This smart mannequin aims to improve pat-down procedures at airports

Why it matters to you

Airport security frisks can occasionally upset passengers, so it’s good to know the TSA is looking at how to improve the procedure.

Airport security is tighter than ever these days and for some passengers it can include a pat-down by airport security personnel to ensure they’re not carrying anything they shouldn’t be.

Getting the pat-down right can be a delicate affair for the Transport Security Administration (TSA) officers that carry out the procedure. Frisk too lightly and they might miss something important, but go in too hard and a pat can feel like an offensive poke or fumble, potentially leading to one very upset and angry passenger.

Enter PATT, a smart mannequin being developed by the TSA and Homeland Security to help teach officers how to perform the perfect pat-down

The “Pat-down Accuracy Training Tool” is a highly sensitive soul, though it won’t sound off should a trainee officer get a bit heavy-handed during their early physical checks. The smart mannequin contains a “sensored” layer that’s able to measure the amount of applied pressure during a pat-down procedure.

PATT is hooked up to a computer and works with software that offers visual and objective analysis of the pat-down, with the provided data helping the officer to learn about how they can improve their technique.

There are two smart mannequins — for the male and female body shapes — with up to 2,000 sensors covering the entire surface area to provide the best possible feedback.

The training procedures, together with the objective feedback, aim to make frisking consistent and effective, thereby improving the security of the traveling public, the TSA said in a release.

Commenting on the new training kit, S&T First Responders Group program manager Ajmal Aziz said in a release, “As I … start conducting a pat-down, the trainer will be able to use the PATT technology to see where I’m applying pressure. Is it the right amount of pressure? Am I missing areas I should be looking at?”

David Band, PATT TSA technical monitor, said that “training without feedback is akin to learning how to drive a car with no working gauges.”

Band added, “While an experienced driver could give you some helpful guidance, a speedometer providing real-time feedback is a much better indication of how fast you are actually going.”

He said PATT will “vastly improve a TSA officer’s ability to apply pressure within an ideal range, to cover all areas in their searches and to reduce the time needed for new officers to achieve a high level of proficiency.”

Trials to evaluate PATT’s effectiveness will be launched at the TSA Training Academy in Glynco, Georgia, as well as at select airports such as Los Angeles International Airport.

Makerball is a pinball machine that you build yourself

Why it matters to you

If both DIY and pinball are a passion, you’re likely to have some serious fun with the Makerball pinball kit.

If you like to tinker with your tech and have a penchant for pinball, the DIY “Makerball” kit is something of a no-brainer.

Described by its Swiss creator as an “affordable, stable, mutable, pure and simple pinball machine,” the Makerball kit lets you add pretty much anything you want to the layout, and with a few tweaks even lets you perform a digital upgrade.

The starter kit includes the base, mechanical flippers, a number of basic obstacles, and a set of wires and conductive copper foil to make sensors. With the aid of a microcontroller (not supplied) and the free “Make & Play” app, you can link those sensors to your smartphone and start playing for points.

“On our website, we’ll provide you with all instructions required to set up the electronics,” creator Alain Schibli said. “It’s no biggie, even if you have no prior experience. Makerball is also an easy way of entering the maker universe and starting to experiment with microcontrollers.”

For super-simple gameplay, you can discard the techie bits and just have fun with the flippers and whatever creation you build for the board. Check out the video above for some inspiration.

While Makerball clearly features few bells and whistles (in every sense of the term), fun can be had as much from designing and building your pinball machine as actually playing it. Parents with a bit of tech know-how can have a blast setting it up with their kids, or perhaps some of the more switched-on littl’uns can teach Mom and Dad a thing or two about tech.

Zurich-based Schibli said it’s been a long-held ambition to design his own machine.

“I’ve always liked playing pinball and wanted to own my own pinball machine, but I never had the means to buy one,” he explains on Makerball’s Kickstarter page. “Used models weren’t an option either because I wouldn’t know how to repair them. And I couldn’t decide which kind of machine I wanted anyway. So I came up with the idea of Makerball, an affordable, simple and versatile DIY pinball machine.”

Makerball was born out of a Master’s design project at Zurich University of the Arts and morphed into the launch version via six prototypes created over the last two years.

The Makerball kit is available for pre-order for $245, though this particular early-bird option doesn’t include the legs. To have those as part of the package costs about another $100. If the project gets funded and everything goes to plan, shipping will begin in November, 2017.

Traveling to India? Here’s how you can pick up a local SIM card

A local SIM card is essential to staying connected in India.

India’s handset market is seeing a meteoric rise thanks to an influx of affordable devices and wide availability of 4G data, and with the country becoming a mobile-first market, having a local SIM card is mandatory for accessing the plethora of digital services available.

A local number comes in handy not just for staying connected, but also for undertaking basic tasks like payments and money transfers. To curb corruption, Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonetized high-value currency notes at the end of the last year, and the country still doesn’t have adequate cash reserves. The move has led to a drastic rise in digital wallet services like Paytm, but to register and use the service, you need a local SIM card.

Thankfully, the Indian government is making it easier for foreign travelers visiting the country by providing a pre-activated SIM card on arrival. The SIM card is issued by state-run BSNL, and comes with 50MB of data along with a ₹50 credit (90 cents) for making calls. You can top up the data and get additional balance for calling by recharging online.

SIM card on arrival

The SIM card comes with a kit that contains maps, brochures for popular tourism destinations, along with contact information for a 24-hour tourist helpline number that’s available in 12 languages, including Russian, German, and Japanese.

All you need to do to pick up your SIM card is show a copy of your e-visa at the immigration counter. An e-visa is the easiest way to get a short-term tourist visa to India, and the facility is available to citizens of over 150 countries.

That said, not all airports offer a SIM card on arrival. Right now, the service is limited to ten airports in the country, with more being added regularly:

• Bengaluru
• Delhi
• Mumbai
• Chennai
• Panjim (Goa)
• Ahmedabad
• Amritsar
• Jaipur
• Lucknow
• Varanasi

If you’re landing at an airport that doesn’t offer the service, your best recourse is to purchase a SIM card directly from a retailer. But before we get to that, a primer on LTE bands in India.

LTE bands in India

If you’re looking to use LTE in India, you’ll need to make sure your phone has the following LTE bands: Band 3 (1800MHz), Band 40 (2300MHz), and Band 5 (850MHz). Band 5 is predominantly used by Jio, a recent entrant in the segment that has amassed over 65 million customers in the space of eight months.

Even if you don’t have Band 5 support, you will be able to access LTE from Airtel, Vodafone, and others. BSNL — the service provider with the free SIM card on arrival — delivers LTE on Band 40 (2300MHz). Coverage varies wildly across states, so if you’re looking for a detailed breakdown of the state of LTE in India, you should take a look at our detailed guide:

LTE in India: Everything you need to know

Picking up a SIM card from a retailer

Airtel is the leading carrier in the country, with a userbase of over 275 million subscribers. The carrier also has the most robust network for LTE, 3G, and calls. To pick up an Airtel SIM, you’ll need to head to a retail store near your location with a copy of your passport, visa, and a photograph. You’ll be able to walk out with a SIM card in under 10 minutes, and the number will be activated in an hour or two.

The carrier has very affordable tariffs, but not all plans are available in all regions. That said, you’ll be able to select a plan that gives you 3GB of LTE data and unlimited calls within the country for as low as ₹300 ($6), with a validity of 28 days from the time of purchase.

Airtel is your only viable option for a local SIM card, as other carriers have fairly stringent requirements. Jio, for instance, requires you to submit details of a local reference as well as your residence details within the country. You won’t be able to get a SIM card unless you submit these details.

Then there’s Vodafone and Idea, which aren’t worth your time. Neither carrier offers nationwide LTE coverage, so if you’re looking to travel from one state to another, there will be times when you’ll switch over to 2G.

Questions?

Got any questions or queries? Let us know in the comments below.

OnePlus 5 confirmed to have Snapdragon 835 processor

OnePlus’ mission statement has always been to “Never Settle”, as it constantly strives to compete with the very best flagship smartphones on the market. The OnePlus 5 looks set to continue that trend following CEO Pete Lau’s confirmation that the phone will have the very latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

• OnePlus 5: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

The 835 has only showed up in a few flagships this year, most notably the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, and the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. The Xiaomi Mi 6 has it, and there’s rumours suggesting a flagship Nokia 8 phone will arrive in June running on it too.By including the Snapdragon 835 processor in the OnePlus 5, the affordable flagship should run quickly and efficiently. But Pete Lau has also said that OnePlus’ engineers have gone beyond just installing the best processor in the phone, they’ve made sure it’s fully optimised to deliver the very best possible performance.

Great minds think alike! Glad to partner with you to make our next flagship ???? https://t.co/L5z2MwUQgI

— OnePlus (@oneplus) 25 May 2017

Touch latency was measured during the testing process, to find out why response to touch from a finger could differ between phones. A high-speed camera was used in the measuring process, and from its findings, OnePlus now says apps on the 5 “respond quickly to your touch for a seamless user experience”.A new app management feature has also been added to OxygenOS, OnePlus’ customised version of Android. Apps that are commonly used, social media and an internet browser for example, will be ready to launch as soon as the phone is turned on. Apps that you don’t use very often will be deprioritised, so they’re not affecting performance in any way.

There’s still no word on when we can expect the OnePlus 5 to be unveiled, but with droplets of information coming in from the company itself, we can’t imagine we have long to wait.

Egypt blocks Al Jazeera and other sites for ‘supporting terrorism’

People living in Egypt will have to put their VPNs to work accessing 21 websites the the country has banned. According to state news agency MENA, Egypt has blocked Al Jazeera’s main website and 20 other publications and online destinations, accusing them of supporting “terrorism and extremism as well (as) publishing lies.” The government will even be taking legal action against them. While local media didn’t list all the affected URLs, Reuters sources said the government blocked them, because it believes they’re affiliated with Qatar — Al Jazeera is based in Doha, the country’s capital — or the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood used to be the most influential religio-political organization in Egypt until its fall from power in 2013. It’s what caused bad blood between the two countries: Egypt is accusing Qatar of supporting the group after it was ousted from power. However, Reuters found that even websites with no known affiliation with either, such as progressive Egyptian news publication Mada Masr and The Huffington Post’s Arabic website, have been blocked, as well.

A lot of people probably have workarounds in place to be able to access the blocked URLs, though, seeing as Egypt is notorious for censorship. It once shut down the internet in 2011 and blocked VoIP services like Skype and Viber in 2015. Last year, it also blocked Facebook’s Free Basics and encrypted chat app Signal, which found a way to circumvent the ban one day later.

Source: Reuters

Google’s AlphaGo is the best Go player in the world

In the latest round of man versus machine, machine has come out on top. Google’s AlphaGo beat Go world champion Ke Jie for a second time in as many days, taking an unassailable lead in the three-part series. By rights, Deepmind’s AI can now be considered the world’s best Go player, having beaten the game’s two biggest names in a little under a year.

Although today’s result wasn’t as “close” as the first match, where AlphaGo won by just half a point, Deepmind CEO Demis Hassabis said that Ke Jie played “perfectly” for much of the contest before he resigned, at least according to AlphaGo’s evaluations. “For the first 100 moves it was the closest we’ve ever seen anyone play against the Master version of AlphaGo,” Hassabis confirmed in the post-game press conference.

“Today’s game was different from the first,” Ke said, reported by The Verge. “AlphaGo made some moves which were opposite from my vision of how to maximize the possibility of winning. I also thought I was very close to winning the game in the middle but maybe that’s not what AlphaGo was thinking. I’m a little bit sad, it’s a bit of a regret because I think I played pretty well.”

#AlphaGo wins game 2. What an amazing and complex game! Ke Jie pushed AlphaGo right to the limit.

— Demis Hassabis (@demishassabis) May 25, 2017

AlphaGo is in China visting the Future of Go Summit, a five-day forum hosted by Google and the China Go Assocation. It’s brought together some of the world’s best Go players and AI experts to “explore the mysteries” of the ancient board game. The banner event is the match-up between AlphaGo and Ke, who will meet for the final time on Saturday, but the AI player is due to play two back-to-back matches on Friday. This will include a game of Pair Go, where Chinese pros face off against each other but alternate moves with AlphaGo, and a Team Go match, where the AI will battle a five-player team to test its “creativity and adaptability.”

This latest version of AlphaGo, which has been given the moniker Master, is said to use 10 times less computational power than the computer that beat Lee Sedol. All it needs is a single PC connected to Google’s cloud server.

Via: The Verge

Acer just can’t wait for Computex, announces new laptops, 2-in-1s early

Why it matters to you

Acer’s new laptops bring a wider variety of hardware to affordable price points. The Nitro 5 stands out, as if offers both Intel and AMD hardware, plus an entry-level GPU.

On Thursday, Acer introduced a handful of new products just days ahead of the Computex tech conference in Taipei. The company revealed four mobile devices in all: one laptop, one 2-in-1, and two Iconia-branded Android tablets. The specific hardware details weren’t made available at the time of this post’s publication, so we’ve pieced together what each product will bring to these markets through the company’s three announcements.

Acer Nitro 5

This is a laptop focused on PC gaming that will be sold in multiple configurations. What’s interesting is that Acer addresses its Intel and AMD customer bases with this specific unit. The Intel configurations will pack a seventh-generation Core i5 and i7 processor that’s paired with up to a discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics chip.  Meanwhile, AMD-based configurations will include the company’s seventh-generation A-Series FX, A12, and A10 APUs along with up to a discrete Radeon RX 550 graphics chip.

“The Nitro 5 features dual fans with Acer Coolboost technology, which delivers heightened fan speeds and cooling ability, and allows users to manually control the cooling process when heavy use requires an added boost,” Acer says.

Here are the other details we pulled from the announcement:

Display:
15.6 inches
Panel type:
IPS
Resolution:
1,920 x 1,080
System memory:
Up to 32GB DDR4 @ 2,400MHz
Storage:
SSD maximum – 512GB (PCIe)
HDD maximum – 2TB (SATA)
Some configurations will include both
Ports:
1x Gigabit Ethernet
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A (charges)
2x USB 2.0 Type-A
1x HDMI 2.0 (supports 90Hz refresh)
Connectivity:
Wireless AC (2×2) (up to 867Mbps)
Keyboard:
Red back-lighting
WASD keys outlined in red
Other details:
Matte black with a hairline finish
Red hinge along the back
Bold black grill vent
Touchpad outlined in red

Acer Spin 1

Next up we have the Acer Spin 1, the company’s latest thin-and-light 2-in-1 Windows 10 device, measuring just 0.55 inches thin and weighting at 2.76 pounds. Arriving in several configurations, this laptop will be powered by a seventh-generation Intel Pentium or Celeron processor, and a battery promising up to eight hours on a single charge.

“With a sleek all-metal chassis, the Windows 10 device is lightweight, portable, and supports Windows Ink through an Acer Active Stylus for creative users on the go,” the company says. “The Spin 1 combines superb hardware with innovative features to make the user experience really pop.”

While Acer did not provide pricing with its press release, it’s fair to say this will be an affordable model. The Acer Spin 3 starts at $500.

Here’s what we have on the Acer Spin 1 so far:

Display:
11.6 inches
Panel type:
IPS with Touch support
Resolution:
1,920 x 1,080
System memory:
4GB DDR3L
Storage:
32GB / 64GB / 128GB
Ports:
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
1x HDMI
1x Micro SD card slot
Connectivity:
Wireless AC (2×2) (up to 867Mbps)
Bluetooth 4.1
Audio:
2x speakers supported by Acer TrueHarmony
Other details:
Precision touchpad
Acer Bluelight Shield tech
Supports Acer’s Active Stylus

Acer Iconia Tab 10 & One 10

Finally, we have two new tablets under the Iconia umbrella: the premium Iconia Tab 10 (A3-A50) and the productivity-focused Iconia One 10 (B3-A40FHD). Acer wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the hardware details at the time this article went live, but the company said that both will be powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor, Android 7.0, and a battery promising up to eight hours of use on a single charge.

Additionally, both tablets sport 10-inch screens backed by In-Plane Switching technology, which is also used in the two previously-mentioned laptops. Other shared features include two five-magnet speakers powered by DTS-HD Premium Sound, and Wireless AC connectivity.

Here are a few notes regarding the exclusive features of each model:

Iconia Tab 10 (A3-A50)

• Quantum Dot display technology
• Acer-patented subwoofer
• Measures just 0.35 inches thin
• Acer MediaMaster for creating profiles for movies and music

Iconia One 10 (B3-A40FHD)

• 2x Micro USB ports supporting On-The-Go
• White frame

Acer didn’t say when these four products will be available or for how much at the time of this publication. We will update the news when Acer provides the information, so stay tuned.

Acer just can’t wait for Computex, announces new laptops, 2-in-1s early

Why it matters to you

Acer’s new laptops bring a wider variety of hardware to affordable price points. The Nitro 5 stands out, as if offers both Intel and AMD hardware, plus an entry-level GPU.

On Thursday, Acer introduced a handful of new products just days ahead of the Computex tech conference in Taipei. The company revealed four mobile devices in all: one laptop, one 2-in-1, and two Iconia-branded Android tablets. The specific hardware details weren’t made available at the time of this post’s publication, so we’ve pieced together what each product will bring to these markets through the company’s three announcements.

Acer Nitro 5

This is a laptop focused on PC gaming that will be sold in multiple configurations. What’s interesting is that Acer addresses its Intel and AMD customer bases with this specific unit. The Intel configurations will pack a seventh-generation Core i5 and i7 processor that’s paired with up to a discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics chip.  Meanwhile, AMD-based configurations will include the company’s seventh-generation A-Series FX, A12, and A10 APUs along with up to a discrete Radeon RX 550 graphics chip.

“The Nitro 5 features dual fans with Acer Coolboost technology, which delivers heightened fan speeds and cooling ability, and allows users to manually control the cooling process when heavy use requires an added boost,” Acer says.

Here are the other details we pulled from the announcement:

Display:
15.6 inches
Panel type:
IPS
Resolution:
1,920 x 1,080
System memory:
Up to 32GB DDR4 @ 2,400MHz
Storage:
SSD maximum – 512GB (PCIe)
HDD maximum – 2TB (SATA)
Some configurations will include both
Ports:
1x Gigabit Ethernet
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A (charges)
2x USB 2.0 Type-A
1x HDMI 2.0 (supports 90Hz refresh)
Connectivity:
Wireless AC (2×2) (up to 867Mbps)
Keyboard:
Red back-lighting
WASD keys outlined in red
Other details:
Matte black with a hairline finish
Red hinge along the back
Bold black grill vent
Touchpad outlined in red

Acer Spin 1

Next up we have the Acer Spin 1, the company’s latest thin-and-light 2-in-1 Windows 10 device, measuring just 0.55 inches thin and weighting at 2.76 pounds. Arriving in several configurations, this laptop will be powered by a seventh-generation Intel Pentium or Celeron processor, and a battery promising up to eight hours on a single charge.

“With a sleek all-metal chassis, the Windows 10 device is lightweight, portable, and supports Windows Ink through an Acer Active Stylus for creative users on the go,” the company says. “The Spin 1 combines superb hardware with innovative features to make the user experience really pop.”

While Acer did not provide pricing with its press release, it’s fair to say this will be an affordable model. The Acer Spin 3 starts at $500.

Here’s what we have on the Acer Spin 1 so far:

Display:
11.6 inches
Panel type:
IPS with Touch support
Resolution:
1,920 x 1,080
System memory:
4GB DDR3L
Storage:
32GB / 64GB / 128GB
Ports:
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
1x HDMI
1x Micro SD card slot
Connectivity:
Wireless AC (2×2) (up to 867Mbps)
Bluetooth 4.1
Audio:
2x speakers supported by Acer TrueHarmony
Other details:
Precision touchpad
Acer Bluelight Shield tech
Supports Acer’s Active Stylus

Acer Iconia Tab 10 & One 10

Finally, we have two new tablets under the Iconia umbrella: the premium Iconia Tab 10 (A3-A50) and the productivity-focused Iconia One 10 (B3-A40FHD). Acer wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the hardware details at the time this article went live, but the company said that both will be powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor, Android 7.0, and a battery promising up to eight hours of use on a single charge.

Additionally, both tablets sport 10-inch screens backed by In-Plane Switching technology, which is also used in the two previously-mentioned laptops. Other shared features include two five-magnet speakers powered by DTS-HD Premium Sound, and Wireless AC connectivity.

Here are a few notes regarding the exclusive features of each model:

Iconia Tab 10 (A3-A50)

• Quantum Dot display technology
• Acer-patented subwoofer
• Measures just 0.35 inches thin
• Acer MediaMaster for creating profiles for movies and music

Iconia One 10 (B3-A40FHD)

• 2x Micro USB ports supporting On-The-Go
• White frame

Acer didn’t say when these four products will be available or for how much at the time of this publication. We will update the news when Acer provides the information, so stay tuned.

Huawei P10 and P10 Plus hitting Canada on June 6

The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus will come to Canada just in time for the summer.

Huawei’s P series will be sold at a North American carrier for the first time ever starting June 6, as Canadian providers are set to sell the P10 and P10 Plus.

The company’s newest flagship phones do a lot of things right — and, unfortunately, one thing very wrong — but they stand up well to the competition from Samsung, LG and others. And with no HTC flagship launching in Canada this summer, the P10 and P10 Plus should stand in nicely.

The smaller P10 will be sold at Bell, Videotron, Fido and Rogers in black. Rogers, which has an excellent existing relationship with Huawei, will sell the P10 in both gold and black, and will exclusively stock the larger P10 Plus in black, with the blue variants of both phones coming out later this summer, again as Rogers exclusives.

Huawei P10 and P10 Plus specs

Both phones are remarkably similar, with the P10 Plus notching a slightly bigger 5.5-inch QHD panel compared to the P10’s 5.1-inch 1080p display, along with a larger 3,750mAh battery compared to the P10’s 3,200mAh cell. The P10 Plus also has a slightly sharper f/1.8 lens, but in real world usage we found it to be nearly indistinguishable from the P10’s f/2.2 lens except for in very dark scenes.

Pricing has not been determined just yet, but we’ll know in the coming days.

Acer crammed a quantum dot display into a 10-inch tablet

While it may not be the first name in tablets, Acer has produced some respectable touchscreen devices in the past. Last month, the company unveiled a wide range of new 2-in-1 devices in its compelling Switch line of Windows 10 machines. Today, in advance of Computex in Taipei, the company is adding a pair of 10-inch, Android 7.0 Nougat devices to its tablet lineup: one focused on media and one designed with connectivity in mind.

Both are powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor with a wide-angle IPS display, DTS-HD rated speakers and an advertised 8-hour battery life. The Iconia Tab 10 is the more media-centric of the two and adds a quantum dot display for better color depth and accuracy, as well as a four speaker setup with a built-in subwoofer.

The Iconia One 10 skimps on the screen and the low end of the sound system, but it adds two micro-USB ports so you can charge while connected to an external device. Both tablets offer a couple extra Acer tweaks on the Android Nougat experience as well: users can set gestures to wake-up the device or load specific apps with Acer’s EZ WakeUp feature, and an EZ Mode allows users to set restrictions when sharing their device.

No word yet on pricing or availability, but Engadget will update when we know more. So far, Acer’s device is the first tablet we’ve heard of with a quantum dot display, but without any additional specs to go off of, we’ll save our excitement for when we can actually get our eyes on a screen.