Logitech launches its first updated trackball mouse in nearly a decade

Do you prefer the trackball style mouse? Logitech finally updates its trackball design.

If you’ve become accustomed to trackball scrolling with your mouse, you’ll be happy to learn that Logitech has just launched its first new design for a trackball mouse in almost a decade. It’s called the MX Ergo and its design comes directly from Logitech fans that have figured out ways to make their own trackball mouse more comfortable.

What makes the MX Ergo stand out is its unique adjustable hinge that makes it possible for you to change the angle of your mouse position from 0 to 20 degrees. The mouse is also designed with ergonomics in mind. It is shaped to fit comfortably while your palm rests, but also gives you easy access to its scroll and click features.

The MX Ergo includes all the great features that Logitech’s other mouse accessories have, like easy-switching (two channels), so you can switch between devices without having to re-pair anything. It comes with a unifying USB receiver, so you can pair up to six different Logitech peripherals to one computer, or you can connect it using Bluetooth.

It’s wireless, using Bluetooth LE and a super-fast recharging system. According to Logitech, you could charge it from empty for just a single minute and it will last a full day of use.

We are so excited by this new trackball. It is back, better than ever and the idea for this trackball innovation was inspired by our users, who invented creative ways to achieve their desired level of comfort, sometimes adding additional wedges under their trackball for elevated angles,” saidAnatoliy Polyanker, global portfolio and brand director at Logitech. “The MX Ergo is our first adjustable trackball that delivers on the need for elevated comfort in a beautiful design.

The MX Ergo costs $99.99 and will ship in mid-September. You can pre-order it from Logitech today.

See at Logitech

Europe’s biggest tech show finally delivered

As we wind down after trawling IFA’s labyrinthine halls, covering everything from phones to washing machines, wearables to haunted pianos, we wanted to point out the most notable things to come out of Europe’s biggest tech show — and it was quite the show this year. If you don’t read anything else, read this. And if you do want even more, you can find everything else right here.

Daniel Cooper
Senior Editor

When Microsoft began talking about its Mixed Reality program earlier this year, the whole thing left me pretty cold. The company claimed that it could slash the cost of a VR headset almost in half, and that the kit would even work with PCs that used only integrated graphics. Given the cash and computing power required for a half-decent Vive or Rift setup, I simply couldn’t see Microsoft’s alternative working.

Yet, after trying ASUS’ mixed reality headset here at IFA, I’m a first-class passenger on the Windows Mixed Reality hype train. The company claims that the gear can be installed and running within 10 minutes, letting you explore the world of Windows Mixed Reality almost immediately. That said, my interest is limited to the Steam VR integration and the ability to play virtual reality titles for far less than it costs to buy one of the big two (still pricey) headsets.

VR may take several more years, and several hardware refreshes, before it can really be thought of as a mainstream proposition. The cost and complexity of installation were the two things keeping me from taking the plunge. I’m delighted that serious progress is being made to eliminate both of these challenges.

Mat Smith
Bureau Chief, UK

LG has struggled to claw its way into the best-selling smartphone circle, but the company has a better chance than ever with the V30. It’s generally pitched to “hardcore” video enthusiasts, but when so many of us are turning to our phones to capture our world, and sharing everything we see, and when we’re just not buying cameras anymore, these days it’s a good place to start for pretty much any smartphone shopper.

From color grading for your next video to hi-fi quad DACs for your music listening, there’s a lot here for smartphone power users to like — and you’re reading Engadget, so there’s a good chance you’re one of ’em. Just as important, at least for me, is how it’s all been crammed into a phone that’s far more attractive than LG’s “main” flagship phone, the G6. The biggest challenge the V30 has to overcome, however, is the fact that its launch occurred between those for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and whatever Apple decides to call its new iPhone. Rocks, hard places and smartphones.

Edgar Alvarez
Senior Editor

As much as I love LG’s V30, particularly its design and camera features, it was Sphero that won IFA 2017 for me. The company’s new Star Wars droids, R2-D2 and BB-9E, are going to be must-haves this holiday season. Who doesn’t want cute toys that can be controlled using an app? (Especially if they’re 1:1 replicas of characters from one of the biggest movie franchises of all time.)

What I appreciate the most about Sphero’s latest Star Wars toys is the attention to detail. With BB-9E, the evil counterpart to BB-8 that’s expected to debut in The Last Jedi, the company was able to make its face come to life with working LEDs. So even though BB-9E’s rolling head can taken off its body, when it is attached it can draw power from its body via inductive charging. Meanwhile, R2-D2 has a built-in speaker and makes original sounds from A New Hope.

Sure, they’re not cheap — BB-9E and R2-D2 cost $150 and $180, respectively. But can you really put a price on fun?

Cherlynn Low
Reviews Editor

IFA served as a showcase for a whole variety of artificial-intelligence-powered devices. From washing machines and pianos to speakers and smartphones, all manner of home appliances and gadgets are learning to think for themselves to better serve humans.

What’s different this year is Huawei’s Kirin 970 CPU, which the company says will not only speed up machine-learning programs in its phones but will also protect consumers’ privacy, since it eliminates the need to go through the cloud for processing. We’ll learn more about how the Kirin 970 can improve AI on smartphones in October, when Huawei unveils its Mate 10 flagship — the first with this chip on board.

Until then, we can only wait and see where AI tech will lodge itself next.

Lawsuit claims Trump’s election committee used personal email

Back in July, a group of lawyers sued the Presidential Advisory Committee on Election Integrity for failing to share documents, communications and for refusing to make its meetings open to the public. In a new filing on September 5th, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law plaintiffs say that while the advisory committee has agreed to some concessions around deadlines and document disclosures, members of the governmental group have been using personal email accounts to conduct their business.

The current document (via The Verge) says that using non-governmental email systems violates the Presidential Records Act of 2014, which requires the use of “official federal government email to conduct government business.” The Lawyers’ Committee must be able to search and log any emails used by advisory members to prepare its case. According to the filing, Commissioners promised to search their own emails and identify those that “they believe are relevant, and then forward those emails to Defendants’ counsel.” Wait, what?

It’s hard not to think of the endless tirades against candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during the last election, of course. A federal judge ordered the release of Clinton’s emails from her tenure as Secretary of State, the FBI investigated her emails (twice) and then said it would not press charges, after all.

The advisory committee, for its part, states in the filing that the “defendants do not, moreover, recall making any definitive statements as to email addresses being used by non-federal commissioners,” and that the specific email accounts are not relevant.

Via: The Verge

Source: Lawyers’ Committee

Martin Shkreli is selling his $2 million Wu-Tang album on eBay

Martin Shkreli, for lack of a better/more accurate word, is a gigantic tool. The priapic “pharma bro” gained notoriety after he jacked up the price of an anti-toxoplamosis drug by 5,000 percent in 2015. Later that year, it was revealed that he was the guy who spent $2 million on Wu-Tang Clan’s one-off Once Upon a Time in Shaolin as a kind of middle finger to music fans everywhere. Now Shkreli has listed the ultra-rare album on eBay. Here’s the item description, verbatim. Emphasis ours:

“This is the one and only Wu-Tang album.

I decided to purchase this album as a gift to the Wu-Tang Clan for their tremendous musical output. Instead I received scorn from at least one of their (least-intelligent) members, and the world at large failed to see my purpose of putting a serious value behind music. I will be curious to see if the world values music nearly as much as I have. I have donated to many rock bands and rappers over the years to ensure they can continue to produce their art when few others would.

At any time I may cancel this sale and I may even break this album in frustration. I will donate half of the sale proceeds to medical research. I am not selling to raise cash–my companies and I have record amounts of cash on hand. I hope someone with a bigger heart for music can be found for this one-of-a-kind piece and makes it available for the world to hear.

Martin Shkreli

Upon sale, I will represent & warranty any copies of the music I have will be destroyed. I have not carefully listened to the album, which is a double CD. There is also a finely crafted booklet which you can read about elsewhere. I will pay legal expenses for the buyer up to $25,000 to ensure the final purchase details are mutually agreeable.”

There’s a lot to unpack here. First off, Shkreli still hasn’t listened to the album all the way through; Taylor Swift must’ve never come calling. Then you have to wonder if your bid is actually going to mean anything, given Shkreli’s threat to end the auction prematurely or destroy the CD.

The current bid jumped almost $20,000 in the process of writing this post, and as of press time was sitting at $95,300 with nine days to go.

Back in 2015, fans tried a few different ways to raise the funds to buy this album, including a (failed) Kickstarter campaign to prevent “some über-rich bastard from keeping it to himself like a collector’s item.” We all know how that worked out. As Marketwatch notes, Shkreli broadcast selections from the album to celebrate Donald Trump’s winning the election last year, and also after his Ponzi-scheme conviction.

With this latest turn of events, it looks like Shkreli is disrespecting the Wu-Tang Clan one more time.

Via: Marketwatch

Source: eBay

Spotify’s new head of podcasts and video ran Disney’s Maker Studios

That didn’t take long. Less than a week after Spotify lost its head of video and podcasting Tom Calderone, its snatched Disney’s Courtney Holt for the job. As Variety notes, Holt led Maker Studios when the House of Mouse purchased it back in 2014, and became CEO a year later. Spotify confirmed the hiring to Engadget and said that he’ll focus on expanding premium video offerings in addition to podcasts and other types of audio programming. This hire serves as evidence that the streaming service is taking another swing at pushing deeper into podcasts. Here’s to hoping for more stuff like Traffic Jams, too.

Source: Variety

Apple at odds with Indian regulators over anti-spam app

In a classic case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, Apple’s refusal to approve the Indian government’s anti-spam iPhone app is causing uproar on both sides. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has been pushing unsuccessfully to get its “Do Not Disturb” software included in the App Store, and Apple refuses to budge on the matter, claiming it violates the company’s privacy policy.

The app allows people to share spam numbers with the agency, which passes the data on to carriers so that spammers can be blocked. Apple is having none of it, yet its own policy allows it to share user data with affiliates and strategic partners. Comparatively, the Do Not Disturb app demands much more limited data sharing.

There’s no shortage of iPhones in India — Apple shipped 2.5 million handsets last year, and a limited number are being assembled in Bangalore — but the standoff has serious ramifications for Apple’s plans to expand into the country, where half a billion smartphones will be sold by 2020. Apple wants to open retail stores and secure permission to import used handsets, as well as set up manufacturing facilities, for which it’s submitted a substantial list of demands. With the factions at loggerheads, talks to facilitate these ambitions are proving fruitless.

As such, the regulator is currently putting together a consultative paper on privacy and personal data, and hopes to draw up proposed rules on the way networks use personal information. The process, due to finish in September, could eventually lead to new data legislation which could become part of the telecom licensing process.

As reported by Bloomberg, Ram Sewak Sharma, chairman of the Delhi-based telecom regulator, believes it’s a “ridiculous situation”, and that “no company can be allowed to be the guardian of a user’s data.” He added that, “The problem of who controls user data is getting acute and we have to plug the loose ends. This is not the regulator versus Apple, but Apple versus its own users.”

Via: Bloomberg

Alexa and Google Assistant star in BBC’s interactive radio plays

The BBC is making a new kind of theater that works with your domestic voice assistant — and makes you part of the show. The company’s R&D department has collaborated with Rosina Sound to make a radio play that invites you, the listener, to insert your own lines when cued. And, in true British radio tradition, the story (titled The Inspection Chamber) will be a science fiction audio drama-comedy in the vein of Douglas Adams and Franz Kafka.

BBC wanted to go beyond the traditional “choose your own adventure” mechanic by interacting with voice assistants. The team building it took inspiration from narrative-driven games like The Stanley Parable and Papa Sangre, both of which lean heavily on audio storytelling. But they’re also experimenting with release formats: Initially, episodes will come out for Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, but the team hopes to expand that to simultaneously drop content for all voice assistants, including the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker and Apple’s HomePod.

The pilot episode of The Inspection Chamber is slated to come out before the end of the year, but you can hear a preview snippet on the BBC’s R&D page.

Via: The Verge

Source: BBC

Senate will consider legislation for self-driving trucks

A bill on autonomous car legislation originally scheduled for a vote on September 6th just passed the US House of representatives and has been sent to the Senate for consideration. The bill does not include legislation regarding autonomous big-rig trucks, however, so the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is planning a hearing for September 13th to discuss potential implications for self-driving commercial vehicles.

According to a Senate press release, “Transportation Innovation: Automated Trucks and our Nation’s Highways … will examine the benefits of automated truck safety technology as well as the potential impacts on jobs and the economy. Including or excluding trucks, buses, and other heavy duty vehicles has been a topic of discussion in ongoing bipartisan efforts to draft self-driving vehicle legislation.” The hearing is sponsored by Senator John Thune of South Dakota and will include testimony from the chief of the Colorado State Patrol, Colonel Scott G Hernandez, Navistar’s CEO Troy Clarke, National Safety Council CEO Deborah Hersman and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, Chris Spear.

There are many companies with self-driving trucks in the works. Colorado’s autonomous impact protection vehicle is set to protect road workers, Einride’s self-driving elecrtic vehicle can transport 15 pallets and of course Uber and Waymo continue to try and one-up each other with self-driving big rigs. Convoys of semi-autonomous trucks are even set to hit the UK roads by next year. The push towards vehicles that don’t need human drivers is a concern, however. The future is coming; our government has to figure out how to legislate it.

Via: Reuters

Source: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

‘Flip-flop’ design makes quantum computers more affordable

One of the greatest challenges in quantum computing is… well, making the computers. You may need exotic manufacturing techniques just to handle the very exacting requirements, such as positioning the atoms in quantum bits in exact positions at close distances (to make quantum entanglement happen). However, that might not be a problem going forward. Australian researchers have developed a new chip design that could be built using the same silicon technology that you see in use today.

The technique revolves around ‘flip-flop’ qubits that use both the electron and the nucleus of an atom, with the direction of the electron spin dictating the qubit’s state (hence the name). They can be controlled with electrical signals instead of magnetic ones, and you don’t need to space them as closely or make very tiny supporting lines and electronics. Companies like Google and IBM are trying superconducting circuits that are easy to make, researchers say, but their larger sizes may run into problems down the line when quantum chips could have millions of qubits.

The technology is still theoretical and requires a practical , but it’s promising enough that the scientists started Australia’s first quantum computing company. And it’s easy to see why: if the technology pans out, you could see mass-produced quantum computers that are relatively affordable. While it may be years before you have a quantum phone, the days of elaborate, one-off machines may soon be over.

Via: Reuters

Source: University of New South Wales

Facebook: Russian group spent $100,000 on ads during 2016 election

“Fake news” was one of the biggest buzzwords surrounding the hotly contested 2016 presidential election, with lots of attention focusing on Facebook’s role as a platform for distributing misleading stories. After some reluctance, Facebook has slowly but surely taken steps to keep fake news distribution pages from finding a foothold, and today the company has revealed some data around how widespread the problem actually is. Chief security officer Alex Stamos said in a blog post that Facebook reviewed ad buys and discovered that about $100,000 in ad spend from June 2015 through May 2017 was connected to 470 “inauthentic” pages and accounts — and it looks like the pages were both affiliated with each other and run out of Russia.

This suggests a sort of fake news ring being operated out of Russia, and the Washington Post has more details on this shady-sounding endeavor. According to the Post, Facebook has told US congressional investigators that it sold the ads to a “Russian troll farm” that has a history of “pro-Kremlin” propaganda. Specifically, a Facebook official is reported to have said that “there is evidence that some of the accounts are linked to a troll farm in St. Petersburg, referred to as the Internet Research Agency, though we have no way to independently confirm.”

These fake news pages and ads were found during a Facebook investigation this spring that looked into purchases of politically motivated advertisements. Approximately 3,300 ads had ties to Russia. Facebook notes that the “vast majority” of the ads it analyzed didn’t reference a candidate, voting or the 2016 election specifically; instead, they were intended to “[amplify] divisive social and political messages.” Examples of the topics they touched on included immigration, gun rights, LGBTQ issues and race concerns.

This follows work Facebook has done to curb the influence of such pages. The company recently started blocking ads from pages that promote fake news and also now limits the reach of News Feed posts that link to scammy, ad-filled fake news sites. Facebook has also been more proactive in recent elections, including France’s presidential election in May and the UK snap election in June.

It’s worth noting that Facebook told CNN’s Tom LoBianco in July that is saw no evidence of Russian ads during the election, though CNN’s Marshall Cohen says that it could have discovered the Russian influence in following weeks. Regardless, this news is the latest evidence that Russia tried to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, something that the US intelligence committee has publicly believed since at least January of this year. In addition to this Facebook network, there’s also evidence that Russia attacked voting systems in as many as 39 states.

Source: Facebook, The Washington Post