Car buyers aren’t thrilled about semi-autonomous features

JD Power’s latest research into the likes and dislikes of car owners has two big takeaways: people love Kia and are pretty lukewarm about self-driving technology. Or, at least those components that most drivers can gain access to right now, like adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance and blind spot warning systems.

Overall, the trend for buyers is to be quite positive about the quality and performance of their new vehicle, especially if it’s a Kia. “Autonomous Technology” was, in fact, the only category where user complaints increased between 2016 and 2017, although only by a tiny amount.

The Wall Street Journal points out that of all the issues consumers raised, 34 percent of them were tied in to adaptive cruise control. If left unchecked, users may prefer to opt for cars with fewer autonomous systems, or prefer to drive with them deactivated.

Issues with existing smart driving features could also sour the general public’s feeling towards our rapidly-approaching autonomous future. It’s easy for consumers to think that, if manufacturers can’t get lane assistance right, what chance do they have of building a car that can think, and drive, for itself?

It’s clear that the auto industry will have to work to tackle this issue on both a technical and perception level before it becomes a problem. Except for those lovely people at Kia, who really do make some lovely vehicles, apparently.

Via: WSJ

Source: JD Power

Hackers reportedly altered and stole voting data before 2016 election

As the United States continues to investigate the extent of hacking in the 2016 election, reports continue to emerge that make things sound a lot worse than they did a few months ago. The latest comes from Time, which reports that the attack included “at least one” successful attempt at modifying voter information. It also states that thousands of voter records were stolen by Russian agents, which exposes sensitive information including partial social security numbers. Time was careful to note that this hacking was specifically related to state and local election databases and says its information comes from current and former officials.

Specifically, Time’s sources claim that an investigation discovered a county-level election database where voter data had been manipulated. Those alterations were discovered and fixed but Time doesn’t say when that investigation took place. In this case, it’s not clear whether the hackers were Russian agents.

As for the data that was stolen, the state of Illinois had almost 90,000 records stolen by Russia — more than 90 percent of which contained driver’s license numbers. About 25 percent of that 90,000 also contained the last four digits of people’s social security numbers. Sources have also said that an ongoing investigation is looking into whether any of this data made its way back to the Trump campaign.

This news follows a report claiming that hackers attacked voting databases in 39 states. That reported stated that hackers had tried to alter and delete data in Illinois’ voter database — it appears that attempt wasn’t successful, but hackers were able to make off with some data.

The US continues to state that none of the attacks directly election vote counts. “It is true there is no evidence that the tampering with voter machines or tampering with voter registrations or any of like that affected the counting of the votes,” Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who serves on the House Intelligence committee, said back in January. “That’s not the same thing as saying there was no impact on the outcome [of elections].”

Meanwhile, Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to investigate if any laws were broken relating to the hacking attacks last fall. Regardless of what he finds, there’s no doubt that security relating to the 2018 mid-term elections will be a major focus over the next year — and that’ll be doubly true for 2020’s presidential election.

Source: Time

Facebook seeks to foster community with more group admin tools

At Facebook’s first Communities Summit, co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new direction for Community pages. Specifically how to run them effectively. The new direction mainly includes mod tools like insights into how and when members are active. There are also features en route for approving and rejecting member requests, scheduled posts and group-to-group linking so similar groups can see one another. When Zuckerberg mentioned that Facebook was making it easier to remove bad actors in groups, removing everything they’ve posted at the same time the member is kicked out, he was met with rapturous applause.

Beyond that, Facebook is changing its mission statement. The social network believes it actually has responsibility now, especially given its close to 2 billion user base. “Our mission: Bring the world closer together,” a slide behind Zuckerberg read. There were plenty of other platitudes, but we’ll spare you. Oh, and Facebook’s next big mission is getting half of its users into communities, and will be implementing more AI and other initiatives to make that happen. So, get ready for more News Feed spam.

Source: Facebook

Windows 10 preview delivers new emoji and easy GPU tracking

Windows Insiders have a big day today. Microsoft just released Windows 10 Preview Build 16226 for PCs and it’s got a whole host of new goodies inside.

Perhaps the most important update is support for Emoji 5.0. Now you can express yourself with new snacks, characters and even dinosaurs. The build also includes an updated Task Manager with GPU tracking information, improvements to Touch Keyboard and handwriting interactions, tweaks to Storage Sense and shell improvements, including the option to share a file in File Explorer via the right-click context menu.

The build also includes improvements for IT professionals, including the removal of SMB1 as part of a multi-year security upgrade. There’s also a new Remote Desktop settings page. Additionally, Windows will finally display plain-text error codes when an update fails so you can troubleshoot what exactly went wrong and how to fix it.

The latest release is accessible only to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring. You can see the full list of improvements, tweaks and add-ons at Microsoft’s website.

Source: Microsoft

Amazon’s Echo Show displays your smart camera’s live video feed

Amazon’s Echo Show is getting another new trick, err, skill. Now the gizmo will link with the cameras on your home network and display their respective feeds when you say something like, “Alexa, show the front door.” A press release notes that this will work with cameras from Amcrest, Arlo, August, EZViz, IC Realtime, Nest and Vivint. And if you don’t have a Show, saying the command phrase will give you an audio feed on your Dot or Echo. Better yet, Amazon has released the camera control API into the wild so developers can start cracking on even more implementations for it.

Of course, Google Home plays nicely with smart home equipment too. Mostly Nest thermostats at this point, but given the device’s lack of a video screen it can’t quite deliver camera feeds. Maybe next year?

Source: Amazon

Apple’s Indoor Maps for Airports and Shopping Malls in iOS 11 Slowly Rolling Out

Apple has slowly begun enabling indoor maps for select airports and shopping malls, providing an early look at the new Apple Maps feature coming in iOS 11.

On devices running iOS 11 beta, indoor maps are available now in Apple Maps for Philadelphia International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport, and for shopping malls Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose, California and Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco, California.

Indoor maps will provide detailed floor plans of major airports and shopping malls around the world, allowing iOS 11 users to plan ahead.

At airports, for example, Apple Maps users can tap “look inside” or simply zoom in to view terminals, boarding gates, security checkpoints, airline check-in desks, baggage claim carousels, information kiosks, restrooms, stores, restaurants, parking garages, and even escalators, elevators, and stairs.

Apple Maps users can browse by floor, or search for shops, food, drinks, or restrooms in a specific terminal. Tapping on a restaurant, for example, brings up a detailed place card with photos, hours, and additional information.

Likewise, at shopping malls, Apple Maps users can zoom in to view the exact location of stores, restaurants, restrooms, escalators, elevators, and stairs on each floor. Users can also filter stores by categories such as clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty, food, and drinks, with detailed place cards for each.

Apple senior executive Craig Federighi previewed Apple Maps indoor maps at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. Skip to around the 1:07:50 mark of Apple’s WWDC 2017 keynote video.

At launch, indoor maps will be limited to select airports and shopping malls, in cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, and the Washington D.C. area. Apple said more locations will be added over time.

The feature is only available in iOS 11, which is currently in beta testing. The second developer beta was released on Wednesday, and a public beta will be released later this month. The software update officially launches in the fall.

Tag: Apple Maps
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Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of iOS 10.3.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming iOS 10.3.3 update to developers, a little over one week after seeding the third beta and more than a month after the release of iOS 10.3.2, a minor bug fix update.

Registered developers can download the fourth iOS 10.3.3 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air with the proper configuration profile installed.

No significant features or notable bug fixes were found in the first three betas, aside from new wallpapers for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, suggesting iOS 10.3.3 is an update that’s minor in scale and focuses on security updates and bug fixes.

iOS 10.3.3 is likely to be one of the last updates to iOS 10 as Apple starts shifting its full focus to iOS 11. The first beta of iOS 11 was released to developers on June 5 following Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, and two betas have been seeded so far.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of tvOS 10.2.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2.2 update to developers for testing purposes, a little over one week after seeding the third beta of tvOS 10.2.2 and more than a month after releasing tvOS 10.2.1, a minor update focusing on bug fixes.

tvOS 10.2.2 is only available for the fourth-generation Apple TV. Registered developers can download the new update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes. Once the beta profile is installed, new updates will be received over-the-air.

No major feature changes or bug fixes were discovered in the first three betas of tvOS 10.2.2, and it appears the update includes only minor under-the-hood improvements and security enhancements.

tvOS 10.2.2 will be one of the last updates to the tvOS 10 operating system as Apple is already working on the next-generation version of tvOS, tvOS 11. tvOS 11 is currently available for developers.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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Ready to pare down your game library? Here are the best ways to do it

Unless you are a serious collector, at some point, you’ve probably thought about getting rid of a few (or many) of your old games. Whether you’re running out of shelf or closet space, getting ready to move, ready to acknowledge that you realistically won’t play that stack of games anymore, or want to fully enter the world of digital game libraries, there are plenty of avenues available to part with a portion of your video game collection. Not all of them, though, are great options. For games that still have some monetary value, most would like to maximize their return. Time is money too, though, so convenience matters. And for those games you literally can’t give away, there is a way to dispose of them properly, rather than tossing them in a dumpster.

Let’s take a look at the best methods for getting rid of your old video games, for profit, convenience, and eco-friendliness.

Sell ’em back: Yes, GameStop is still your best bet

Sure, you’ve probably heard people complain about GameStop’s trade in values in the past, and while the business can justify sometimes marking up games two to three times as much as GameStop gives in credit, it’s also understandable why this bothers some people. The bottom line, however, is GameStop generally offers a higher price per game than other major retailers. Companies like Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us, Amazon, and Walmart have also jumped into the world of buying and selling used games, but no one has beaten them on the one metric that counts. GameStop is also the only major retailer that offers cash for used games (all the rest offer store credit). You get 20 percent less if you take the cash route at GameStop instead of store credit, but even then you’ll most likely wind up right around what you would receive for a pile of games at any of the other major retailers.

While selling your old games and consoles to GameStop won’t maximize your dollars, the convenience factor at least partially makes up for it. While we recommend using GameStop for convenience, that’s not to say that GameStop always gives the best value on every game. If you are only trading in one or two games, it’s best to do a bit of research before choosing a place to sell your old games. GameStop, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy list their trade-in values for each accepted game online. On Amazon, trade in values are listed on product pages. Toys R Us doesn’t list trade-in values online.

It’s important to note that if you are selling older games (pre-Xbox 360/PS3 era), GameStop is the only major chain that accepts “classic” titles. That being said, if you have a bunch of classic games that you want to get off your hands, you may want to check out some of the options below since you might possess, unwittingly or not, a rare title or two. By and large, when selling your games to major retailers like GameStop, it’s best to bring in games for more modern systems like PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo 3DS.

Don’t forget about local retailers

Chances are, you probably live near a GameStop or big box retailer that will buy your old games from you, but there’s also a chance you live near a local retailer that specializes in multimedia products, you should look into that as well. Not everyone has an independent game shop in their area, but if you do, chances are, these shops want to buy your old games, and that might even give you more money to show you that. Local retailers are also more likely to take older generation games, and cartridge-based games off your hands.

Eliminate the middle man

If you don’t need to unload your unwanted games right away, and you are willing to put a little extra effort into the process, becoming the seller yourself will almost always get you the best price. In terms of online secondhand marketplaces, the first two that come to mind are eBay and Amazon. Both venues let you set your own price, but keep in mind, you are responsible for all boxing up the game(s) and shipping them out. For some, this may be more hassle than it’s worth. However, there is a considerably more convenient option that still allows you to set your price.

If you’re on Facebook, and we imagine you are, there’s a good chance that you can join a local Buy, Sell, Trade group. These groups have become a Craigslist of sorts for the social media era. The best part is that given the local nature of each group, you can talk on Facebook, agree to a price, and meet up to exchange cash for games. You don’t have to go through nearly as many steps as it takes to list games on Amazon, let alone eBay, and these Facebook groups are less sketchy than making deals via Craigslist. Of course, we still recommend meeting up in a public space.

Hori’s new headset puts gaming audio features in the hands of Switch players

Why it matters to you

Hori is one of the first companies showing off designs for Switch voice-chat headsets, which could indicate what kind of accessories other manufacturers will offer in the future.

Japanese gaming accessories company Hori has shown off a brand-new design for a Nintendo Switch headset called the Air, and it looks rather typical for a pair of gaming headphones with an adjustable boom mic. However, unlike a lot of PC or other console headsets, this one still sports the chunky volume control, helping users connect it to their phone for access to the upcoming Nintendo Switch chat app.

One of the difficulties of separating in-game audio from chat audio is that you need an additional connection for it. While we don’t know exactly how Nintendo’s Switch communication application will work, Hori’s hardware suggests that plugging your phone into the headset, which also connects to the Switch, will be one way to do it.

While the new Nintendo Switch headset looks rather typical at first glance — black, angular gamer styling, flexible boom microphone and headband and earphone padding — its volume control is a little different. Alongside the usual volume dial and microphone mute switch, it also has a dedicated voice volume wheel and a separate 3.5mm port for hooking it up to your phone.

That means an additional wire trailing away to your handset, which looks like it could be par for the course with Nintendo Switch headsets (thanks NintendoLife).

The Hori Air isn’t currently available for sale, but is listed on the Hori website for 3,542 yen, or just shy of $32.

While the Air is quite a typical-looking headset, despite its Nintendo Switch cable requirements, Hori did recently debut a much less traditional design. Set to launch alongside Splatoon 2 in Japan on July 21, the headset features green headphones, with a behind-the-head band design.

Its styling draws inspiration from the inklings from Splatoon 2, with a tentacle-shaped boom mic and a volume control/splitter box that looks like one of the game’s squids. It too isn’t quite ready for prime time just yet, but when it launches it will do so with a slightly higher price tag than the Air. Hori’s website currently has it listed at 3,758 yen, or $34.

Although much still needs to be learned about Nintendo’s strategy for online chat, the response to its forced use of a smartphone app hasn’t been particularly positive so far. It will be interesting to see whether these sorts of headsets become a requirement for multiplayer Switch gamers in the future.

We don’t know yet whether either of these designs will be sold outside of Japan, but we have reached out to Hori and will confirm as and when it replies.