Texting-and-driving documentary highlights our smartphone addiction

Why it matters to you

The film may be a wake-up call for some drivers who still find it hard to ignore their phone when they’re behind the wheel.

“I don’t even realize half the time how much I actually use my phone [while driving], it kind of just happens … I’m lucky that I haven’t had an accident yet.” So says one of the subjects in a new documentary featuring five Australians in Melbourne hooked on their smartphones to such an extent that “common sense and self-preservation” go out of the window.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Eva Orner, It’s People Like Us features plenty of terrifying footage of guys and gals using their smartphone behind the wheel, despite each one of them acknowledging the dangers posed by such behavior.

“I know it’s not safe but I still feel like I’m not going to have a crash,” one of the subjects says in the just-released film.

The release of the short comes as Australia’s Transport Accident Commission released data showing that half of drivers aged between 18 and 30 in the Australian state of Victoria check their handset immediately when they receive a message while motoring along.

Orner said that with smartphone users checking their devices an average of 150 times a day, “phone attachment has become ingrained in our everyday lives.”

She continues, “We haven’t established boundaries on when and where it’s OK to use our phones, resulting in a profound impact on our behaviour, our relationships, and our personal health and safety.”

The filmmaker says she hopes the documentary will “get each and every one of us to think about how we use our phones in everyday life, question how they have become an extension of ourselves, and inspire change and self-regulation.”

Toward the end of the film, one of the subjects says: “I’m very sure one day I’m going to be checking my phone at the lights thinking it’s all good and an undercover cop car is going to pull me up and I’m going to be caught red-handed … I know it’s going to happen.” Of course, the fact that she’s gone on in front of a camera to admit her dodgy driving behavior should make it a little easier for cops to catch her in the act.

“Their argument is that they’re only using it at the lights but the problem is their attention is all centered on the phone,” one of the officers says in the documentary. “The light goes green, they’re still looking at it when they’re driving forward; you could get a pet run across, you could get a bike coming in the way. It may not be your fault because you’ve got a green light, but you’ve got to live with the fact that you’ve killed someone, it’s as simple as that.”

You can watch It’s People Like Us on YouTube.

The Morning After: Friday, September 22nd 2017

It’s officially iPhone 8 day: Apple’s newest devices go on sale in stores and start to reach new owners. (Pro tip: To reset the iPhone 8, you have to press volume up, volume down, then hold the power switch for what feels like far too long.) It’s not all iPhone, though. Read on.

No Atmos.
Apple TV 4K hands-on

The Ultra HD Apple TV is here, and it’s everything Devindra Hardawar could ask for. Dolby Vision and HDR10 support are present and accounted for, while the remote has a subtle tweak to help users know if they’re holding it the right way. We’ll have a full review for you next week, but enjoy this taste if you’re waiting to find an accessory for your new 4K TV.

Hail to the king.
Original Xbox’s ‘Duke’ controller is returning for current platforms

Xbox designer Seamus Blackley has been building a near-perfect recreation of the 17-year-old Duke controller for peripheral company Hyperkin. We don’t have a price or release date yet, but gamers with super-sized paws should keep an eye out for the return of a classic.

Maybe a Model 3 is the one for you.
Tesla will discontinue its most affordable Model SOn Sunday, Tesla’s vehicle lineup will be smaller by one as it discontinues its cheapest Model S option, the Model S 75. That means the all-wheel-drive version — the 75D — will take its place as the low-end Model S sedan, currently listed at a starting price of $74,500.

On Sunday, Tesla’s vehicle lineup will be smaller by one as it discontinues its cheapest Model S option, the Model S 75. That means the all-wheel-drive version — the 75D — will take its place as the low-end Model S sedan, currently listed at a starting price of $74,500.

Researchers claim it’s the closest artificial material equivalent to a natural muscle.

Synthetic muscle breakthrough could lead to ‘lifelike’ robots

A breakthrough in soft robotics means scientists are now one step closer to creating lifelike machines. Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a 3D printed synthetic tissue that can act as active muscle. The material, which can push, pull, bend, and twist (thanks to its use of silicone rubber and ethanol-dispensing micro-bubbles) is also capable of carrying 1,000 times its own weight. Finally: Soft robots will be able to actually do things.

I’m not sure who will buy it.

Royole’s ‘personal cinema’ headset carries a heavy premium

The personal cinema: A head-mounted display that lets you immerse yourself in a movie, blocking out the distractions of modern life. No matter if you’re on a plane or train, you can pretend that you have your very own screening room. The latest entrant into that world is Royole, a company that doesn’t have a storied history in consumer devices. It hopes to use its know-how to out-do rival headsets, like Avegant and Sony, which have both offered similar hardware in the past. But is a headset really the future of cinema?

Lots of space gym.
How Peggy Whitson stayed in shape aboard the ISS

Space is no place for battles of the bulge. That’s why NASA insists on getting its astronauts into peak physical condition before sending them offworld. But aboard the ISS, in a living space the size of a football field, the human body will readily go to pot. So how did Peggy Whitson, the longest-orbiting astronaut in American history, manage an astonishing nine and a half months in microgravity without having her body and mind atrophy? She hit the astronaut gym.

But wait, there’s more…

• ‘Doom’ for the Nintendo Switch feels exactly like it’s supposed to
• Netflix adds HDR support for iPhone 8, iPhone X, and iPad Pro
• What if the Google-HTC deal is actually about voice assistants?
• Mercedes is building smarter headlights for its cars of the future
• NVIDIA drops the basic Shield TV’s price to $180

Uber just lost its London taxi license

In a surprise announcement today, Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it will not reissue Uber’s private hire licence within the city. In a statement, the regulator said that the company’s operations were not “fit and proper” and that has just a week (until September 30th) until its licence runs out. Uber will appeal the decision, which will allow its drivers to stay on the road until a final ruling is passed.

According to Transport for London, Uber’s policies regarding the reporting of serious criminal offences, how it obtains medical certificates and performs driver checks did not meet its standards. It also noted Uber’s use of its “Greyball” software, which allowed the company to evade authorities all over the world by tagging known officials and serving up dummy versions of the app that were populated with ghost cars.

“3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision,” said Tom Elvidge, General Manager of Uber in London. “By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.”

Uber denies TfL’s claim that the company utilised Greyball in London: “We have always followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents and have a dedicated team who work closely with the Metropolitan Police. As we have already told TfL, an independent review has found that ‘greyball’ has never been used or considered in the UK for the purposes cited by TfL.”

“Drivers who use Uber are licensed by Transport for London and have been through the same enhanced DBS background checks as black cab drivers. Our pioneering technology has gone further to enhance safety with every trip tracked and recorded by GPS,” Eldridge added. “Uber operates in more than 600 cities around the world, including more than 40 towns and cities here in the UK. This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.”

The decision comes after officials decided to extend Uber’s licence by just four months back in May. It wanted time to decide whether Uber warranted another five year extension as it faced criticism from politicians and established taxi trades. At the same time, it also proposed a significant hike in operator fees for private hire companies, like Uber, across the capital.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan supports TfL’s decision, stating that any private hire company operating in London “needs to play by the rules”:

Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of Londoners safety. My response to @TfL’s Uber decision. https://t.co/iEUal9VLU3 pic.twitter.com/B9V0mEKrWr

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) September 22, 2017

Uber considers its 40,000+ drivers as independent contractors, not employees. Its drivers disagree. With help from the GMB union, they won an employment tribunal case in October 2016 that made them entitled to holiday pay, paid rest breaks and the National Minimum Wage. In recent months, the company attempted to silence its critics by partnering with the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE) to offer sickness and injury cover, jury cover and occupational accident cover.

Uber’s rivals are delighted at the news. Some have gone as far to celebrate by slashing the cost of their own services:

50% off fares now, we are undercutting UberX on the news that they are not fit and proper to operate. Discount applied automatically.

— mytaxi uk (@mytaxiuk) September 22, 2017

For now, Uber will continue to operate within the capital. As per the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, companies have the right to appeal a decision within 21 days. Uber noted in its statement that it will fight TfL in the courts, which would enable drivers to operate in London until a final judgement is passed, which could be many months away.

Instagram apologizes after a rape threat is reposted as an ad

Facebook’s algorithms have embarrassed the social network once again, this time by highlighting an example of harassment as an advertisement. The Guardian reporter Olivia Solon posted an offensive and threatening message she received to Instagram. On the Facebook side, some system decided it showed engagement and used a screenshot of the message reading “”Olivia, you fucking bitch!!!!!!!” and “I Will Rape You” as an advertisement in an attempt to lure more of her friends to Instagram.

Recently, its algorithms have allowed advertisers to target users based on their anti-Semitism, it’s blacklisted posts attempting to expose ongoing ethnic cleansing and moderators reported they were not prepared to screen for Russian propaganda during the election. In this case, Solon apparently posted the screenshot last year, and it’s unclear why it popped up now. A spokesperson for Instagram apologized, saying “This notification post was surfaced as part of an effort to encourage engagement on Instagram. Posts are generally received by a small percentage of a person’s Facebook friends.”

Repeatedly, the company seems to implement systems without considering or accounting for negative implications. Blaming automated systems for an occasional issue is one thing, but we haven’t seen the evidence that the people managing those systems understand their users or the world they operate in.

Instagram is using one of my most “engaging” posts to advertise its service to others on Facebook 😂 pic.twitter.com/lyEBHQXMfa

— Olivia Solon (@oliviasolon) September 21, 2017

Source: The Guardian, Olivia Solon (Twitter)

There’s something called ‘Enhanced HD Voice’ and EE supports it

Most weirdos people that actually use their smartphones to make calls will be aware of the eerily crisp connections of HD Voice. All major carriers in the UK support the standard at this point, which is technically known as Voice over LTE (VoLTE), since 4G frequencies are responsible for the improved call clarity. But apparently, there’s something better. It’s called Enhanced HD Voice, and EE is today boasting it’s the first network in the UK to support it.

EE isn’t just making this up — providers in other parts of the world already support Enhanced HD Voice, also known as Enhanced Voice Services. The upgrade from HD Voice promises not only to improve call quality, but also reliability. Naturally, it’ll only be available when a 4G or WiFi connection is, but there’s another catch. For now, it only works on the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which just happen to launch in the UK today.

Source: EE

Facebook will show ads based on the stores you visit in real life

Some things you do in real life will now have influence on the Facebook ads you see. The social network has introduced new tools for its advertisers that rely on your location and the activities you do on your phone. If you’ve given the Facebook app permission to track your whereabouts, it’ll allow select businesses to target you if you’ve recently been to one of their brick-and-mortar locations. Say, you visit Dick’s Sporting Goods, one of the company’s partner businesses — don’t freak out when you see its ads on your page.

At the same time, your friend who’s sitting at home can get an ad meant for new customers that you won’t see if you’ve been to one of that certain business’ stores. Since Facebook is giving thousands of businesses across the globe access to people’s store visit data, you might encounter the behavior even while abroad. You might also come across advertisements for companies you’ve recently interacted with in the real world. Real estate firms could, for instance, show you their latest listings if you called them up.

Facebook’s ad network has been center of controversy these past few weeks. Earlier this month, the social network revealed that Russian-related accounts purchased at least $100,000 worth of ads pointing to fake news pages that operate out of Russia. More recently, a ProPublica investigation found that its ad network allowed advertisers to target anti-Semites. These new features sound a lot tamer by comparison, but you can always switch off Facebook’s location tracking to minimize their effects if they feel a bit too stalkerish for comfort.

Via: CNET

Source: Facebook

Google pays tribute to ‘West Side Story’ with VR pics and video

Audiences first got the chance to witness Tony’s and Maria’s tragic love story in Broadway 60 years ago. To pay tribute to the Romeo-and-Juliet-like romance, Google Arts and Culture has launched a virtual museum packed with the history behind West Side Side Story. It offers behind-the-scenes photos of the movie and original production, along with images of various productions over the years and of one of the latest renditions. You might also want to drop by the website on a VR headset if you want to visit iconic locations that inspired the musical’s sets through panoramic images or to watch Riff’s Get Cool, Boy number as a 360-degree video.

The museum also has something for those who want to go deeper than images and videos that make you want to sing Tonight. Since it tells the story of a local New Yorker falling in love with a Puerto Rican immigrant, it has essays and editorials you can read on how the musical tackled immigration, civil rights and racial stereotypes, as well as how it was seen as a “plea for racial tolerance.” You can find them all on Google’s West Side Story portal or on the Google Arts and Culture app for iOS and Android.

Source: Google

Netflix adds HDR support for iPhone 8, iPhone X, and iPad Pro

Netflix is adding high dynamic range (HDR) support to more mobile devices. A handful of Android handsets are already benefitting from the picture upgrade, including the LG G6, Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, among others. Now, thanks to the release of iOS 11, iPhone users suffering from FOMO can get in on the action too. You’ll be able to binge watch in Dolby Vision HDR on the newly launched iPhone 8, 8Plus, and the upcoming iPhone X. Along with Apple’s new smartphones, iPad Pro (2nd-gen) owners will also receive the bump in picture quality — that goes for both the 10.5 and 12.9 inch models of the tablet.

HDR essentially expands the range of both contrast and color in comparison to standard dynamic range. As a result, bright parts of an image look brighter, and the darker bits also pack more depth. If you’re on Netflix’s premium plan, and you’re selected programme carries the HDR or Dolby Vision tags, then you’re good to go.

Source: Netflix

iFixit Teardown Gives First Look at iPhone 8’s Guts

iFixit this evening got its hands on one of Apple’s new iPhone 8 models in Australia, and has already started ripping it apart in one of the site’s traditional teardowns.

Inside, the iPhone 8 looks a lot like the iPhone 7, but there are some notable differences, like the wireless charging coil that enables Qi-based inductive charging. The coil can be clearly seen in an x-ray taken before the device was disassembled.

The iPhone 8 features an 1,821mAh battery, smaller than the 1,960mAh battery in the iPhone 7. Despite the change, the iPhone 8 continues to offer the same battery life as the iPhone 7 due to processor improvements. Battery capacity was first unveiled last week, but has now been confirmed.

Included on the logic board is the A11 Bionic chip, which is layered over 2GB of SK Hynix LPDDR4 RAM. There’s also a Qualcomm MDM9656 Snapdragon X16 LTE modem and an NXP 80V18 Secure NFC module, among other chips.

Other small tweaks and changes in iPhone 8 include a new Lightning port bracket that seems to reinforce it, a new interconnect/antenna cable over the speaker that iFixit calls “strange,” a lack of gaskets on the pentalobe tabs used for the display, no tri-point screws holding down the display cable bracket, and additional adhesive strips holding the battery in place.

iFixit’s teardown of the iPhone 8 is still going on, so make sure to check out the site for any additional discoveries. We’ll update this post if anything else notable is found.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are already available in some countries around the world, with deliveries expected to start in the United States at around 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on September 22. Apple retail stores will also be selling the two new devices starting then.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

You can now race Fast and Furious characters in Anki Overdrive

It’s easy to forget you are holding a phone.

Like most middle-class suburban kids, I grew up around “toy” race tracks. Everything from the simple Hot Wheels tracks you could assemble yourself to the hyper-realistic powered rail tracks we would all race at the local mall on weekends. Every time I’ve played with an Anki Overdrive kit, there’s been a combination of nostalgia and surprise at how well this race kit was aimed at every age group. But I never went and actually bought a kit for myself, and never seriously considered having a space in my house set up for friends to come over and race.

For a couple of different reasons, the latest addition to the Anki Overdrive lineup has changed that. Not just for me, either. As soon as the buy buttons go live, several of my friends will be ready to smash the buy button.

More than just racing

For the uninitiated, Anki Overdrive is about the furthest thing from a model car racing experience you can have while still managing to look exactly like a toy racing experience. You assemble a track made out of flexible sections that clip together magnetically, charge your little cars on a very simple USB-powered pad, and you need a controller to be able to race your car around the track you have built.

Once you actually start racing, it quickly becomes clear this experience is unique. The cars you are racing have an AI, which handles how the car goes around turns and how it switches lanes and a ton of other things. As the driver, you control how fast the car is going and what lane you want to be in, but you’re not really driving the car around the track. Which is good, because you are way too busy doing the other things Anki Overdrive cars can do.

This isn’t just a racing system; it’s a full combat experience. Your car has its own weapons loadout and special abilities that can be accessed from the app. You can fire a grappling hook at the car in front of you, and when it hits the AI, the other car intelligently knows to behave as though it has just been tethered. Your opponent can temporarily hack your car and send you into a spin, and your car will behave accordingly. The only thing separating this from a video game in your living room is all of the real-world parts happening right in front of you.

As much fun as the Anki Overdrive system is, this setup is very high maintenance. The individual track pieces and the cars you put on it need to be kept very clean for the cars to behave the way they are supposed to, and that can be impressively time consuming. Things like fingerprints on the track can cause your car to lose traction and spin out, and because the track itself can become quite large, it’s likely many people will be setting tracks up on the floor where things like pet hair can quickly become a problem. As long as you remember to keep the area around the track extra clean this isn’t a huge issue, but if not these small things can quickly come together to ruin a racing session.

Surrounded by references I don’t understand, but still love

The full title for this package is Anki Overdrive: Fast and Furious Edition, and it’s not hard to figure out why. The kit comes with two vehicles from the films, and the app has been visually redesigned so you feel like you’re a part of the film world. There’s even a movie-style poster in the box to tie together the Anki Overdrive world with the Fast and Furious world. The Fast and Furious logos are all over the track as well, so it’s clear as soon as you see one of these set up what you’re about to play.

One minor problem: I have never seen a Fast and Furious movie. I know who most of the actors are, but am totally unfamiliar with these characters. I know lots of people who love the franchise, though, so over the course of a week I started inviting them to play a few races with me. The response was surprisingly universal, and incredibly positive.

When you start racing, there’s a campaign mode themed around elements from the movies. The first chapter of the campaign teaches you all of the racing mechanics as you race against Dom, Letty, Tej, and Hobbs. Once you’ve got a handle on all of the game mechanics, you can download the second chapter and things get a lot more aggressive. Suddenly the AI becomes a lot more challenging to race and battle against, forcing you to constantly adjust your strategy to pull off the win. The way Anki has blurred the lines between racing model cars and a fully formed video game is truly impressive, and bringing these Fast and Furious characters to life makes it all the easier to dive in to this experience.

It’s not clear how intentional this is, but it seems like the AI for these characters extends beyond the actual race. When racing, you’ll hear clips and phrases from the movies as a turn is taken extra tight or when victory seems to be at hand, but in some cases even the vehicle selection seemed to come from character preference. Hobbs and Tej would regularly choose the armored Hummer-looking International MXT, while Dom and Letty would opt for the iconic Ice Charger. If I chose the Ice Charger before Dom or Letty, it seemed like the AI would regularly choose the more traditionally racer-like Phantom Nuke that wasn’t a part of the Fast and Furious kit over the International MXT. When I would share this information with friends who enjoyed the movies, they each laughed and explained how well that fit with the movie personas.

As you get better at the game, so do your AI opponents.

Campaign mode in this Fast and Furious Edition is all about earning money and reputation. In the first chapter you are unlocking new abilities and learning how to race against these characters, but the second chapter requires you to carefully spend the money you earned in those races to improve your vehicle. These improvemets are saved to your account, so when you bring your phone and car to another Anki Overdrive track you are able to bring those unlocks with you. As you increase your reputation through unlocking stars with each race, your cars level up. This is a good and bad thing for you, because the AI cars are leveling up as well while you race. As you get better at the game, so do your opponents.

By the time you’ve completed the Campaign mode, your Anki Overdrive cars are very well equipped and make racing against other human players a lot of fun. If you find yourself in a tough spot where the AI has started to outsmart you in Campaign mode, you can invite a friend over and they can join you in these Campaign race fights to help take the enemy down. There’s a surprising amount of flexibility in this system, and it all eventually leads to full human on human races as you continue to improve your individual vehicles. Like before, Anki hopes you’ll max out one car and feel compelled to buy other cars so you have lots of different options to choose from when you race.

Surprisingly fun for every age

The Anki Overdrive system has always been a blast, but the new Campaign mode and the Fast and Furious tie in really complete this package. The new software really makes the $170 starter kit feel worth it, even for someone like me who maybe doesn’t get every Fast and Furious reference. Anyone can pick up the controller and learn to drive in this system, and the way the whole experience feels like a futuristic game feels like a genuine lea forward in model racing entertainment.

This is something I can sit and play with my kids or pack up and take to a friend’s house over a round of drinks and get the exact same level of entertainment out of it. There aren’t many other things in the world you can say that about, which makes this something truly special.