tools and wipes included in the box. Armorsuit claims that this protector is virtually scratch-proof, with self-healing technology that will help eliminate any minor scratches from keys or pocket sand.

As with most wet install screen protectors, you need to let this thing sit and dry for a good long time (up to 12 hours) to ensure proper adhesion and get a nice clean fit. Attempt to put on a case too soon and you’ll have issues around the edges.

This was recommended by PJRed2008 in the forums, who admittedly had issues with their first screen protector and had to get new ones sent out made from an updated template. Since receiving the replacement, they’ve had no issues. If you ever have an issue with it, you’ll want to follow suit and contact Armorsuit’s customer service to take advantage of that lifetime replacement warranty.

See at Amazon

Yootech Galaxy S8 Wet Applied Screen Protector

If you’re not down to deal with applying a curved glass screen protector on the Galaxy S8, this ultra-thin PET film screen protector from Yootech is a great option. It’s a wet-install protector and comes with everything you’ll need to clean and prep your phone for a proper installation the first time.

This screen protector is only .15mm thick and offers 95% transparency to keep that beautiful display in full view. Yootech also sells these in two-packs, so if you mess up your first attempt at installing, you’ve got another shot. If you keep having problems, Yootech offers a lifetime, no-hassle warranty.

Some things to note if you’ve never done a wet install before: You’ll need to let things settle and dry for up to 12 hours for the screen protector to properly set and for any bubbles to leave. If you try to put a case on it before it has set, you may get those ugly lifted edges, so you’re best bet is to do the installation in a clean room right before bed, then your phone should be ready by the next morning. If you notice the edge lifting off, you can reapply the spray and let it rest for another 12 hours. Otherwise, you may need to try again from scratch.

See at Amazon

Whitestone Dome Glass

The Whitestone Dome Glass screen protector was another option that was getting people talking in the forums. The big selling feature for this wet install screen protector is its unique curing process, which uses UV light.

It’s proven to be so popular that was out of stock on Amazon all month — but it’s finally back in stock and available for a whopping $45. Why is it so expensive? Well, check out this review and installation guide to get an idea of how this tempered glass screen protector uniquely adheres like no other screen protector you’ve seen before. If the worst case scenario has already occurred and your screen is cracked, think of this as a second chance screen before dropping hundreds of dollars on a proper replacement screen. With a UV light packaged to complete the curing process, this is a pricier option than other screen protectors out there, but based on video review and reviews on Amazon it’s an early favorite. I guess time will tell how well the Whitestone Dome Glass holds up in real-life use.

See at Amazon

Where do you land on the screen protector debate?

Are screen protectors and cases a must buy for any new phone you own or do you prefer the naked look and feel? Have you had hands-on experience with a screen protector that others should know about? Let us know in the comments!

Essential Phone vs Google Pixel XL vs Pixel: What’s the difference?

Andy Rubin, one of the original creators of Android, is back with a bang. The Essential Phone looks to give you as much as possible from a device without bogging you down with technology that gets in the way.

It’s minimalist, durable and has an amazing looking screen. But how does it compare to the current crop of purist Android phones? Let’s find out. 

Essential Phone vs Google Pixel XL vs Pixel: Design

• Essential Phone is the smallest
• Pixel and Pixel XL are lighter
• All three have USB Type-C

One of the Essential Phone’s biggest attractions is its build materials. Its frame is built from titanium, which is stronger and more durable than aluminium, and its ceramic back is built to outlast the usual glass or metal coverings. Essential is so confident in this fact, that it won’t even design or release a case for it. Its front is covered in the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 5. 

It’s a striking looking phone, given that it is almost completely bezel-free. The screen fills the entire front of the phone, apart from the cutout for the front facing camera near the top, and the slim “chin” near the bottom of the phone. It measures in at 141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8mm, and weighs a fairly substantial 183g. 

Both the Pixel and Pixel XL feature the same combination of metal and glass, with the former material taking up around two thirds of the back. There is an iconic glass panel at the top of the back panel, with fairly large bezels surrounding the screen on the front. 

Although the look of the two Pixel phones is the same, they obviously differ in size. The regular model measures 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.5mm and weighs 143g, while the Pixel XL is a more hefty 154.7 x 75.7 x 8.5mm, weighing 168g. 

All three phones have very minimal camera and fingerprint sensor designs, with the sensors sitting right beneath the surface, rather than protruding out of the back. Where the Essential Phone differs is that there are a couple of magnetic pins on the back for where you can attach modules like the charging base or 360-degree camera. 

And while the Pixel phone’s “G” logo on the back is among the most minimal of any branding we’ve seen, the Essential Phone takes it one step further. There’s no brand name or logo on it anywhere. 

Of the three phones, the Essential Phone is the slimmest and shortest, which is all the more impressive considering its screen is bigger than both the Pixel XL and Pixel. It is slightly wider than the smaller Pixel, but only by 1.4mm, which is hardly enough to put anyone off. It is heavier than both the Google-made phones though. 

Essential Phone vs Google Pixel XL vs Pixel: Display

• Essential Phone has largest display
• Both Pixel phones use AMOLED
• Bezel-free LCD panel on Essential Phone

The Essential Phone’s 5.7-inch display is incredibly interesting. It’s almost entirely bezel free and has an unusual 1312 x 2560 resolution, 19:10 resolution screen. That means a pixel density of around 504ppi. It has rounded corners and it’s LCD IPS, which means it should be very accurate, but not as saturated or high contrast as AMOLED screens.  

It’s worth noting the top of the screen has a cutaway for the front facing camera, but you shouldn’t worry about missing anything here, it’s normally reserved for status bar icons/notifications, which can easily fit around it. 

Neither the Pixel’s 5-inch or Pixel XL’s 5.5-inch display measures as big diagonally as the Essential Phone, but the Pixel XL’s 2560 x 1440 resolution means that it is a little sharper. It’s also likely to feature more vivid colours and deeper blacks, thanks to the AMOLED based panel. 

The smaller Pixel has a full HD 1080 x 1920 panel, with a pixel density of 440 ppi, and is protected – like the XL – by Gorilla Glass 4. 

Essential Phone vs Google Pixel XL vs Pixel: Camera

• Essential Phone has a dual rear camera with two 13MP sensors
• All three have 8MP selfie cams

Of the three phones, the Essential Phone is the only one to feature a dual camera system. Similar to Huawei phones, this setup is made up of one colour sensor and one black and white sensor.

Both are 13-megapixel sensors with f/1.9 aperture lenses, and combine to hopefully make lowlight shots much better. You can also use the monochrome sensor to take pure black and white shots. The camera system also has PDAF and laser autofocus. 

Both Pixels has the same 12.3-megapixel sensor, f/2.0 cameras which can produce fantastic results with very little effort. They both also have phase detection and laser autofocus and a dual tone LED flash.  

All three phones have 8-megapixel front facing cameras for selfie takers, although the Essential Phone’s is the only one that can shoot 4K resolution video. 

Essential Phone vs Google Pixel XL vs Pixel: Hardware

• Essential Phone has Snapdragon 835
• Pixel phones use Snapdragon 821
• 4GB RAM in all three

Being a newer device, it’s no surprise to see the Essential Phone playing home to a more advanced processor. Specifically, it’s powered by the Snapdragon 835 chip paired with 4GB RAM and a generous 128GB built-in storage. 

Both Pixel phones use the same internal processing and memory power. That’s to say you’ll find the previous generation Snapdragon 821 chip inside, paired with 4GB RAM and either 32 or 128 GB built-in storage. 

As for battery power, the Essential Phone seemingly has a reduced capacity compared to the larger Pixel. With a 3,040mAh capacity non-removable battery, it’s considerably less capacious than the 3,450mAh Pixel XL battery, but bigger than the 2,770mAh Pixel battery. 

Like the Pixel phones, it’s compatible with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology, so all three phones can top up in speedy fashion. 

• Google Pixel review

Essential Phone vs Google Pixel XL vs Pixel: Software

• Android Nougat on all three
• Pure experiance on all

The software experience on all three phones should be very close to identical. There’s no added bloatware on the Essential Phone and it will run Android when it launches later this year. 

• Android 7.1 Nougat review: Subtle but super-sweet OS update

The only difference might be that the Google Pixel phones will likely be upgraded to Android O when that launches. 

Essential Phone vs Google Pixel XL vs Pixel: Conclusion

From a hardware perspective, there are clear benefits to the Essential Phone. It’s built from a stronger metal, and has a bigger screen than either Pixel built in to a body that’s much smaller overall than either. For those aching for a frame-free phone experience, the Essential Phone looks ideal. 

There are no clear software advantages, but by the time the Essential Phone is actually available in the third quarter of 2017, the next versions of the Google Pixel phones will probably be released. 

Still, with a price of $699 in the States, it’s just about as expensive as a Pixel, but with a huge, breathtaking screen design and 128GB storage, it’s probably worth it. 

When is Android O coming to my phone?

Google releases a new version of Android each year. For 2017, that’s Android O, which doesn’t yet have an official tasty treat-themed name. 

Like last year’s Nougat update, Android O was initially launched as a developer preview before the official unveiling at the opening keynote of the I/O 2017 conference. This is to help developers and manufacturers get products ready in plenty of time for when the software is officially launched later in the year. 

Android O update: Release date

Android O is now available as a public beta for compatible phones, which means the official, final public release is only a few months away. While some phones are more likely than others to be first in line to get the software, most of the current crop of flagship devices should get it at some point. 

• How to get Android O on your phone right now
• Android O: Features, release date and everything you need to know

As it stands, we’re in the very early days of the software support being announced, so be sure to check back over the coming months. We’ll continue to update as more devices are announced and timescales are given. 

Android O update: Pixel/Nexus devices

Google started rolling out Android O as a public beta for some of the more recent Pixel and Nexus devices in May 2017. It’s now available through the Android beta program for the following devices. 

• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL
• Pixel C
• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 6P
• Nexus Player

As mentioned, the full public release of the software is still a few months out. It’s also worth noting that because it’s still in beta form, there are still kinks to iron out and there will be multiple changes between now and when the final version of software is eventually released by Google. 

Android O update: BlackBerry

BlackBerry hasn’t announced which devices will be updated to Android O. The company has now launched four Android phones: Priv, DTEK50, DTEK60 and KeyOne. The last of those runs Android Nougat. 

None of the current crop of phones have been confirmed to be upgrading to Android O. However, we would suspect that the KeyOne (at the very least) will get the new software, but probably not until 2018. 

Android O update: HTC

The squeezy HTC U11 may have only just been released, but the company has already announced that it plans to support both Android O, and the – as yet unannounced – Android P. 

We don’t know about any of the other phones. None have yet been confirmed. However, HTC’s newer phones are normally among the first to get updates, and could even be available before the end of 2017. 

Android O update: Huawei

Huawei hasn’t yet confirmed which phones will get Android O. When the release eventually gets pushed to the manufacturer’s smartphones, it will likely be staggered across regions and models. Some of 2016’s devices are still running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. 

When devices are confirmed, we suspect we won’t see the software until the beginning of 2018. 

Android O update: Honor

Honor is Huawei’s subrand and, similarly, no official confirmation has been made about the maker’s range of smartphones. 

It’s likely that some of the more recent phones currently available will be updated, but we’ll likely have to wait until 2018 for the release. 

Android O update: LG

LG is yet to state its plans in regards to the Android O update. The LG G6 is the newest phone to be released, and comes with Android 7.1.1 Nougat onboard. 

We’ll update with information once LG announces anything, but we suspect we’re looking at the end of 2017/start of 2018 for its newest phones. 

Android O update: Moto

Moto phones have previously been among the earliest devices to get the updates. With Android O, that may be different. Lenovo is yet to announce its Moto update plans, but it could well be November/December 2017 if previous generations are anything to go by.

Android O update: OnePlus

OnePlus has already announced that it will be pushing the Android O update to the OnePlus 3 and 3T, which launched in 2016 and were updated to Android Nougat in the first quarter of 2017. Presumably this means the upcoming OnePlus 5 will also be updated. 

A lot of you have been asking, so I’m proud to say Android O will come to OnePlus 3 and 3T.

— Pete Lau (@petelau2007) May 31, 2017

As with all the other manufacturers, we don’t have a concrete release date. However, if the company follows on from its release schedule last year, it will be pushed to phones in the beginning of 2018. 

Android O update: Samsung

Samsung is keeping its cards close to its chest. Android Nougat has only been rolling out to devices recently, suggesting, it might be the first half of 2018 before we see any current devices getting a software refresh. 

Android O update: Sony Xperia

Sony Mobile is yet to state which of its Xperia phones will get Android O. It’s still early in the development process. We’ll update when we hear more. 

Eve Degree is your HomeKit-ready indoor or outdoor weather station

The Elgato Eve Degree is a versatile smart weather station that’s HomeKit enabled so it will play nice with your Apple devices, bringing a range of indoor or outdoor information.

Taking a minimalist square design with a big central information display, the Eve Degree has an aluminium body and a IPX3 certification, so it’s happy to be mounted outdoors. The device measures 54 x 54 x 15mm and is packed full of sensors so you know what’s happening with the weather.

Offering temperature, pressure and humidity, the Eve Degree will show that information on the LCD display, via Siri or in the HomeKit card, with a Bluetooth connection to talk to your phone. If you have Apple TV four-gen, then Eve Degree will also play its part in your HomeKit smart home, able to trigger actions like turn on a dehumidifier at a particular humidity.

This is a device that’s designed to be seen, rather than being a hidden sensor, and the CR2450 battery should give you over a year of use.

You’ll also be able to go back and look at the data you collect, so you can check out the day, month or year and see how things have been changing.

The Elgato Eve Degree is available to pre-order on Amazon, for a very reasonable £59.95. Shipping is expected from 7 June.

AI is already beating us at our own game

Although modern AI systems still have trouble deciding whether or not to flip that stranded tortoise in their path, they’re already outpacing the intellectual capabilities of their creators in a wide variety of fields. From beating grandmaster Go players to outguessing cardiac surgeons, lipreading to audio transcription, neural networks and machine learning have already surpassed humans — and that list is only going to grow longer.

In fact, SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son told attendees at Mobile World Congress in February that he fully expects computers running AI to exceed human intelligence within three decades. “I really believe this,” he said, joking that soon even a pair of sneakers will possess more computational power than the person wearing them.

“I believe this artificial intelligence is going to be our partner,” Son said. “If we misuse it, it will be a risk. If we use it right, it can be our partner.”

We’re already beginning to see benefits from that partnership, especially across the field of medicine. Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK, for example, recently developed a machine learning algorithm capable of predicting a patient’s propensity for a heart attack or stroke better than American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines.

Similarly, last December a team from the University Hospital of Marburg’s Centre for Undiagnosed and Rare Diseases leveraged IBM’s Watson platform to automate the analysis of its patient data. Not only can the AI rank a patient’s likelihood of having a specific disease as well as human doctors can, it does so in a matter of seconds. It’s even found infection vectors that the humans missed.

Thanks to Watson’s exhaustive patient-intake form that “even asks them about their childhood and what pets they have,” Dr. Tobias Müller, of the Marburg Centre, told New Scientist. “We had one patient with inexplicable gut symptoms who, it turned out, kept an aquarium. He had caught the tropical disease bilharzia from his water snails.”

Of course, humanity’s relationship with AI does have a competitive side too. Well, “competitive” in the broad sense of the word given how often Google’s AphaGo AI has spanked the world’s best human players in recent years. AlphaGo has even been moonlighting online, dominating players across the internet while further developing its game.

Now, if the idea of a machine embarrassing you at ancient Korean boardgames makes you want to kick over the nearest tower of building blocks, you’re also out of luck because Facebook’s already built an AI that’s just as good at that as you are. Granted, it doesn’t have the necessary physical feet to actually do the kicking, but it can predict how those blocks will fall just as well as people can.

And it’s not just competitive winner-take-all sorts of games like Go. Researchers from Brigham Young University managed to train an AI system to play a digitized version of the prisoner’s dilemma. That’s where two players who are “accused” of a crime can receive the lightest sentence of 1 year if they cooperate, 2 years if they both rat on their accomplice or walk free while the other player gets 3 years if only one of them turns.

The Brigham Young algorithm, dubbed S# (S-sharp), quickly learned that cooperation was the key. By the end of the experiment, machine-only teams coordinated their efforts nearly 100 percent of the time while their human counterparts only worked together in about 60 percent of the games.

This AI-ownage carries over to the business world as well. Last May, a reporter for the Financial Times went up against a digital journalist named Emma from AI startup Stealth. Both journalists were given the same UK employment data and tasked with filing a story as quickly as possible. Emma smoked her opponent by completing her assignment in just 12 minutes, compared to the human’s 35. However, speed isn’t everything in the newsroom, and despite being able to include added context such as the effects that Brexit would have on employment, the AI failed to notice the crux of the post, that the number of job seekers had risen over the past year.

But despite that flub, the world’s largest corporations and most prestigious universities are betting big on using AI and machine learning to boost productivity. Microsoft is already developing automatic translation AIs that will convert your PowerPoint presentations into any language in real time. The Seattle-based company also recently made headlines when it debuted a spoken-language translator that outperformed its fleshy counterparts. Chinese tech giant Baidu is similarly integrating AI into its SwiftScribe audio transcription app so that the system can actively learn and improve based on the edits the user makes. Meanwhile, Oxford University has developed a lipreading AI called LipNet (pdf) that is up to 10 times more efficient at the task than your average lipreader.

Google is making even more ambitious inroads into AI development, by training neural networks to design and teach other smaller neural networks. The primary network takes a series of “candidate” networks then trains them using reinforcement training (the same way one trains a dog) to develop and select the most efficient one. “There are important caveats, we do have higher false positives,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told the crowd at this year’s Google I/O Conference, but the results are still promising enough that the company is looking to apply it to DNA sequencing and cancer research before making the technology ubiquitous. “We want it to be possible for hundreds of thousands of developers to use machine learning,” Pichai said.

So given that AI seems to be better at everything from video game animation to recognizing musical genres, is there any subject that humans still reign supreme? The list is shockingly short. Outside of naming paints (though, let’s be honest, “Dorkwood” and “Stanky Bean” are both pretty great), there doesn’t seem to be much that AI can’t beat us at if given enough time and source materials to properly train. And that’s just a little terrifying.

North Korea reinvents the ‘iPad’

North Korea has a state-controlled economy, and it produces devices such as tablets and computers for its citizens who can afford them. This isn’t really news. But Myohyang IT, a state-owned North Korean tech company, just announced a new tablet that will raise some eyebrows: It’s called . . . the iPad.

That’s right. While North Korea hasn’t exactly been respectful of intellectual property and trademarks in the past, this blatant violation sets a new bar for the military dictatorship. It’s pretty safe to say that Apple is likely not happy about this development.

Myohyang IT Company calls its tablet the Ryonghung iPad. It has, “1GHz CPU, 512MB Ram, 8GB internal memory, 16GB external Memory, an eight-inch screen and weighs 250g [about half a pound],” according to NK News. A six-hour battery rounds out these less-than-stellar specs.

This isn’t the first time that North Korea has made copycat Apple devices: Pyongyang trade fairs have hosted iMac clones. The North Korean government also released a Linux-based proprietary operating system a few years ago called Red Star that looks suspiciously like OS X.

Apple hasn’t responded to this latest flagrant breach of its iPad trademark, though it’s not exactly likely that these devices will be in high demand outside of North Korea. It will be interesting to see how far Apple will go to protect its intellectual property. We’ve reached out to Apple for a comment and haven’t yet heard back.

Source: NK News