Xbox One’s customizable dashboard arrives to more testers

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is arriving early next week (October 17th), but it looks like Xbox One users will get some new software toys soon, too. Microsoft has released the Xbox One fall preview update to everyone on the Delta and Omega Insider rings, that is too say, the bulk of its beta testers. Those folks will get the much-anticipated Fluent Design for Xbox One that lets you customize the dashboard the way you want, pinning favorite games, apps and people to the home page.

There’s also a redesigned Home menu and “light theme” coming, and Microsoft is speeding things up by removing splash screens when you switch between sections like social and games. It’s also unveiling a spruced-up community section on the dashboard, with a full-screen activity feed and comments. Game hubs, profiles and clubs have also been refreshed for faster navigation (a full video preview is shown below).

The update should be available to all insiders and will start downloading automatically if you use Instant On mode. You can also head to the “Console Info & Updates” section under system settings if you’d rather do it manually. As mentioned, there’s no official launch date yet for the Xbox One fall update, but expect it to arrive around the same mid-October timeframe as the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

Via: Windows Central

Source: Xbox Forums

Addison Lee is looking into self-driving taxis too

Driverless car trials are happening all around the UK, but the epicentre is arguably Greenwich, in London. We’ve seen driverless pods ferry passengers around the O2 and autonomous delivery vans drop off Ocado hampers near Woolwich. That’s because a chunk of the borough has been ring-fenced as a “Smart Mobility Living Lab” for autonomous projects and research. The latest initiative to fall under that banner is “Merge,” which will look at how a driverless ride-sharing service could work in the city. The work will be led by Addison Lee, alongside a consortium that includes Ford, the Transport Research Laboratory and Transport Systems Catapult.

The group will spend 12 months developing a “blueprint” for how a self-driving, publicly accessible transport system could be run in the city. It will cover a range of social, commercial and infrastructure issues, including how the public might react to driverless technology, how it could be designed to compliment existing transport options, and the impact it would have on local communities and journey times. The “plan” will also include an “advanced simulation” and a general business model outlining the costs and recommended vehicle specifications. It’s not clear, however, how much testing will be done with self-driving cars in the real world.

Via: The Telegraph

Source: Addison Lee (PR)

NBA will broadcast every game in VR this season

While other broadcasters and sports leagues dabble in virtual reality, the NBA is taking the plunge. It raced ahead of the competition last year by streaming weekly live games in VR. Now, it’s making its entire season immersive for League Pass subscribers. With the NextVR app, you’ll not only be able to watch 27 live games on your Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream headset, but you’ll also get access to something called the Screening Room. Here you’ll be able to pick and choose from every League Pass game in virtual reality. On top of that, the feature will let you select up to 13 NBA games to livestream on a massive virtual screen. And soon, you won’t even be restricted to a Samsung, Google, or Asus phone — as long as you’re willing to invest in a Windows Mixed Reality headset, that is. Yes, Microsoft’s VR platform (which is coincidentally arriving just in time for the new NBA season) will support NextVR.

Aside from providing more live action, the NBA is also tinkering with the viewing experience. New features include live stats within “the virtual scene.” How that will work remains to be seen — hopefully the infographics won’t be too distracting, seeing as they’re getting inserted within the field-of-play. A new point-of-view feature will also give you more control over the proceedings during the 27 live games (much like what Fox offered as part of its Super Bowl 51 VR suite).

If you don’t want to fork out $200 on a League Pass subscription just to watch in VR, you can pay $7 for the game you wish to stream, courtesy of the NBA’s on-demand service. Schedule details for live VR games can be found on the NBA website.

Plex can beam Live TV broadcasts on Roku

With the launch of Live TV and DVR in June, Plex took a big step toward becoming an all-round media replacement. Since then, it’s wasted no time in introducing the feature to more platforms, including Android and Apple TV. Not to be left behind, Roku devices are now getting Plex Live TV too. But there’s a catch: You can’t yet schedule recordings through Plex DVR on the streaming player. Plus, the perk is still reserved for Plex Pass subscribers (who pay $5 per month, $40 per year, or $120 lifetime for a bunch of extras). To soften the blow, Roku owners will be able to watch recordings from other supported platforms, including iOS, the Plex web app, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, and iOS. The release is currently in beta, and is expected to roll out to all Plex Pass subscribers next week. All you need to get set up is a compatible tuner connected to a TV antenna or cable jack, and you can leave the rest to Plex.

Source: Plex

Toyota’s fuel-cell big rigs are ready to haul cargo

After completing 4,000 “development” miles at the port of Los Angeles, Toyota’s Project Portal hydrogen fuel-cell big rig is ready to start transporting cargo from that port and the one in Long Beach to rail yards and warehouses beginning on October 23.

The class 8 Toyota truck is capable of producing more than 670 horsepower with 1,325 pounds of torque — more than enough for even the heaviest Amazon delivery. The semi began its testing at the ports back in April, with Toyota partnering with drayage (transporting goods over short distances) provider Southern Counties Express. As the trial progressed, more and more cargo had been added until the two companies decided the truck was ready to become part of the proper fleet of vehicles later this month.

Powering the truck are two fuel stacks from Toyota’s fuel-cell Mirai sedan and a 12kWh battery. The automaker says the big rig is capable of transporting 80,000 pounds and has a range of about 200 miles per fill-up. That’s more than enough to move cargo around the Los Angeles area. Plus, it can quickly be put back on the road thanks to the fact that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles can be refuelled as quickly as traditional gas-powered car.

While automakers have been touting their long-term electric vehicle plans, many of them have been simultaneously working on fuel-cell vehicles as a way to hedge their bets. A hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle can refuel as quickly as a gasoline vehicle, but like an EV, produces no CO2. It seems like it would be a seamless transition from traditional driving, or at least more so than what’s expected from electric vehicles, which need to be plugged in and charged for hours to fulfill their range promises.

At issue is the lack of a robust hydrogen fuel-cell refueling infrastructure. Toyota and other automakers have worked closely with third parties to set up stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and the north east. Anywhere else, and you’re basically out of luck. But if programs like Toyota’s Project Portal prove to be a hit, it might be just the boost the fuel-cell infrastructure needs for mass adoption.

Equifax may have been hacked again

When Equifax’s interim CEO penned a letter of apology on The Wall Street Journal, he admitted that it will take a lot of effort to regain people’s trust. Unfortunately, the company still seems to be lacking when it comes to security, because according to Ars Technica, it’s been hacked yet again. Independent security analyst Randy Abrams told Ars that he was redirected to hxxp:centerbluray.info and was met with a Flash download when he went to equifax.com to contest a false info on his credit report.

The fake Flash installer apparently tricks people into downloading what Symantec identifies as Adware.Eorezo, an adware that inundates Internet Explorer with advertisements. Unfortunately, we can’t replicate the problem, but Abrams said he encountered the issue on three separate visits and captured one of them on video:

We reached out to Equifax to ask whether the company has already cleaned up the adware downloader. To be safe, though, don’t click on any random Flash installer that pops up when you visit the agency’s website in the near future.

Source: Ars Technica

Nokia 9 CAD renders reveal a curved design, dual cameras, and no 3.5mm jack

New renders give us an early look at HMD Global’s upcoming flagship.

The Nokia 8 is now up for sale in Europe and India, but it looks like HMD Global is working on another high-end flagship dubbed the Nokia 9. The render comes by way of OnLeaks, and given the leaker’s track record, it’s fair to assume this is what the Nokia 9 will end up looking like.

The renders are based on factory CAD blueprints, and show off the Nokia 9 from all angles, revealing a curved display and dual cameras at the back. Unlike the Nokia 8, which has a home button up front, the Nokia 9 has a fingerprint sensor located just underneath the camera sensor at the back.

Based on the renders, it looks like Nokia is emulating the likes of the Mi 6, HTC U11 and the Pixel 2 in ditching the 3.5mm jack. The omission of a headphone jack is unfortunate, but at this point it looks like more and more manufacturers are willing to do away with the analog port. Thankfully, there are a few options available if you’re looking to plug in your wired headphones, like the LG V30.

Rumored specs of the Nokia 9 suggest we’ll see a 5.5-inch QHD display with minimal bezels, Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB/128GB storage. The phone has dimensions of 140.9 x 72.9 x 7.5mm, with the area around the camera sensor going up to 8.9mm.

What do you guys think of the Nokia 9 based on the leaked renders?

Oxford plans to be a zero-emission city by 2035

All fuel-burning vehicles could be barred from entering Oxford city centre under new plans designed to turn it into the “world’s first Zero Emission Zone.” In a bid to drastically cut air pollution, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council submitted a joint proposal that would ban petrol and diesel cars from a small number of streets from 2020 and encompass the entire city centre in 2035.

To begin with, the use of non-zero emission taxis, cars, light commercial vehicles and buses would be restricted in six streets. Those zero-emission areas would slowly be expanded in five year increments, with HGVs finally outlawed in the city by 2035. Officials believe the strategy will reduce toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels to “near-background levels.”

In George Street, the city’s most polluted area, NO2 emissions could be reduced by as much as 74 percent under the new plans. Oxford has already seen a 36.9 percent fall in harmful NO2 levels over the past decade but many parts of the city centre are failing to meet the 40µg/m3 average set by the European Union, despite its desire to become a true “cycling city.”

From next week, the City and County councils will launch a six-week public consultation, inviting comments on the speed of the rollout and the vehicles and roads that could be affected. Bear in mind that the government plans to ban sales of fossil fuel cars, but officials have given themselves until 2040 to make that happen.

It also helps that the City Council has already been given £500,000 in government funding to install EV chargers for electric taxis and a further £800,000 for charging points for Oxford residents.

“All of us who drive or use petrol or diesel vehicles through Oxford are contributing to the city’s toxic air,” said Councillor John Tanner. “Everyone needs to do their bit – from national Government and local authorities, to businesses and residents – to end this public health emergency.”

Via: The Times

Source: Oxford City Council

The Morning After: Thursday, October 12th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

This Thursday, one porn site is using AI to catalog the stars of its clips, Amazon has a waterproof Kindle (unrelated) and we discuss how Blade Runner 2049 is pushing forward AI in fiction.

No strings on me.Oculus Santa Cruz gets closer to the future of wireless VR

Last year, Oculus’ wireless VR headset was a hacked together jumble of exposed wiring, but now the Santa Cruz prototype is looking more like a real product. Nicole Lee gave it a shot, along with some new Touch controllers, quickly deeming it “easily one of the most comfortable VR headsets I’ve ever tried.”

Everything you need is right there.Oculus Go is a $199 self-contained VR headset

While Santa Cruz is still a concept, Oculus is ready to put this VR headset on sale. It also lacks tethering, but for a different reason — it’s completely standalone, with no PC or phone required. Better yet, the Go brings virtual reality to your face for just $199. Apparently, it will run the same apps as the Gear VR and is expected to ship early next year.

The system uses machine learning to catalog and tag every clip in Pornhub’s vast database.Pornhub is improving search with an AI porn addict

“I’d recognize that face anywhere.”

A glitch could cause the smart speaker to listen in a little too closely.Google disables Home Mini’s top button so it won’t record everything

Google hasn’t even started shipping the Home Mini yet, but its launch has been marred by an unusual situation where some of the devices would record and upload practically any sound. As a result, Google says it’s taking the step of disabling all top touch functionality on the Home Mini. While owners can still control it using their voice and a volume switch on the side — that’s it.

More movies in one place.Disney relaunches Movies Anywhere with support from Fox, Warner, Sony and Universal

After nearly a decade, Disney may have the advantage in its digital movie locker war vs. Ultraviolet. Four other big studios are joining its Movies Anywhere platform, which will link to accounts on stores like iTunes, Vudu, Amazon and Google Play to unlock movies you’ve purchased across all of them. Even if you’re not set up with Movies Anywhere, you can snag five free movies just by logging in and linking your accounts.

The latest premium Kindle has a lot more going for it.Amazon’s new Kindle Oasis is waterproof and has a bigger screen

Amazon’s last Kindle Oasis was “the perfect e-reader for the one percent.” That still describes the new Oasis, which Amazon is officially unveiling today. It includes some genuinely useful features: a larger 7-inch screen, an all-metal body, and yes, it’s waterproof. A decade after introducing its first e-reader, Amazon has finally delivered the first beach-ready Kindle.

The rare sequel that surpasses a classic.‘Blade Runner 2049’ dives deeper on AI to transcend the original

According to Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar, Blade Runner 2049 is a miracle. It’s a sequel that nobody really wanted — certainly not fans of the seminal 1982 original by Ridley Scott. And ponderous explorations of artificial intelligence aren’t something that typically clicks with mainstream audiences. But it turns out that Blade Runner 2049 — directed by Denis Villeneuve — may be the ideal sequel. It builds on its incredibly influential predecessor by asking deeper questions about AI. As the lines between humans and replicants blur, the idea of being “more human than human” seems truer than ever.

The only way to stop a bad guy with a drone is a good guy with an RF rifle.The rise of drone crime and how cops can stop it

In 2015, US Border Patrol caught a two people dropping off 28 pounds of heroin in Calexico, California, and, in the same year, caught another drug ring delivering 30 pounds of cannabis to San Luis, Arizona. Drones — easy to fly, difficult to spot and far more practical than catapults — are quickly gaining favor among criminals for everything from smuggling and snooping to actively countering police actions and intimidating the locals. Elsewhere, police in the UK received 3,456 incident reports of drones behaving badly in 2016, a threefold jump from 2015, a 12-fold increase since 2014. The incidents ranged from minor spats between neighbors to covertly dropping drugs and firearms into prisons. Fortunately, counter-drone systems are as varied as they are numerous, ranging from shotgun shells loaded with wire nets to eagles trained to snatch UAVs from midair.

But wait, there’s more…

• OnePlus’ OxygenOS is collecting your private data without permission
• Twitter temporarily locks Rose McGowan’s account
• Cadillac’s hands-free Super Cruise fixes the worst parts about driving
• Razer will debut its first smartphone on November 1st
• Kamigami is a cute robot bug you build yourself

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.

Niantic is hosting a ‘Pokémon Go’ AR photography contest

How good are your Pokémon Go photography skills? We’re asking, because Niantic is holding an in-app augmented reality photography contest for all players where Pokémon Go has been officially released. Yep, it’s not limited to US residents only, and the winner will get a sweet swag bag containing a poster autographed by the team, a pair of wireless Bluetooth earbuds and — this is the best part if you still avidly play the mobile game — a Go Plus accessory.

You have today until October 25th to join — simply post your entries on Instagram and tag #PokemonGOcontest. Niantic’s last big event, the Pokémon Go Fest, unfortunately turned out to be a huge mess. This one doesn’t sound complicated enough to mess up, but you’ll probably have to give the developer some time to decide on the best image, since the contest is open to players from countries across the globe.

Source: Pokémon Go (Twitter)