FCC approves 30 Project Loon balloons for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Eight regional carriers said to be onboard for a six-month deployment.

According to Wired, the FCC gave permission for 30 Project Loon balloons to fly over Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for up to six months.

Project Loon is the name for Alphabet’s (Google’s parent company) ambitious project that provides cellular data capabilities from above. With thousands of cell towers decimated by Hurricane Maria, the balloons would provide needed communications for both affected residents and relief efforts.

Earlier this year, Project Loon was deployed to Peru after a series of devastating floods. Alphabet worked with Peruvian network Telefonica to help pass a signal to the ground and allocate the correct spectrum and services. In Puerto Rico, things are still in the planning stages. An Alphabet spokesperson told Wired:

Things are a little more complicated because we’re starting from scratch. Loon needs be integrated with a telco partner’s network—the balloons can’t do it alone.

Loon balloons work by “relaying communications between Alphabet’s own ground stations connected to the surviving wireless networks, and users’ handsets.” Wired reports that eight regional wireless carriers in Puerto Rico have approved of the arrangement, so it looks like plans are off to a good start.

MLB fines coach for wearing an Apple Watch during a game

Officials at the MLB are definitely keen to remind teams that they aren’t allowed to use wearable tech during games. The league has fined Arizona Diamondbacks coach Ariel Prieto for wearing his Apple Watch in the dugout during an October 4th game against the Colorado Rockies. The team is facing a collective fine, too. Investigators looking at Prieto’s watch and phone were quick to stress that there was “no evidence” of cheating, but the mere presence of the wristwear was enough.

The Diamondbacks maintain that Prieto simply made a mistake when he wore his smartwatch during the game.

MLB isn’t revealing the size of the fines, which will be donated to Hurricane Maria relief in Puerto Rico. In practice, though, the penalty is more about the message it sends. The league wants to make it patently clear that the Apple Watch and other connected wearables don’t belong on the field, even if their owners are only interested in checking the time.

Via: CNET

Source: CBS Sports

Magic Leap will get Madefire mixed reality comics on launch day

Magic Leap is getting Madefire’s mixed reality comics from day one. Reps from both companies announced their partnership at the New York Comic Con, revealing that they’ve actually been working together for the past five years. They promise you’ll be able to view comic panels like they’re 3D illustrations floating mid-air and that you’ll be able to pin them around your room like digital wallpaper. Madefire plans to bring all its graphic novels to Magic Leap, including comics from Marvel, DC and Blizzard, along with original titles made just for the device.

Madefire already has VR apps for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR, but Magic Leap advisor Andy Lanning has revealed a couple of key differences at the con. The Magic Leap version will apparently feature spatial sound and comics will appear much crisper and more readable on it. You’ll have to temper your excitement and expectations, though. The secretive company might have announced the partnership at Comic Con, but it still hasn’t revealed when it’s releasing its VR-AR device… or even what that device actually is.

Source: Madefire

‘Project Aurora’ brings the massive world of ‘Eve Online’ to iOS and Android

Why it matters to you

The vast sci-fi universe of Eve will soon be available to explore on your phone.

Eve Online is one of the biggest games ever made; a massive multiplayer online (MMO) universe with millions of players that’s been around since 2003. The game features complex true-to-life economies, political factions that often ally and sometimes betray each other, and epic space battles involving tens of thousands of players. It’s more than a game to many players. Some of the ships destroyed in battle cost thousands of real-world dollars to create, the Verge reports.

Eve Online went free-to-play last year as part of its Ascension expansion, and now its creators plan to bring the vast sci-fi universe to mobile devices with Project Aurora.

CCP Games, the developer of Eve Online, has partnered with PlayRaven to deliver its epic sci-fi universe to the handheld market. “We’re all longtime fans of CCP and EVE Online, so we’re immensely proud and honored to be working with such a legendary developer and beloved franchise,” co-founder and CEO Lasse Seppänen said in a press release. “It’s really a dream come true to have the opportunity to create a new Eve experience on mobile.”

CCP has tried Eve spinoffs before, with the PlayStation 3 exclusive Dust 514 and the virtual reality experience Eve Valkyrie, which supports Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and HTC Vive. Engadget reports that you can even help search for real-life exoplanets with the Project Discovery mini-game launched earlier this year.

Other than a few screenshots, little has been revealed about the actual game itself, such as how the mobile experience may be integrated with the larger Eve universe. According to PlayRaven, players must work together to become the most powerful corporation in the universe by dominating the center of the galaxy.

“For years and years we have wanted to bring the Eve Universe to mobile devices in a way that is tailored to the platform and Eve fans.” Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, said. “We wanted to find a partner who is passionate about Eve, has a track record of producing high quality and deep mobile games and is capable of creating completely new experiences on mobile.”

Project Aurora is planned for a wide release in 2018, with some limited availability sooner in certain territories in the upcoming months.

Is Apple really slowing down your old iPhone in order to make you buy a new one?

Why it matters to you

Many people believe Apple deliberately slows down old iPhones and now we have the truth.

It’s one of the oldest conspiracy theories in tech. Everytime Apple releases a new version of iOS, there are complaints from users that their older model iPhones are slowing down. Many have speculated that Apple intentionally slows down older models of iPhones in order to incentivize users to upgrade to newer more expensive models. The concept of planned obsolesce is nothing new, and has been around since long before smartphones. While there is a grain of truth to the theory in general, a new study proves it false in the case of Apple.

TechCrunch has reported that Futuremark, the makers of numerous pieces of benchmark software, have concluded a years-long test involving more than a hundred thousand iPhones, and the data refutes the old rumors that Apple is deliberately slowing things down.

Futuremark tests involved the Phone 5s, 6, 6s, and 7 and found that there was no evidence of deliberate slowdowns. In the case of the iPhone 5s which was released in 2013, GPU and CPU performance remained consistent from iOS 9 to the recently released iOS 11. There were some minor variations, but those all fell within normal ranges.

In the case of the other models, GPU performance remained consistent over time, but there was a slight drop in CPU performance. Futuremark noted that these could have been influenced by iOS updates, but stressed that normal users would be unlikely to notice them in regular use.

As far as the origins of these rumors, Futuremark offered a few theories. For starters, apps may be one of the biggest contributing factors to actual slowdowns. Older apps might not optimized for the newer version of iOS which results in less optimization. On the other hand, apps designed for new devices might not run as well on older smartphones though that is on the app developers rather than Apple.

Futuremark did concede that one area in which iOS updates may be responsible for slowdowns is the addition of new features. New versions of iOS may add new features which take up more processing power causing an older phone to slow down.

Overall, however, Futuremark concluded that rather than slowing down their old devices, Apple was actually doing a good job of supporting them by providing updates which maintain a consistent level of quality across multiple versions of the OS.

Google Pixel 2 XL vs. Google Pixel XL: Is it worth the upgrade?

The original Google Pixel and Pixel XL fast became two of the most-loved Android smartphones ever, and for good reason. Not only did they offer excellent specs, but they also boasted a slick software experience and top-tier cameras. Now, however, there are follow-ups: The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

How do the two plus-sized phones compare? We put them head to head to find out.

Specs

Google Pixel 2 XL

Google Pixel XL

Size
157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm (6.2 x 3.0 x 0.3 in)
154.7 × 75.7 × 8.5 mm (6 × 2.9 × 0.3 in)
Weight
6.2 ounces (175 grams)
5.92 ounces (168 grams)
Screen
6.0-inch pOLED
5.5-inch AMOLED
Resolution
2880 x 1440 pixels
2560 × 1440 pixels
OS
Android 8.0 Oreo
Android 8.0 Oreo
Storage
64GB or 128GB
32GB or 128GB
SD Card Slot
No
No
NFC support
Yes
Yes
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
RAM
4GB
4GB
Connectivity
GSM / HSPA+ / LTE / CDMA
GSM / HSPA / LTE / CDMA
Camera
Rear 12.2MP, Front 8MP
Rear 12.3MP, Front 8MP
Video
4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 120 fps, 720p at 240 fps
4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 120 fps, 720p at 240 fps
Bluetooth
Yes, version 5.0
Yes, version 4.2
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes
Other sensors
Gyroscope, accelerometer, magnometer, barometer, proximity sensor
Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, barometer, proximity sensor
Water Resistant
Yes, IP67
No
Battery
3,520mAh
3,450mAh
Charger
USB Type-C
USB Type-C
Quick Charging
Yes
Yes
Wireless Charging
No
No
Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Color offerings
Just Black, Black and White
Very Silver, Quite Black, Really Blue
Availability

Unlocked, Verizon

Unlocked, AT&T, Verizon

Price
Starts at $849
Starts at $670
DT Review
Hands-on
4.5 out of 5 stars

As we expected, in this situation it really is a matter of “newer is better.” We’re not surprised — it would be strange if the successor to the original Google Pixel XL wasn’t an improvement.

For starters, the Google Pixel 2 XL offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, which is Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chip and promises to deliver a super fast and responsive performance. That’s compared to the Snapdragon 821 — which is 2016’s flagship processor. It’s an excellent chip in its own right, but it just can’t compete with the newer processor. Both phones have 4GB of RAM.

There’s more storage on the new phone too — while the original Google Pixel XL offered either 32GB or 128GB of storage, the Pixel 2 XL steps things up to 64GB or 128GB of storage, doubling the amount on the base model.

Winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

Design, display, and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The design of the original Google Pixel XL turned some heads when it first launched thanks to the half-glass back, and that design choice has been refined a little in the Pixel 2 XL. Instead of half of the back being covered in glass, only the top quarter or so is — and that glass ends before the fingerprint sensor. Of course, there are other design choices on the Pixel XL that set it apart — like the beautifully rounded corners on the display and the tiny bezels on the front, which really help push the phone’s design into 2017.

Speaking of the display, it’s gotten a small upgrade. That’s largely thanks to the aspect ratio change — so while the original Pixel XL offered a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440-pixel AMOLED display, the new Pixel 2 XL kicks things up to a pOLED display that sits in at 6-inches and a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels. The density of the displays is more or less the same thanks to the larger display on the Pixel 2 XL.

The new phone is also a little more durable. For starters, less glass on the back is less glass that you could accidentally smash. On top of that, Google has given the phone an IP67 rating, meaning it will be able to withstand up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

The Pixel 2 XL offers a better design, display, and durability. It’s the clear winner here.

Winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

Battery life and charging

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The battery life hasn’t changed all that much for the Pixel 2 XL, and Google still hasn’t given the phone wireless charging — thanks to the fact that the back is largely made from metal. While the Pixel XL offers a 3,450mAh battery, the Pixel 2 XL offers a 3,520mAh battery. Both phones have a USB-C connector, and both offer fast charging. It’s a tie here.

Winner: Tie

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The camera on the original Google Pixel XL was one of the best smartphone cameras of 2016, and it seems like that’s not going to change in the Pixel 2 XL. While the standard Pixel XL offers a 12.3-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/2.0, the new Pixel 2 XL boasts a 12.2-megapixel camera with a f/1.8 aperture, meaning it should be slightly better in low light situations.

Early reviews suggest that the new phone’s camera is even better than the original in almost every way, but on top of the hardware, Google has spent a lot of time on machine learning to improve the camera’s software — meaning that, while the phone does not offer a dual-sensor camera, it does still offer cool portrait-mode effects, among other things. The Pixel 2 XL has been rated as the best smartphone camera so far by DxOMark.

The Google Pixel 2 XL has the slight edge here thanks to its better software and larger aperture.

Winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

Software

Google’s self-built phones are known for offering stock Android, with only a few tweaks to put Google’s features front and center and to offer a nice clean experience. Both the Pixel XL and Pixel 2 XL currently offer Android 8.0 Oreo, and both will eventually get the same Android launcher.

That launcher offers some pretty sweet features. For starters, the search bar is back in the Google launcher, and is found at the bottom of the phone’s display. At the top, you’ll get important information about your day or about the weather, which is a nice addition.

One nifty feature on the Pixel 2 XL that you won’t find on the original is Active Edge. Just like the HTC U11, you can squeeze the edges of the phone to launch Google Assistant or snap a selfie.

Winner: Pixel 2 XL

Pricing and availability

The Google Pixel 2 XL has only just been announced, and as such its availability is a little limited at this point. The phone comes in at $850 for the 64GB version, which is a lot of money. You can get it for yourself unlocked on both the Google store, or through Verizon.

The standard Google Pixel XL is still available through the Google Store, and it’ll cost $670 for the 32GB version. Of course, you could also get it through Verizon, where it also costs $670. It’s likely the price will be cut at some point in the near future, considering the fact that it’s now an aging device. Still, because of its lower price the original Google Pixel XL is the winner here.

Winner: Google Pixel XL

Overall winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

There’s no surprises here — the Google Pixel 2 XL is simply a better phone than the original. While the original Pixel XL is cheaper, the Pixel 2 XL offers better specs, design, display, and camera. Is it worth the extra $200? If you have the money, then yes, it is. If not, however, the standard Pixel 2 is an equally awesome phone, but if you must have the larger display the Google Pixel XL is an excellent choice.

Facebook will hand-review every ad targeting politics and race

When Facebook said it was hiring 1,000 more people to manually review ads, it wasn’t necessarily clear to everyone what that entailed — just what was the focus, and would it affect upstanding advertisers? While the company touched on what whats happening before, there’s no ambiguity now. According to Axios, Facebook is telling advertisers that it now requires manual review for any ad targeting people based on “politics, religion, ethnicity or social issues.” In other words, Facebook is determined to avoid any attempt to use ads to stoke social tensions, even if that means slowing down its ad system. The social network warns marketers that they’re “likely to experience a delay” to the start of their ad campaigns, at least until Facebook finds a way to streamline the process.

When asked for comment, Facebook pointed to its earlier news post, which only made reference to “certain types” of ads going through human reviews. It didn’t touch on the specific content or the expected delays.

It’s not shocking that Facebook would limit manual reviews to more sensitive subjects, but the absolute requirement for reviews covering a wide range of subjects is notable. It’s a more direct acknowledgment that the company’s previous reliance on automated screening let shady ads slip through the cracks, and that manual inspection might be necessary to catch people trying to game the system. And simply speaking, this could represent a survival tactic. Facebook knows it’s under government scrutiny for Russia-linked ads, and it may have decided that voluntarily slowing down its ad system was better than risking government intervention.

Source: Axios

Amazon is thinking of selling medicine online

There might come a time when you can order prescription meds with household items and groceries from Amazon. According to CNBC, the e-retail giant is thinking of breaking into the pharmacy business, and it will have to decide if it wants to push through with it before Thanksgiving. Eric French, Amazon’s grocery and Pantry chief, reportedly ramped up hiring for the project dubbed “healthcare” this past year and consulted with “dozens of people.”

CNBC reported a few months ago that the company even hired Mark Lyons from nonprofit health insurance company Premera Blue Cross to create an internal pharmacy benefit manager to serve its employees. It’s apparently possible for that project’s success to determine whether Amazon will launch its pharmacy business.

While the retail titan is in the final stages of conjuring up a viable strategy for the new business, it won’t be delivering meds to your home anytime soon. In case it does decide to push through, it has to hire drug supply chain experts to add to the team before it can do anything. Some analysts think it’ll take a year or two before the company can announce the new venture, and it could initially team up with a pharmacy benefits manager instead of going straight for drug delivery.

Via: CNET

Source: CNBC

Mondo+ review

In 2017 the concept of an internet radio is not at all new. In fact, it might even be antiquated to some of you. In the age of SONOS, Google Cast, and Wi-Fi speakers, the idea of a device designed strictly with connected radio services in mind makes sense. We love our music and we love having it where we want, and listening when we want.

Whereas some of us had gotten into products like the Logitech Squeezebox some years back, others are just beginning to understand how cool it is to have a connected radio. Not just Bluetooth speakers that pair to your phone, but something that stands alone.

The Mondo+ is one such device. Designed by Grace Digital, it’s a small, even portable (optional $40 battery) radio that offers up AM/FM radio, internet radio, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and more. Not only that, but it’s created to work with other units with multi-room music and 2-way speaker conversations. Further, it includes Chromecast capability and even works with Google Assistant.

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Similar to the aforementioned Squeezebox Radio, the Mondo+ includes an LCD screen (3.5-inches) with shortcut buttons and and a rubber scroll wheel. The housing is made of a glossy plastic but it doesn’t come across as solidly built as the Squeezebox.

Ports include USB and 3.5mm input as well as RCA stereo out. An Ethernet port is not standard but you can buy one from Grace Digital for $20. If you have music on a flash drive, plug it into the back and listen to files in MP3, AAC, AAC +, FLAC, LPCM,ALAC,WMA,WMA9,Ogg Vorbis format. Other supported protocols include SHOUTcast, WMA streaming, HTTPS, and RTSP/SDP.

If you plan to connect to your network and other speakers like Google Home, you’ll want to spring for the Ethernet accessory. We ran into the occasional dropped connection when using a 2.4GHz connection in an office suite. A 5GHz connection was much better, but the wired route is always a safe bet.

As a bedroom unit the Mondo+ works exceedingly well. Put next to the bed, we appreciate the clock, 7-day alarm clock, and USB port. We rarely listen to music all that loud at night so the speaker worked great for catching up on a book or down-tempo playlist.

We also found the Mondo+ to be a solid companion to have in an office environment. Whether it was listening to local radio stations or using it as a loudspeaker for videos, it sounds good and fills small rooms.

Get into a larger environment or where you want music to be your main focus and the Mondo+ falls short. At loud volumes it sounds distorted, especially when you have thumping bass or music with a lot of layers.

The equalizer is nice to have, particularly if you spend a lot of time in one type of audio setting. We like a lot of podcasts and audiobooks so we’re partial to the “flat” option. Other settings include vocal, classic, jazz, and rock.

The Mondo+ comes with built-in support for a variety of radio sources but that’s just the beginning. If your preferred streaming service isn’t included, you can always tap into the Chromecast feature and leverage myriad apps, websites, and services.

The 3.5-inch display is a nice touch, and it’s certainly something we appreciate having. Too often we hear a song playing on a speaker and have to scramble for the phone to figure out what it’s called or to identify the artist. It’s nice to look over and see the details we want without much effort.

Navigation is a touch wonky, if not slow, using the dial and press button. To that end, the remote control helps get you set up and moving about. However, entering text is a nuisance when setting up a wireless network or searching for a radio station. Our advice: stick to the app as much as possible.

If you don’t own a Google Home or one of the growing line of smart speakers, this is an excellent way to get started. We’ve come to enjoy having the ability to tap into the next-level Google smarts with this speaker.

When compared to other speakers like the SONOS PLAY:1, the Mondo+ wins hands down, if on paper. As it comes to overall sound, total home integration, and app functionality, it skews more in favor of the other, established brand. That’s not for a lack of trying, though, as Grace Digital has put together one hell of a package.

If you haven’t already purchased a connected speaker system, we can recommend the Mondo+ just as easily as any other models. It’s not perfect, and there are some quirks here and there, but we’re on board.

At $200 we found the Mondo+ to be a great unit to add to your house. Students with limited space or those who want to punch up their home office should give this one a look. Toss in the optional battery and you’ll like having this on the porch or back deck.

Nikon Small World mixes art and science with stunning cell-level close-ups

Why it matters to you

The gallery of Nikon Small World is simultaneously inspiring art and scientific research.

Get close enough, and everyday objects become artwork — on October 4, Nikon announced the winners for the Nikon Small World photomicrography competition, with the first place prize going to the researcher behind an image of a single skin cell.

Bram van den Broek, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, took first place honors for his image of a skin cell expressing keratin, which circles the cell with a fluorescent yellow pattern. Besides just being a stunning image, the shot is helping researchers understand the keratin protein, which is often an indicator of how aggressive some types of cancer are.

“There are more than 50 different keratin proteins known in humans. The expression patterns of keratin are often abnormal in skin tumor cells, and it is thus widely used as a tumor marker in cancer diagnostics,” van den Broek said.  “By studying the ways different proteins like keratin dynamically change within a cell, we can better understand the progression of cancers and other diseases.”

The second-place shot also reveals the complexities in an everyday sight — the macro image of a flowering plant, Senecio vulgaris or groundsel. The shot, by Havi Sarfaty of Israel, shows the seed head of the plant at a 2x magnification.

The third-place shot looks like it came straight from Pac-Man — but it’s actually a 100x magnification of what algae looks like when it spreads with new daughter colonies. Jean-Marc Babalian of France captured the shot using a differential interference contrast microscope.

The contest awarded 85 more photos in the contest, selecting the shots from over 2,000 entries representing 88 countries. With the 2017 contest as part of Nikon’s yearlong 100th anniversary celebration, the winners will head to Japan for an exclusive tour of Nikon’s headquarters and factories.

“This year’s winners not only reflect remarkable research and trends in science, but they also allow the public to get a glimpse of a hidden world,” said Eric Flem, Nikon Instruments communications manager. “This year’s winning photo is an example of important work being done in the world of science, and that work can be shared thanks to rapidly advancing imaging technology.”

The contest’s complete list of winners can be viewed at the Nikon Small World website, along with the winners for the video competition.