The Morning After: Thursday, July 20th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

How do you do, fellow kids? Our back to school guide is overflowing with laptop and desktop recommendations, there’s a smart workout-stick Kickstarter and everyone’s talking about 911. Also, keep an eye out later today for Microsoft’s latest earnings report.

This list goes to 11.Back to School 2017: The best computers for students

Today our buying guide focuses on computers. Surface, MacBook, Spectre — we break down all the big names and point out why they deserve a spot in your dorm room this fall. With starting prices ranging from $469 to $1,550, and screen sizes running the gamut from 12 inches to 27, there’s something for just about every use case.

Windows 10 is coming to appliances.Microsoft shows off a Nest-like thermostat based on Cortana

Microsoft didn’t make this GLAS thermostat — Johnson Controls did — but Windows IoT tech is powering its smart features. Like Harman Kardon’s speaker, it shows what the Cortana Skills Kit is capable of voice controls and more. We don’t have much information about this device yet, but it appears there’s a new challenger to take on Nest.

It’s a smart stick.Axon trains your muscles with light-based feedback

This pool-cue-like training tool can tell how hard you’re pushing its sensing end into a hard surface, then provides feedback via built-in lights to direct your workout. The five-foot-long Axon claims it can provide a full-body workout, which… we guess is true. Kickstarter pricing starts at $199, which seems perfect for something you’ll use once before tossing it in the garage next to your elliptical, pull-up bar and ThighMaster.

Great for insomniacs.Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’: lousy TV, good for developers

You’d think that Apple would be able to create a show that’s unique, informative and entertaining, given its expertise on the subject matter and history of innovating (even if its latest projects have been bland). Unfortunately, the most interesting part of the show barely gets enough screen time.

Get to the airport early.DHS: Enhanced airport screening measures are now in effect

If you’re flying into the US, you can expect a greater scrutiny of your electronics. You may be asked to unpack your carry-on bags, so security officials can examine these devices. You can also expect more swabbing and bomb-sniffing dogs.

It’s not a fake life saver.911

We had a busy day for emergency calling across three different tech companies. Apple patented a way for users to discreetly call 911 with just their fingerprint, while Google updated its phone app to automatically display your location (based on GPS) for you to see when you call 911. That’s great, but OnePlus 5 owners are just worried about their calls going through after multiple users reported that dialing 911 caused their phones to reboot. An update to fix the bug is on the way.

This is just televised ‘Scrabble,’ right?Here’s the ‘Words With Friends’ TV show you didn’t ask for

Following the lead of Shazam, Angry Birds and Candy Crush, MGM and Zynga are working on a Words with Friends game show.

But wait, there’s more…

• Lenovo reveals AR headset and other ambitious AI concepts
• Trump endorses FCC’s plan to roll back net neutrality
• Focusing on business might resurrect Google Glass
• Twitch vs. YouTube Gaming: A ‘Destiny 2’ snapshot

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The ESA’s hunt for gravitational waves is over, for now

On July 18th, 2017 at around 2PM Eastern time, Professor Stefano Vitale sent the LISA Pathfinder its final kill commands from the mission’s control center in Germany. The lead investigator’s instructions prompted the probe to reboot itself and run a corrupted version of its software. That ensures that the spacecraft will harmlessly orbit the sun without colliding into other probes. Before the ESA powered down Pathfinder, though, it was able to meet and even exceed all the agency’s objectives.

The mission was actually conjured up to test technologies the ESA plans to equip the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna or LISA, a constellation of three space observatories that will be capable of detecting gravitational waves. A few months after the test probe launched in 2015, it positioned itself at the first Lagrange Point, letting its two gold-platinum alloy cube instruments float in their cages while they freefall. Scientists can use those cubes as microphones to listen to the sounds of the universe.

Gravitational waves are typically described as ripples in spacetime. They have several possible sources, including the merging of black holes, supernovae and stars orbiting each other. In 2016, 100 years after Albert Einstein predicted their existence based on his theory of general relativity, researchers from Caltech’s LIGO Lab were finally able to verify their presence.

The fact that it took a century to verify gravitational waves’ existence proves they’re pretty hard to detect. LISA will hunt for them by using six cubes — two on each spacecraft linked to each other via lasers. We’ll have to wait over 17 more years before seeing LISA’s results, though, since it won’t be heading to space until 2034.

At least the bigger mission’s still a go: it was in jeopardy for a few years after NASA pulled out of its partnership with the ESA due to budgetary constraints. After much deliberation, and possibly thanks to Pathfinder’s stellar performance, the European agency decided to go through with the project last month. NASA is also thinking of rejoining as a major partner.

[A computer render of LISA. Image credit: AEI/Milde Marketing/Exozet]

Source: BBC, NASA Spaceflight, German Aerospace Center

Petcube’s $249 treat cam goes on sale next week

Petcube has released a new pet camera, and it can do so much more than its typical counterparts. You can use it not just to monitor your furry BFFs, but also to toss them treats, talk to them and share their shenanigans on Facebook Live. Petcube Bites is the company’s third interactive camera, and it’s much bigger than its predecessors, since its body is a high capacity container than can hold two pounds of doggie or cat noms. It can even notify you when treats are running low, and in the near future, you’ll be able to buy a refill on Amazon from within the Petcube app.

The device’s camera has night vision, wide angle lens, digital zoom and can record in 1080p. In addition, Bite has sound and motion alerts, as well as two-way audio, all of which you can control with Petcube’s iOS or Android application. Here’s the fun part, though: you can fling treats on the app’s screen à la Angry Birds for your pet to catch.

Petcube first introduced the Bite treat cam as a Kickstarter project back in 2016. Now, everyone who missed the crowdfunding can get one for $249 from the company’s website, Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers.

Source: Petcube Bites

UK teens say Instagram is the worst app for cyberbullying

New research claims Instagram is home to more cyberbullies than any other social media platform. The findings form part of UK anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label’s annual survey, which consulted over 10,000 young people aged 12 to 20.

Out of the respondents who claim to have encountered cyberbullying, 42 percent said they had experienced it on Instagram. The amount dipped to 37 percent for Facebook, and was even lower for Snapchat at 31 percent. Despite 92 percent of participants saying they used YouTube, only 10 percent claimed to have suffered cyberbullying on the platform.

Although Instagram frequently targets spam and inappropriate hashtags, it’s been slow to introduce tools to combat harassment. However, most young people think the photo-sharing app and other social networks still aren’t doing enough to protect users online. A resounding 70 percent of respondents told Ditch the Label they don’t believe digital platforms are acting to prevent cyberbullying.

The survey also found a general disconnect between the way youngsters behave in real life and online. Almost half (47 percent) said they don’t discuss bad things in their lives on social media, and instead prefer to present an edited version of themselves.

“The concept of right and wrong seems to differ to the ethical standards upheld in our offline communities,” said Liam Hackett, CEO of Ditch the Label. “With 44 percent of respondents believing that only things happening offline could be considered as real life.”

Earlier this year, the UK Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield urged the government to appoint an ombudsman to represent the rights of children to social media companies. The Digital Economy Act passed in June could also result in social media sites being subject to legislation on how to deal with online bullying. We reached out to Instagram for a comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Ditch the Label

Changes to iCloud Put Apple on Collision Course With Governments Seeking Access to Encrypted Messages

Apple has sent its top privacy executives to Australia twice in the past month to lobby government officials over proposed new laws that would require companies to provide access to encrypted messages.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Apple privacy advocates met with attorney general George Brandis and senior staff in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s office on Tuesday to discuss their concerns about the legal changes, which could compel tech companies to provide decryption keys to allow access to secure communications such as that provided by WhatsApp and iMessage.

Apple has consistently argued against laws that would require tech companies to build so-called “back doors” into their software, claiming that such a move would weaken security for everyone and simply make terrorists and criminals turn to open-source encryption methods for their digital communications.

While Apple’s position is clear, the Turnbull government has yet to clarify exactly what it expects tech companies to give up as part of the proposals. A source familiar with the discussions said that the government explicitly said it did not want a back door into people’s phones, nor to weaken encryption.

However, given that encrypted services like WhatsApp and iMessage do not possess private keys that would enable them to decrypt messages, a back door would seem the only alternative. “If the government laid a subpoena to get iMessages, we can’t provide it,” CEO Tim Cook said in 2014. “It’s encrypted and we don’t have a key.”

As it happens, Cook’s comment only applies to iMessages that aren’t backed up to the cloud: Apple doesn’t have access to messages sent between devices because they’re end-to-end encrypted, but if iCloud Backup is enabled those messages are encrypted on Apple’s servers using an encryption key that the company has access to and could potentially provide to authorities.

However, Apple is moving in the same direction as WhatsApp and Telegram to make encryption keys entirely private. As announced at WWDC in June, macOS High Sierra and iOS 11 will synchronize iMessages across devices signed into the same account using iCloud and a new encryption method that ensures the keys stay out of Apple’s hands.

As senior VP of software Craig Federighi noted in interview with Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, even if users store information in the cloud, “it’s encrypted with keys that Apple doesn’t have. And so they can put things in the cloud, they can pull stuff down from the cloud, so the cloud still serves as a conduit — and even ultimately a kind of a backup for them — but only they can read it.”

How this will play out in Apple’s discussions with the Australian government – and indeed other governments in the “Five Eyes” intelligence sharing network seeking similar access to encrypted communications – is anything but clear. According to sources, Apple and the Turnbull government are taking a collaborative approach in the discussions, but previous statements by officials imply a tougher stance behind the scenes.

Last week, Senator Brandis said the Australian government would work with companies such as Apple to facilitate greater access to secure communications, but warned that “we’ll also ensure that the appropriate legal powers, if need be, as a last resort, coercive powers of the kind that recently were introduced into the United Kingdom under the Investigatory Powers Act… are available to Australian intelligence and law enforcement authorities as well”.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Australia, iMessage, privacy, Encryption
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SwiftKey Update Brings Emoji Prediction, ‘Oxygen’ Themes, and More Languages

Microsoft today released an update for SwiftKey that includes a handful of new features including emoji prediction and enhancements to 3D Touch gestures.

Users who tap on the emoji key will now see a new prediction panel that automatically suggests up to 18 relevant emoji depending on what they type, saving them the trouble of searching through the entire list.

The update also includes eight new “Oxygen” themes adding up to a spectrum of vibrant colors for SwiftKey keyboards. The new hues can be found in the Design section of the app and include Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Light Blue, Blue, Purple, and Pink.

In addition, Microsoft said it had made substantial improvements to the responsiveness of 3D Touch gestures in SwiftKey on supporting iPhones, including those that trigger cursor control and cursor movement. Haptic feedback has also been implemented for some keyboard actions, such as opening the emoji panel.

Lastly, SwiftKey added support for 15 new languages including Egyptian Arabic, Tanglish, Bambara, Wolof, Mossi, Greenlandic, and Northern Sami. See here for the full list.

SwiftKey is a free download for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tags: Emoji Keyboard, SwiftKey
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You can now apply to become a beta tester for MIUI 9

Be one of the first to try out MIUI 9.

Xiaomi is going to unveil MIUI 9 in China on July 26, and if you’re like me and can’t wait to get your hands on the ROM, you’re in luck. Xiaomi has announced that it is looking for MIUI 9 beta testers, with the update hitting the Mi 6, Qualcomm-based versions of the Redmi Note 4, and the Redmi 4X (Redmi 4 in India) initially.

Currently, Xiaomi is looking for beta testers for the MIUI 9 China ROM, with details regarding the beta build of the global ROM set to be available soon. The beta program is available globally, and all communication will be handled via QQ messenger, which you’re going to install if you’re selected to take part.

You’ll need to be proficient at MIUI and custom ROMs in general, and be using one of the following Xiaomi devices:

• Mi 6
• Mi 5s Plus
• Mi 5s
• Mi 5c
• Mi 5
• Mi 4S
• Mi 4c
• Mi 4
• Mi 3
• Mi 2/2S
• Mi MIX
• Mi Max 2
• Mi Max
• Mi Note 2
• Mi Note/Pro
• Mi Pad 2
• Mi Pad 1
• Redmi Note 4X (MTK)
• Redmi Note 4X (SD)
• Redmi Note 4
• Redmi Note 3 (MTK)
• Redmi Note 3 (SD)
• Redmi Note 2
• Redmi Note
• Redmi Pro
• Redmi 4X
• Redmi 4A
• Redmi 4
• Redmi 4 Prime
• Redmi 3S/Prime
• Redmi 3
• Redmi 2A
• Redmi 2/Prime
• Redmi 1S
• Redmi 1

To register your interest in the MIUI 9 beta test, you’ll need the Xiaomi MIUI Forum app, which is available on the Play Store. After downloading the app, you’ll need to go to the Recruitment tab, fill out your details, and hit the Submit button. You’ll receive a forum PM if you’ve been selected for the program, with Xiaomi set to roll out the first batch of invites from July 25.

You have until August 1 to sign up for the MIUI 9 beta test. If you’re selected, you’ll be required to share your feedback, find bugs in the ROM, and offer your suggestions in the weekly feature recommendations thread. In return, you’ll be eligible to win prizes, and get priority access for MIUI events.

Interested? Hit up the MIUI forum for all the details, and be sure to turn in your submission before August 1.

See at MIUI forum

Lenovo shows off its latest concepts, including a smart speaker with a built-in projector

Lenovo is working on several ambitious concepts centered around AI.

Back in 2015, Lenovo showed off a laser projector built into a smartphone. Last year, the company revealed a flexible phone. At its Tech World 2017 summit, Lenovo showed off its latest concept products, and this time around, the manufacturer is focusing on AI.

First up is the CAVA, a smart assistant that relies on deep learning to build facial recognition systems and natural language understanding technologies to better understand your queries. CAVA learns based on your usage habits, and it can parse messages to serve up recommendations. For instance, if you have an upcoming calendar event, CAVA will analyze the weather and traffic data and suggest the ideal time to leave.

With SmartCast+, Lenovo is looking to go beyond the likes of Echo and Google Home by offering a smart speaker that recognizes sounds and objects. The speaker also has a built-in projector that delivers AR experiences by projecting images to a wall, with Lenovo looking at educational use cases for the device.

The DaystAR headset is an independent vision processing unit with free-formed surface lenses and a 40-degree field of view, offering untethered AR experiences built on Lenovo’s own AR platform.

Lenovo’s SmartVest has 10 textile sensors built into the ECG-equipped clothing to continually monitor cardiac activity. The vest records ECG signals 24/7, and alerts users if it finds any abnormalities like tachycardia or atrial fibrillation.

Finally, Xiaole is a service aimed at businesses. The AI-based service learns from customer interactions, allowing it to tailor its responses to sound more personal.

Like previous years, there’s no telling if any of the concepts Lenovo highlighted today will turn into viable consumer-ready products.

Latest OxygenOS beta for OnePlus 3/3T includes battery and data usage optimizations

New OxygenOS beta is now rolling out to the OnePlus 3 and 3T.

OnePlus is rolling out OxygenOS Open Beta 20 to the OnePlus 3 (Open Beta 11 for the 3T) that lets you take scrolling screenshots even when a GIF or video is playing. The update includes optimizations to the battery saver indicator — you’ll now see a notification instead of the orange status bar. OnePlus has also improved the calculation method for data usage, leading to more accurate tracking.

Here’s the changelog of the latest build:

• Optimization:

  • Battery saver indication changed from orange status bar to a notification
  • Optimized calculation method for data usage statistics, tracking is now more accurate.
  • Optimized expanded screenshot, now supports capture while gifs and videos are playing. (Experimental)
  • Visual effects improvements for Weather widget

• Bug Fixes:

  • Resolved various 3rd party app crashes
  • Fixed bluetooth device battery status wrongly displayed for non-supported devices
  • Fixed Weather occasionally not being able to retrive forecast data

You can download the latest builds by heading to the OnePlus forums. As always, if you flash the beta builds, you won’t be able to receive updates on the stable channel. You’ll need to revert to a stable OTA build to continue receiving stable updates.

Intel reportedly killed its wearables division

When TechCrunch reported last year that Intel is getting out of wearables, the tech titan vehemently denied it. Now a new report by CNBC indicates that the company is indeed leaving the business behind: the publication says Intel has axed the whole division working on smartwatches and fitness trackers two weeks ago. The New Technologies Group, which is in charge of the chipmaker’s cutting-edge businesses, has now reportedly shifted its focus to augmented reality. If true, this is the second project the company has scrapped in recent months: it also canceled the development its Raspberry Pi competitors in June.

According to CNBC’s source, the tech giant actually laid off 80 percent of the division’s employees in November 2016, so it let fewer people go this time around. A lot of employees in Intel’s wearables division came from Basis, the wearable maker it acquired back in 2014 for $100 million. While their division is now dead, they were apparently given the chance to be reassigned to other parts of the company.

Intel purchased Basis in an effort to make a big splash in the wearables space a few years ago. Unfortunately, it had to recall the Basis Peak smartwatch due to overheating concerns, and things never really picked up after that. When we talked to Dr. Jerry Bautista, Intel’s wearables VP, at CES earlier this year, it became pretty clear that the corporation had no intention of releasing another Basis-branded smartwatch or fitness tracker.

Needless to say, the division’s shut down (if true) didn’t come out of left field. Intel hasn’t confirmed the report yet, but we might hear something about it during its Q2 earnings call scheduled to take place on July 27th.

Source: CNBC