Hyperloop One speeds forward with its first full-scale test

Why it matters to you

Hyperloop One’s test run may not have been at full speed, but these small steps forward offer the tantalizing prospect that its super-fast transportation system could one day become a reality.

There may be those who continue to raise an eyebrow or two at the idea of the Hyperloop One becoming a reality, but at least one of the companies behind the super-fast transportation system is intent on seeing the project through to completion.

Hyperloop One announced this week that it has taken a major step forward after successfully testing a full-scale version of its technology in a vacuum environment for the very first time.

Conducted recently at the company’s DevLoop test track in Nevada, the trial run saw an “actual size” passenger pod coast above the track for just over five seconds using magnetic levitation technology — better known as maglev — while reaching nearly 2Gs of acceleration.

But if you’re imagining the vehicle hurtling along at Hyperloop’s planned top speed of around 750 mph — a speed that would cut the time of travel between, say, LA and San Francisco from six hours to a mere 35 minutes — then stop right there. It didn’t go anywhere near that fast.

Instead, it reached the test’s target speed of 70 mph, though the successful run means it can now move toward the next phase that will push the pod to a more exciting 250 mph.

Describing it as Hyperloop One’s “Kitty Hawk moment,” the team wrote about the moment the pod started moving:

“’Fire in 5. 4. 3. 2, and 1.’ There was a half-second delay. A clench in the throat. Then, sure enough, the sled shot off down the track, chased by the electromagnetic force from the stator. The wheel mounts rumbled along for a second, and then the rumbling stopped as the pod lifted off the track and glided for 3 seconds before coming to a halt on its own.”

The experimental run enabled the team to put various parts of the technology through its paces, including its highly efficient motor, vehicle suspension, maglev tech, electromagnetic braking, and vacuum pumping system, “proving the full system’s components operate successfully as a single integrated unit in a vacuum,” Hyperloop One said in a release.

Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and CEO of Hyperloop One, was keen to praise his team following the trial run, saying that it had “accomplished what no one has done before by successfully testing the first full-scale Hyperloop system. By achieving full vacuum, we essentially invented our own sky in a tube, as if you’re flying at 200,000 feet in the air,” adding, “For the first time in over 100 years, a new mode of transportation has been introduced. Hyperloop is real, and it’s here now.”

What is Airplane Mode? What it does and when to use it

What is Airplane Mode? Allow us to explain. Smartphones, cell phones, and most other mobile devices are equipped with a setting called Airplane mode, sometimes known as Flight Mode. It’s designed to turn off all the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular and data connections on your mobile device, which might hamper the various sensors and equipment found on commercial airplanes. If you’ve ever placed your smartphone next to a speaker and heard a loud buzzing or another strange interference sound, then you’ll understand why Airplane Mode exists.

We have a guide on how to turn on Airplane Mode for both Android phones and iPhones, but it’s generally easy to implement — just look for an airplane icon and tap it. You should always see an airplane icon in your notification bar at the top of your screen when you have Airplane Mode switched on. Typically, you’ll be prompted to turn it on after boarding a flight, directly before your plane takes off.

There are sometimes slight differences between devices in what Airplane Mode does, but the main thing it always does is disconnect your cellular voice and data connection. If you turn on Airplane Mode on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch, it will also disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

With Airplane Mode turned on, you’ll still be able to use some apps and games, take photos with your camera, and play both videos and music stored locally on your device.

Using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

In 2013, the United States Federal Aviation Administration updated its guidelines to allow for the expanded use of personal electronics. This means that you can always use Bluetooth, which is short-range, on a flight to connect to devices like headphones. It also means that you can use Wi-Fi on flights, assuming it’s equipped on the plane.

Thankfully, you can turn Bluetooth and Wi-Fi back on without exiting Airplane Mode. To do so, tap the relevant icon in your notification shade by swiping down from the top on an Android device or swiping up from the bottom to access the Control Center on an iOS device.

However, the precise rules may vary depending on the aircraft, airline, or the country you’re in. If in doubt, ask before you turn any connections on.

Other uses for Airplane Mode

Now you know what Airplane Mode is, we thought it was worth mentioning that it can come in handy for a few other situations besides flights. If you’re having trouble with connections on your phone and you’re struggling to get a signal, it’s sometimes helpful to turn Airplane Mode on and off again.

The feature also works well when you don’t want to be disturbed — turn Airplane Mode on before bed and your phone won’t wake you with an incoming texts or email (alarms still work). When you want to extend the battery life on your phone, Airplane Mode is also a good way to do it, as long as you aren’t waiting for a call or message. Check out our iPhone battery tips for more ideas. You should also find that your phone charges a bit quicker if you turn Airplane Mode on while it’s charging.

AMD is rippin’ store shelves with two Ryzen Threadripper processors in August

Why it matters to you

AMD is raising the desktop processor bar with the eagerly awaited launch of its two Ryzen Threadripper CPUs arriving next month.

On Thursday, AMD confirmed that its lineup of Ryzen Threadripper desktop processors are on track to hit store shelves in August. There will be two Ryzen Threadripper chips at launch, both of which will be unlocked and eager for overclocking. They will feature 64 PCI Express lanes along with support for quad-channel DDR4 memory. The two mega-sized chips will arrive alongside motherboards provided by AMD’s partner manufacturers based on its new Socket TR4 CPU seat

Here is your new Ryzen Threadripper lineup:

Cores
Threads
Base
Speed
Boost
Speed
Price
1920X
12
24
3.5GHz
4.0GHz
$799
1950X
16
32
3.4GHz
4.0GHz
$999

AMD confirmed the existence of Ryzen Threadripper processors based on its Zen design during its 2017 Financial Analyst Day in early May. Since then, a benchmark for the 1950X model reared its head on Geekbench in mid-June, showing unoptimized single- and multi-core performances ranking slightly higher than the Ryzen 7 1800X, but lower than the quad-core Intel Core i7-7700K. The Ryzen Threadripper 1950X chip should hit ludicrous speed out of the box when it hits shelves next month.

In addition to revealing the Ryzen Threadripper lineup, AMD also said that Dell will begin taking pre-orders for the Alienware Area-51 Threadripper PC gaming desktop starting July 27. As revealed in early June, customers will have the option of configuring the desktop with either of the two Ryzen Threadripper processors, which will be overclocked and kept in check using a liquid- cooled solution. Customers can also configure the gaming PC with single (AMD/Nvidia), dual (Nvidia), or triple (AMD) graphics card configurations.

The two Ryzen Threadripper processors will seemingly arrive just after dedicated AMD customers gutted their PCs to support the current high-end Ryzen 7 desktop processor family. The trio launched in March, followed by four mid-range Ryzen 5 models a month later. AMD said a batch of Ryzen 3 chips would be made available sometime in the second half of 2017 to address the entry-level performance PC market.

Now AMD reports that there will be two Ryzen 3 desktop processors hitting store shelves on July 27, both packing four cores and four threads. The chips will fit into the company’s current AM4 processor socket on motherboards, not the massive new Socket TR4 seat designed for the Ryzen Threadripper powerhouses.

Here are the two Ryzen 3 models:

Cores
Threads
Base
Speed
Boost
Speed
Price
Ryzen 3 1300X
4
4
3.5GHz
3.7GHz
TBD
Ryzen 3 1200
4
4
3.1GHz
3.4GHz
TBD

Like the Ryzen Threadripper chips, the new Ryzen 3 desktop processor duo is based on AMD’s start-from-scratch “Zen” CPU design. They are at the other end of the performance spectrum, packing lots of processing power per watt for a low price. Right now, we are not exactly sure what AMD plans to charge for its two Ryzen 3 CPUs, but based on the chart shown below, the Ryzen 3 entries will likely cost $150 and below.

Cores
Threads
Base
Speed
Boost
Speed
Price
Ryzen 7 1800X
8
16
3.6GHz
4.0GHz
$430
Ryzen 7 1700X
8
16
3.4GHz
3.8GHz
$330
Ryzen 7 1700
8
16
3.0GHz
3.7GHz
$270
Ryzen 5 1600X
6
12
3.6GHz
4.0GHz
$240
Ryzen 5 1600
6
12
3.2GHz
3.6GHz
$215
Ryzen 5 1500X
4
8
3.5GHz
3.7GHz
$190
Ryzen 5 1400
4
8
3.2GHz
3.4GHz
$165

The Raspberry Shake 4D is a tiny seismograph that lets you monitor earthquakes

Why it matters to you

If you believe that tracking tremors is only something that can be done from a laboratory, think again.

Thanks to a veritable pantheon of smart home devices, we are now able to track even the most minute of changes in our homes. Slight difference in temperature? Track it. Slight change in pressure? Track it. Uptick in radon levels? Track it. But for the big stuff — you know, things you can actually feel, like tremors — we somehow have not figured out how to keep tabs on. Until now, that is. Meet the Raspberry Shake 4D, a “professional personal Earth monitoring device” that puts you in the shoes of a seismologist and could even help you monitor for earthquakes.

Building upon the success of last year’s Raspberry Shake, which exceeded its initial Kickstarter funding goal by a 1,400 percent, the Raspberry Shake 4D makes use of four precision sensors to monitor the Earth’s vibrations, allowing users to observe the vibrations happening all around us — big or small. Capable of detecting a wide range of motion, this little device is capable of some pretty big things — indeed, things that were previously thought only possible with professional-grade equipment. But whereas real seismograph machines will set you back thousands upon thousands of dollars, this guy is just a few hundred on Kickstarter.

“The Raspberry Shake 4D is so sensitive that there is always something to see, even the fun stuff that you never thought possible — like rush-hour traffic, cheering crowds at a local concert or football game, and even noisy neighbors with thin walls,” said Branden Christensen the CEO of Osop, the company behind the Raspberry Shake.

The 4D version of the device features four times the input sensors of the original version and promises double the output. “Now it is possible to see double the range of vibrations across all dimensions (laterally and vertically) making the 4D the most powerful personal seismograph in existence,” claimed Ángel Rodríguez, the designer of the device.

So if you are looking to nurture a budding interest in geology and the ever-moving world around you, this may just be the device to get you started on your journey. The Raspberry Shake 4D is available for pre-order on Kickstarter for $300 and is slated to begin shipping in October.

Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest iOS app deals available from the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

Mnemosyne

Mnemosyne generates passwords from a passphrase of your choice and a user name. Generated passwords are never stored to the device; they are recreated from the passphrase that you memorize and your user name.

Available on:

iOS

Mango

Mango is the ideal tool for monitoring your calorie intake and physical activity routine on a daily basis. It’s the perfect app if you want to lose weight, or simply improve your eating habits.

Available on:

iOS

Aura

Aura’s powerful and beautifully designed tools will help you add frames, filters, text, and so much more to your photos, in the most creative and playful way.

Available on:

iOS

Beginner Runner

Get off your couch and start your journey toward running your first 5K feeling strong, confident, and ready for the challenge, all with Beginner Runner.

Available on:

iOS

OneHour Guitar Chord Method

Looking to learn the guitar? You might be able to do so by way of this app. It’s not a chord generator, but in one hour, it promises to have you throwing your chord dictionary into the fireplace.

Available on:

iOS

Equalizer+

Get the most out of your music with Equalizer+, the app that lets you customize the sound quality for your various music tracks.

Available on:

iOS

Don’t miss this chance to win a OnePlus 5 from Android Central!

We’re pretty big fans of the OnePlus 5 here at Android Central. We want you to experience this phone for yourself, so we’ve put together a little contest that will give one of you the opportunity to win a OnePlus 5, because who doesn’t like winning free phones? All the details are below, so get yourself entered now!

THE PRIZE: One Android Central reader will be taking home a new OnePlus 5!

THE GIVEAWAY: Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. The prize does not include service, and we cannot guarantee that the device will work on all carriers. International winners will be responsible for any customs fees incurred during shipping.

The giveaway is open until August 3, 2017, and the winner will be announced right here shortly after the closing date. Good luck!

Win a OnePlus 5 from Android Central!

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The OnePlus 5 is filled with great little software customizations to make it your own

It’s your phone, and you should be able to change things — no matter how small.

The OnePlus 5 receives appropriate praise for its clean software experience, but there’s more to it than simplicity. OxygenOS, as OnePlus calls it, integrates a ton of little useful customization options to let your OnePlus 5 look and act just how you like it. Now there isn’t so much customization in here as to let you change the entire experience, but there are things you can change on a OnePlus 5 that you typically have to load a custom ROM on your phone to get, and that’s great.

Here are some of the little things you can change on your OnePlus 5’s software to make it your own.

Status bar

Now this is a really nerdy thing, but one that’s wonderful: you can choose exactly which icons show up in your OnePlus 5’s status bar. Just head into Settings and then Status bar to get started.

Of course most people will keep the usual set of icons for the volume status, Bluetooth connection, Wi-Fi and such … but the best part about this is being able to turn off the more annoying and relatively useless icons. Things like the VoLTE status, Wi-Fi calling, NFC, and the headset indicator. If you don’t want to see them, you don’t have to. It’s rather magical and we seriously wish every phone did this.

On top of that, you can of course choose what battery indicator you want, show the active network speed, and change the clock to actually show the seconds as well.

Navigation buttons

Probably the best example of the software’s customizability is the navigation buttons. Not only can you decide between on-screen and capacitive navigation keys, but you have so many options beyond that simple choice. Head into Settings then Buttons to get started.

If you choose to go with the capacitive keys below the screen, you get the most customization options — and the most screen real estate, of course. You can of course swap the back and recents keys but also enable both a “long press” and “double tap” action for all three buttons. Each of the six actions can do things like open or close the menu, launch Google Assistant, turn off the screen, open your last-used app, and more. It will take a while to learn but can be extremely powerful and save you time.

For the software navigation bar, you can simply choose to swap the back and recents keys (if you’re perhaps used to Samsung phones), or enable the hardware home button so it works even though you have an on-screen button. That’s useful in full-screen apps. If you turn on the hardware home button, you also unlock the long press and double press actions for that button as well.

Gestures

OnePlus honestly had some troubles with its gesture control system early on, but has refined it to make it relatively useful for those who want extra “hidden” things they can do with their phone. Found in Settings then Gestures, you’ll see a few different things you can do by swiping your finger around on the screen when it’s turned off.

The basics are double-tap to wake, which we’ve seen on many phones, and music controls that let you swipe down with two fingers to play/pause media or draw an arrow to skip back or forward.

You then get five more gestures you can turn on and customize. By drawing an O, V, S, M or W, you can choose to perform actions like launching the camera, turning on the flashlight, or just launching any app on your phone. Between all five letters, you can do a whole lot without actually turning on your phone and tapping an app icon. That’s powerful.

Launcher, theme, and icon packs

If you choose to stick with the stock OnePlus Launcher, which closely mimics the Pixel’s launcher and is quite nice, you get a few nice features. One hidden nugget is the ability to swipe up anywhere on the home screen to access the app drawer but also swipe down anywhere to bring down the notification shade — no more reaching! In the launcher settings, you can turn off the notification swipe if you want but also turn off the Android Nougat long-press app shortcuts if you find them annoying.

OnePlus includes an important feature for those who love to tweak their phone: full icon pack support. Just pinch in on your home screen and select Settings. The stock launcher lets you choose between three different icon styles — standard, rounded or square — but also supports any third-party icon pacs you may have installed. That means you can get one of the hundreds of custom icon sets out there, install it, and have the OnePlus 5 switch to it seamlessly. They usually take a bit more work than that, so it’s great to see native support for this sort of niche tweak.

To complete the look with your icon pack, you can also choose between different themes at a system level as well. Under Settings and Display, select Theme and choose between the default theme, a light theme, or a dark theme. Yes, a default dark theme.

Notification LED

Knowing its target market, OnePlus still includes a notification LED on the top bezel of the phone — it also gives you great control over it in the settings. Under Settings then Display and LED notifications, you’ll find all of the available options.

You get to choose between eight different colors — dark blue, light blue, orange, green, red, yellow, purple, and pink — for the LED for basic functions like charging, battery full, battery low, and any general notification coming in. But you can also choose exactly which apps will light up that “general notification” color. You probably don’t care about the LED blinking for Android Pay or Dropbox, but you do want to be notified by Gmail or your banking app. Just scroll through the list and pick which ones you want.

Unfortunately you can’t pick different LED colors for different apps or get super granular and start addressing different apps with a different flash pattern, but a vast majority of people will be happy with the included settings.

The coolest part about all of these tweaks is that if you don’t want to change anything, you don’t have to! None of these settings particularly get in the way or interfere with just using the OnePlus 5 right out of the box. That’s great design right there.

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This $8 portable battery packs 10000mAh of power to keep your devices going

Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time with a great deal on a portable battery pack you’re going to want!

Manufacturers have finally started putting more focus into the battery performance on smartphones, but often times with how busy we are they still don’t meet our needs. No one wants to sit connected to a wall to get extra power during the day, and luckily you don’t have to. Portable batteries are an investment everyone should make, especially when they are this inexpensive. Right now you can pick up a 10000mAh battery pack from Kmashi for just $7.99 with coupon code 5EX29OBFat Amazon.

This is a discount of $4 off its regular price and brings it around $1.50 lower than we normally see deal prices on it for. It has 2 USB ports so you can easily charge multiple devices at the same time (outputs at 2.1A), and the built-in LEDs show you how much power the battery itself has left. If you struggle to make it through the day with your battery life or need something for when traveling, you won’t want to miss this deal.

See at Amazon

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Best Tempered Glass Screen Protectors for HTC U11

Want to keep your HTC U11 in pristine condition? That means you’ll want to look into a tempered glass screen protector. The U11 has a slight curve around the edge of the screen, which makes pure edge-to-edge protection from a tempered glass screen protector difficult.

Nevertheless, if you pair a tempered glass screen protector with a quality case, you’ll get supreme protection for your new phone. Here’s a rundown of some of the best options for the HTC U11.

• Supershieldz
• Wimaha
• Orzero

Supershieldz (2-pack)

This two-pack of screen protectors from Supershieldz is compatible with cases and features a black border with precise cutouts around the fingerprint sensor, ear speaker, and camera. It features hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings to protect against sweat and oil from your fingerprints.

The adhesive is around the edges, which is less than ideal and may lead to issues such as a rainbow effect when the screen is turned off. If that’s not a dealbreaker for you, you can get two for under $10, and enjoy Supershieldz’s no-hassle lifetime replacement warranty.

See at Amazon

Wimaha (2-pack)

Don’t like the look of a black border on your screen protector? Consider this two-pack from Wimaha. As mentioned above, it does not offer full edge-to-edge protection, but does cover the entirety of the display and is compatible with cases for better protection.

This screen protector includes curved edges for a smooth touch experience and features cutouts around the fingerprint scanner and camera to avoid any weak points in the screen protector’s design. The package includes everything you’ll need to ensure a clean, bubble-free installation with both of the protectors included. Wimaha backs its product with a lifetime warranty.

Again, this is far from being the ideal edge-to-edge protection we all want in a screen protector, but unless phone manufacturers go back to a flat sheet of glass for screens, we’re going to be dealing with this issue for the foreseeable future.

See at Amazon

Orzero (2-pack)

Another option comes from Orzero, with another two-pack of tempered glass screen protectors with black borders. They feature hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings with rounded edges and include a complete package for a bubble-free installation.

It goes right up to the curved edge of the screen but leaves a bit exposed — perfectly covered by a case. You’ll want to take your time during installation to ensure all the cutouts are precisely lined up with the fingerprint scanner, ear speaker, and front-facing camera. Since it’s a two-pack, you’ll get two shots at getting it right, and it’s backed by Orzero’s lifetime replacement warranty.

See at Amazon

How do you keep your HTC U11 safe?

Have you tried out a different make of screen protector? Opting for a film protector for better coverage? Let us know in the comments below!

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Judge allows pacemaker data to be used in arson trial

Remember Ross Compton, that man from Ohio who was charged with aggravated arson and insurance fraud based on his pacemaker data? He and his lawyer tried to convince the court to disregard that evidence, arguing that it was obtained in an illegal search. Well, the judge that heard the case didn’t see it that way: he has decided to allow the suspect’s pacemaker results to be used as evidence against him in an upcoming trial.

Compton told the cops that when he saw his house burning last year, he packed his bags, tossed them out his bedroom window and carried them to his car. However, authorities got a hold of his pacemaker data and had a cardiologist review his heart rate, pacer demand and cardiac rhythms from that day. The doctor went on record to say that “it is highly improbable Mr. Compton would have been able to collect, pack and remove the number of items from the house, exit his bedroom window and carry numerous large and heavy items to the front of his residence during the short period of time he has indicated due to his medical conditions.”

Privacy advocates worry that the case could put the privacy of our medical records at risk. Compton’s lawyer, Glenn Rossi, told CNET that allowing someone’s medical information collected by a device to be used as evidence “further expands the government’s ability to access some of our most fundamental private information.” He added:

“We take the strong position that medical data regarding the inner functions of one’s body designed to assist a doctor in keeping a patient alive should be safeguarded against government overreach. As was argued to the court, what is next on this slippery slope as technology advances?”

Electronic Frontier Foundation staff lawyer Stephanie Lacambra said something similar when news first broke that authorities obtained Compton’s medical info:

“Americans shouldn’t have to make a choice between health and privacy. We as a society value our rights to maintain privacy over personal and medical information, and compelling citizens to turn over protected health data to law enforcement erodes those rights.”

Judge Charles Pater, however, doesn’t think the data’s use has bigger privacy implications:

“There is a lot of other information about things that may characterize the inside of my body that I would much prefer to keep private rather than how my heart is beating. It is just not that big of a deal.”

Compton is now scheduled to stand trial on December 4th and could be betrayed by his own heartbeat.

Via: CNET

Source: Hamilton Journal News