Daimler funds Volocopter’s autonomous flying taxi dreams

Volocopter just got a $30 million cash injection, thanks to a few investors, including fellow German firm Daimler. The automaker’s contribution can help the company stick to its timeline and its plans to release its first autonomous electric air taxis next year. Volocopter has been working on the creation of a personalized air transport system for years and completed the first manned test flight of its multicopter in 2016.

In April, the company introduced its newest model, an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft called Volocopter 2X that can be piloted by anyone with a Sport Pilot License during its test flights. It also teamed up with Dubai to conduct the first demonstrations of the autonomous version of its air taxi in the fourth quarter of 2017. Dubai is probably the best place for Volocopter to conduct its pilot trials, considering the city is planning to carry out 25 percent of passenger transport through autonomous vehicles by 2030.

That’s also why Daimler is the perfect financier. In its funding announcement, Volocopter said automakers are “intensely interested in the mobility of the future,” such as autonomous driving or electrical mobility. “Daimler is therefore a very valuable strategic partner,” the company added.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Volocopter

Spark: New video and photo features let you have even more fun with your drone

Why it matters to you

Flying the Spark? Then go grab the new features now!

When it launched in May, DJI’s diminutive Spark drone impressed us with its slew of intelligent flight modes and clever gesture controls.

Now the company wants you to have even more fun with your flying machine with the release of a firmware update that lets you easily grab a 180-degree, panoramic photo. Offered alongside the existing Vertical and Horizontal Pano modes, the new 180 mode stitches together 21 individual photos to create even wider panoramas of your favorite scenes.

DJI has also improved the photo resolution when shooting in ActiveTrack and Gesture Modes, allowing you to capture 12-megapixel images with a resolution of 3968×2976 pixels.

You also have a new gesture to start and stop video recording. This adds to Spark’s existing set of gesture controls that include follow, send away, beckon, and snap selfies. To start and stop recording remotely, all you need to do is get within two meters of the Spark and raise one arm out to your side, as shown in the image. To let you know it’s understood your gesture and is about to start recording, the drone’s front LEDs will blink red. To stop recording, simply repeat the gesture.

DJI has also enhanced Spark’s QuickShot flight modes that prompt the quadcopter to fly along a preset flight path while recording a video, tracking the subject as it flies. The update means you can now choose in which circular direction the drone flies during Circle and Helix modes, offering users even more control over their shots. In addition, Dronie mode now offers more height, while Rocket mode should now create smoother shots.

The firmware update offers overall performance improvements, too, “including better responsiveness to input from the remote controller, enhanced connectivity between the aircraft and remote controller, as well as flight logging for the Intelligent Battery system,” DJI said.

Well received, but …

The Spark has been largely well received by consumers and reviewers alike, with DJI’s smallest quadcopter offering an impressive feature set for just $500. But there’s been concern over reports of a handful of machines losing power midflight, causing them to crash to the ground.

In recent days the Chinese company acknowledged the issue and said it’d launched an investigation. “Flight safety and product reliability are top priorities,” a DJI spokesperson told Digital Trends. “Our engineers are thoroughly reviewing each customer case and working to address this matter urgently.”

For the vast majority of Spark owners whose machine continues to operate as it should, the new features loaded with this week’s update offer even more opportunities for a fun flying experience.

Install it by downloading it to your Spark and remote controller, which’ll also update the firmware on the Intelligent Battery system. You’ll also need the latest version of the DJI GO 4 mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices.

Stream Lollapalooza performances live this weekend on Red Bull TV

Another summer big summer music festival is upon us. This weekend, artists converge on Chicago for four days of live tunes at Lollapalooza. If you can’t make the trip, don’t fret: Red Bull TV is streaming select sets to just about any TV device you might own. Coverage starts Thursday, August 3rd at 6:30PM ET with a pre-show and Cage the Elephant will properly kick things off at 7:35PM ET. Other acts who are scheduled to perform include Lorde, Muse, Run the Jewels, Wiz Khalifa, Phantogram, alt-J, The Shins and many more. The music starts earlier in the afternoon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so if you don’t have any plans, there are much worse things to do with your time.

As far as availability goes, Red Bull TV offers apps for Android, iOS, Kindle Fire and Windows 10. You can also access the livestream on Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV (and Fire TV Stick), Roku, PlayStation and Xbox. In terms of smart TVs, the Lollapalooza will be available on Samsung and LG models as well as on Samsung’s connected Blu-Ray players. And last but not least, there’s always the web. If you want to watch there, you can do so at redbull.tv or Lollapalooza.com.

Source: Red Bull TV

ASRock confirms current motherboards won’t support Intel’s ‘Coffee Lake’ CPUs

Why it matters to you

ASRock confirms that system builders looking forward to Intel’s next-generation Coffee Lake processors won’t be able to simply swap out their current CPU.

Motherboard manufacturer ASRock jumped on Twitter at the tail end of July to reveal that motherboards based on Intel’s 200 Series chipsets will not be compatible with Intel’s upcoming eighth-generation “Coffee Lake” processors. The news shouldn’t be a surprise given that the coffee-based CPUs are expected to launch alongside Intel’s new 300 Series motherboard chipsets before the end of 2017.

No，Coffee Lake CPU is not compatibilble with 200 series motherboards.

— ASRock (@ASRockInfo) July 31, 2017

Looking back, Intel launched its 100 Series motherboard chipsets alongside its sixth-generation “Skylake” processors, and the LGA 1151 motherboard “seat” (socket). These chipsets spanned six different groups providing specific features for the entry-level, mainstream, and high-performance desktop markets. For Intel’s X-Series “enthusiast” CPU products, Intel provided the X99 motherboard chipset, and the GA 2011-v3 socket.

When Intel introduced its seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” processor lineup at the beginning of 2017, the company also launched its supporting 200 Series motherboard chipsets while keeping the same LGA 1151 socket. There are five different sets, again serving up specific features for the three desktop markets. For Intel’s recent X-Series “enthusiast” chips, Intel supplies its new X299 chipset, and the LGA 2066 motherboard socket.

Following this pattern, Intel will provide various 300 Series motherboard chipsets to support new features crammed into its eighth-generation “Coffee Lake” CPUs. Intel appears to be sticking with the same LGA 1151 watering hole used by all of its previous desktop CPU “lakes,” as the chips are supposedly based on 14nm Plus (14nm+) process technology, the same node it used for its seventh-generation desktop CPU portfolio.

For the moment, Intel’s unofficial lineup includes four possible processors based on a recent leak. Here they are:

Cores/
Threads
Base
Speed
Single
Core
Turbo
Dual
Core
Turbo
Four
Core
Turbo
Six
Core
Turbo
Power
Draw
i7-8700K
6 / 12
3.7GHz
4.7GHz
4.6GHz
4.4GHz
4.3GHz
95 watts
i7-8700
6 / 12
3.2GHz
4.6GHz
4.5GHz
4.3GHz
4.3GHz
65 watts
i5-8600K
6 / 6
3.6GHz
4.3GHz
4.2GHz
4.2GHz
4.1GHz
95 watts
i5-8600
6 / 6
2.8GHz
4.0GHz
3.9GHz
3.9GHz
3.8GHz
65 watts

Intel confirmed that its eighth-generation processor family was in the works in February of 2017 right after the company’s January launch of its seventh-generation desktop processor family. The tease appeared on Intel’s official Twitter feed revealing a launch window spanning the second half of 2017. Prior to that, Intel muddied the code name waters by teasing its “Cannon Lake” processor for 2-in-1 PCs based on a smaller 10nm process technology. These are expected to appear in the first half of 2018.

Intel’s eighth-generation processors will arrive at the tail end of its Core X-Series desktop CPU rollout in October. The new “enthusiast” lineup is based on a revised version of Intel’s seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” design (aka “Kaby Lake-X”), and a revised version of its sixth-generation “Skylake” design (aka “Skylake-X”).

Currently, Intel’s 12-core i9-7940X “Skylake-X” processor is scheduled for September. Following in October will be Skylake-X-based 14-core i9-7940X, the 16-core i9-7960X, and the 18-core i9-7980XE. After that, Intel’s schedule will be wide open for highly promoting its eighth-generation portfolio.

We’re secretly hoping Intel will move away from its “lakes” for the next-generation CPU family, using something like “Burger Ocean” or “Pizza Gulf.”

LG confirms V30 will have 6-inch OLED display with curved edges, tiny bezels

LG is a big fan of teasing products.

We have a whole lot of information on the upcoming LG V30 already, but now LG has just come out and confirmed that the phone will have a 6-inch OLED display with curved edges and very small bezels. This marks an immediate change from the LG G6, which has an flat LCD but is otherwise expected to lend much of its design to the upcoming phone. The V30 will go with OLED for the first time in a top-end LG phone since the G Flex 2.

Even though the LG G6 has a solid LCD, there are several advantages available to LG when it goes with OLED. The screen technology isn’t as thick as an LCD, can offer punchier colors, and often isn’t as reflective in bright sunlight. OLED is the only way for phones to currently offer the response time necessary for VR as well, which is what initially tipped us off to the idea that the V30 would go AMOLED a couple months ago.

Going with AMOLED has tons of advantages.

A large portion of the smartphone industry has gone to AMOLED screens, in part following Samsung’s lead as it stuck with AMOLED for several years now. LG is obviously no stranger to OLED panels either, with its display division making everything from massive OLED television panels down to some very interesting P-OLED (that stands for “plastic OLED”) screens like the one that will be in the V30. That P-OLED tech will let LG curve the edges of the V30 to make the phone narrower. This won’t be flexible like the G Flex series, though — it’ll be covered in Gorilla Glass 5.

Alongside the panel announcement, LG used the opportunity to tease the shape of the V30, which you can see above. Not only does this corroborate our early assumptions about what the V30 will look like (following in the footsteps of the G6), it also shows that we can expect super small bezels much like the Galaxy S8+ and upcoming Galaxy Note 8. LG says the V30’s top bezel is 20% smaller than the V20’s, and the bottom bezel is 50% smaller. It’s all shaping up to be a super interesting phone that not only improves dramatically from its predecessor, but also has many of the design elements of its biggest competition from Samsung.

LG will unveil the V30 at an event in Berlin on August 31, coinciding with the IFA trade show.

LG’s next OLED phone is just as big, but not flexible

Look for another super-sized OLED phone on the way from LG soon, as it has just announced a flagship device built around a 6-inch FullVision display to match the G6 and Q6. While LG has established leadership in TVs with its OLED screens, so far they haven’t made as much of an impact in mobile, outside of the quirky G Flex series that had its last device launch in 2015.

This time around, its OLED screen could slide into the V-series as a replacement for the dual-screen gimmick — if you’re looking for that then a Q8 is the phone for you. We’re expecting to see the V30 at a product unveiling on the 31st, and rumors had already indicated that it would look like a “larger, curvier G6.” LG isn’t even trying to hide the link, mentioning that this device upper and lower bezels that are reduced 20 and 50 percent, respectively, from the V20.

The plastic OLED screen of this likely-V30 with a 1,440 x 2,880 resolution display protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and including tech that LG says will eliminate the risk of burn-in and reduce the impact on battery life. It also has curved edges, which should compare nicely to the anticipated Galaxy Note 8, not to mention another rumored OLED smartphone. The company just invested billions in expanding a few OLED production lines, so whatever this phone turns out to be, we’re sure it won’t be the last one.

Source: LG

Mozilla file sharing test wipes files after one download

The files you share online tend to linger around in the cloud. But what if you don’t like the possibility that someone might swipe your files after you’re done? Mozilla is offering an answer — it just introduced an experimental website, Send, that lets you send large files (up to 1GB) to someone without worrying that someone else might grab them. Files not only stick around for a maximum 24 hours, they disappear the moment your recipient finishes their download. You don’t have to remember to delete the file, or worry about an after-the-fact hack. This concept isn’t completely new, but the drag-and-drop simplicity combined with Mozilla’s recognition makes it intriguing.

We wouldn’t count on Send lasting forever, since it’s a test, but it’s easy to see it sticking around if it’s popular enough. And if you don’t need to shuttle large files, there are a pair of additional experiments. Voice Fill lets you speak to input text, and Notes gives you a place to quickly jot down memos without leaving your browser.

Via: Mozilla Blog

Source: Send

Shopify goes after Square with a new mobile credit card reader

Shopify just released its new card reader that makes it easy for merchants to complete credit or debit card-based sales on the go. The reader accepts chip dips or swipes and works with Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. It connects wirelessly to Android and Apple phones via Bluetooth and at full charge can carry out 400 chip dips and 700 swipe transactions.

Shopify’s reader is an alternative to the popular version sold by Square, which just introduced a prepaid debit card that lets users tap into their Square Cash while shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. PayPal and Intuit also have mobile card readers, while Amazon’s short-lived version is no more. Shopify unveiled its new reader in April and began taking select pre-orders last month. Today, the reader is available to all Shopify merchants.

To use Shopify’s card reader, you’ll have to have nothing older than an iPhone 5 or iPad Gen 3 running iOS 9 or higher or an Android device running version 4.4 at minimum. It’s only available in the US and is being offered to new Shopify point-of-sale merchants for free. Everyone else can snag one for $29.

Source: Shopify

Honeywell’s connected thermostats now work with Google Home

Google welcomed Honeywell into the Home family as a partner back in January, but now it’s finally including both of the company’s connected thermostat families, the Lyric and Total Connected Comfort.

Users can control them using either Home’s voice controls or through Google Assistant on an Android device. That adds to the thermostats’ existing integrations with connected platforms, including Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings and user-customized IFTTT functionality.

Source: Honeywell

Verizon’s new program gives it permission to track your digital history

Why it matters to you

If you sign up for the program, say goodbye to your digital privacy.

Verizon’s new rewards program, called Verizon Up, may sound like a pretty good deal at first glance — but there are a few things to be aware of. For example, the fact that you have to sign off having pretty much all your data tracked by the company.

As part of the program, customers get this like “Device Dollars,” which can go toward buying your next phone and discounts on accessories from Verizon’s partners. You also get ticket opportunities, surprise rewards, and so on. Pretty neat, right? Well, it would be — but to become a member of that rewards program, you need to enroll in Verizon Selects.

What is Verizon Selects? Well, it is basically a program that allows Verizon to track your web browsing, personal interests, app usage, location, demographic information, address (both physical and email), and more. That would be bad enough if it was only Verizon getting that info — but the company will also share that data with its new subsidiaries Yahoo and AOL, as well as “vendors and partners” — which is pretty vague.

Now, this is not all that new for Verizon. As noted in a report from The Verge, Verizon Selects was a big part of the company’s previous rewards program, Smart Rewards. That, however, does not make it any less worrisome– and frustrating if you want to take advantage of the rewards.

That is not to say that the new rewards program isn’t a great program — in fact it is. As mentioned, you have access to a host of prizes and discounts through the program, including discounted tickets called “Super Tickets,” and “Dream Tickets” — which are basically discounted tickets to “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences. Dream Tickets are only offered to certain select customers.

Still, the program’s perks are the point — that is how Verizon convinces you that signing off on all your personal data is worth it. We are not going to argue that you should not sign up for it — just that it is important to be at least aware of the tradeoff you are making, and the fact that you are essentially signing away a huge chunk of your online privacy.