Google Shopping is becoming a lot like browsing on Amazon

Google Shopping is getting some new tricks ahead of the busiest retail season of the year. Specifically, when you’re looking for a coffee grinder or pair of headphones, now Google will populate search results with buying guides from editorial publications. More than that, search results will offer up items related to what you’re browsing too. Yeah, it’s kind of like Amazon in that regard, which definitely seems intentional. After all, why would Google want you to buy from anywhere but its own search results? There’s even a flag if you’re looking at an outdated model, too. For more information (and some very large GIFs), hit the source link below.

Source: Google

Apple buys the creator of a ‘seamless’ mixed reality headset

Those rumors of Apple making an augmented reality headset just got a little more fuel. TechCrunch sources say that Apple has acquired VRvana, a startup that crowdfunded (but hasn’t shipped) a unique camera-based AR and VR headset, the Totem. Unlike Microsoft’s Hololens and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Totem promises a “seamless blend” between augmented and virtual worlds. It can display fully opaque images on its OLED display, letting it transition gracefully from AR to VR. Also, it eliminates the potentially disorienting lag that’s characteristic with camera-based approaches to mixed reality — prototypes have cut the delay down to just 3ms, as the company’s Bertrand Nepveu explained in June.

The hardware also has “inside-out” tracking that uses the cameras to track the user’s overall position, and infrared to follow your hand gestures.

We’ve asked Apple if it can confirm the deal, although it declined to comment when asked by TechCrunch. The company typically acknowledges a purchase with a boilerplate statement saying that it doesn’t discuss its plans for newly-bought companies.

Provided the scoop is accurate, there are hints at what Apple might do with VRvana’s technology. It would make the most sense for the AR headset rumored for 2020, which is said to be a fully self-contained device with its own operating system. Apple could offer AR and VR in a device where both would feel relatively natural: no lag, no ghostly visuals, no cords and no mandatory controllers. Tim Cook recently told the Independent that display quality was a significant barrier to good AR, and VRvana may have just what Apple needs to solve that problem and beyond.

Whatever the startup brings to the table, it’s just one part of a larger puzzle. Apple recently bought SensoMotoric Instruments, which specializes in eye tracking in addition to AR/VR work, and has been snapping up other AR- and VR-related companies for years. If Apple goes forward with a headset at all, the finished product will likely bear only a passing resemblance to what you’ve seen before.

Source: TechCrunch

FTC may investigate TripAdvisor over deleted posts, but it isn’t yet

Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that TripAdvisor had deleted multiple posts from users warning others about incidents of assault and rape that had taken place at a certain resorts in Mexico. Since then, the journal says that dozens of others have come forward with similar stories. Now, it reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into the website’s business practices.

Last week, the FTC sent a letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin saying, “The Commission has a strong interest in protecting consumer confidence in the online marketplace, including the robust online market for hotel and travel. When consumers are unable to post honest reviews about a business, it can harm other consumers whose abilities to make well-informed purchase decisions are hindered and harm businesses that work hard to earn positive reviews.” But although the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the FTC is now investigating TripAdvisor and its practices, the letter itself falls short of saying that. Instead, FTC Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen says, “I assure you that the Commission will consider the information you have provided carefully to determine whether enforcement or other action, such as additional business guidance, is appropriate.”

The letter was in response to one sent by Senator Baldwin to the Ohlhausen earlier this month. In it, the senator said that she was concerned that TripAdvisor “may be prioritizing profit over providing an open, honest forum for traveler reviews that its users expect.” She also said that it was “imperative” that the sites like TripAdvisor not censor content just because it “it might reflect negatively on a particular business or venue.” She urged the FTC to investigate TripAdvisor’s practices and whether they violate federal consumer protection laws.

TripAdvisor, which has since begun vaguely labeling venues where reported assaults have taken place, says it isn’t aware of an FTC investigation. In a statement provided to Engadget, TripAdvisor said, “We are not aware of an inquiry by the Federal Trade Commission nor have they contacted us. TripAdvisor is a global user-generated content platform that enables travelers to post positive and negative reviews and forum content about their experiences. We receive 290 pieces of content a minute and need to ensure that information posted on our site adheres to our content guidelines to ensure the integrity of these posts. We stand by our publishing guidelines and how they are applied.”

Via: The Verge, CNET

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

2018 iPhones to Feature Upgraded Antenna Design to Boost LTE Transmission Speeds

Apple’s upcoming 2018 iPhones will feature upgraded liquid crystal polymer (LCP) antenna modules that will contribute to faster LTE transmission speeds, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said tonight in a note that was sent out to investors.

Kuo says new iPhone models will use at least two LCP LTE antenna modules, much like the iPhone X, but with improvements to support 4×4 MIMO standards.

Antenna design upgrade a key factor in anticipated boost to LTE transmission speed in new 2H18F iPhone models. As a LTE antenna FPCB material, LCP is superior to PI in properties related to high-frequency, thermal performance and moisture resistance. We predict 2H18 new iPhones will be equipped with two LCP LTE antenna modules same as iPhone X or more, but with higher specs to support 4×4 MIMO standards.

Last week, Kuo said Apple is expected to use Intel XMM 7560 and Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 modems in its next-generation iOS devices, enabling faster LTE transmission speeds. Both of those chips support the previously mentioned 4×4 MIMO technology, compared to 2×2 MIMO in the current iPhone models.

4×4 MIMO, or Multiple-Input Multiple-Output has the potential to significantly improve LTE transmission speeds by increasing the number of data paths between a cellular tower and an iOS device to four.

In previous notes, Kuo has said Apple is working on a total of three iPhones for 2018, including a 5.8-inch OLED model that’s similar to the current iPhone X, a 6.5-inch OLED model that can be thought of as a sort of “iPhone X Plus,” and a new 6.1-inch LCD model, designed to sell at a lower price point. All three, says Kuo, will include edge-to-edge iPhone X-style displays and Face ID support.

Kuo believes Apple will ship an estimated 100 to 120 million iPhone units in the second half of 2018, something he has previously said will fuel an upgrade “supercycle” during the year.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi KuoBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Forget humans, Russia wants a gunslinging robot piloting its spacecraft

The Cold War may be over but that hasn’t stopped either the United States or Russia from covertly testing the latest and gravest of military weaponry — especially in orbit around our planet. The U.S. has been accused of spying on the Chinese space station with its remote-controlled space plane and recently, Russia launched a mysterious unregistered sensor with potential military applications to the space station. That said, it looks like the Russians are upping the astronomical ante by sending its gunslinging humanoid robot to outer space — but don’t worry, they say it’s super chill.

Earlier in 2017, the state-funded Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects unveiled the anthropomorphous robot known as FEDOR — an acronym for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research. If that name seems simultaneously ominous and terrifying, you should check out FEDOR’s death skills highlight reel. In demonstrations, FEDOR has the ability to blast bullets via dual pistols, perform army crawls, drive a car, and even make time to pump a little iron in pure Vladimir Putin fashion.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Head of the Military-Industrial Commission Dmitry Rogozin later tweeted: “Robot FEDOR showed the ability to shoot from both hands. Fine motor skills and decision-making algorithms are still being improved.”

The deputy later attempted to gloss things over via Facebook to let everyone know that the video was by no means a showing of overt aggression and instead simply a demonstration of the bot’s dexterity and the utilized decision-making algorithms. On Monday, November 20, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced that FEDOR would be piloting the Federatsiya spacecraft into orbit in 2021. Eventually, Roscosmos plans to use the Federatsiya craft to carry astronauts to the moon and potentially one day to Mars.

Currently, the cyber cosmonaut is set to begin preliminary pilot training for the Federatsiya in 2020 and could join the International Space Station as soon as 2024, according to project director Sergei Hurs. It’s still too early to tell how FEDOR will perform in the unforgiving vacuum of space but at the moment, the robot looks like a regular jack-of-all-trades.

“This thing can work without a space suit, live not only in a crew vehicle but even outside it,” explained Rogozin.

With this in mind, robots will inevitably one take our jobs and claim dominion over our planet but in the interim, at least there is now the potential for us to witness a robot pilot a spaceship and even potentially ghost ride the celestial whip en route to Mars.

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Win a free phone or Chromecast with Google’s Project Fi holiday promotion

Project Fi is Google’s stab at running a wireless carrier — more specifically a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) — and it’s one of the few carriers that reimburse subscribers for not using all their data. To make the most of the service, which relies on T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular’s networks, you need to use a Fi-certified smartphone, such as one from Google’s Nexus or Pixel line, or more recently, Motorola’s Moto X4.

With Black Friday and the holiday season fast approaching, it’s a ripe time to bring new subscribers into the service. That’s why Google has introduced a new referral program with incentives for existing subscribers to invite family and friends to Fi. Named “Fi it Forward,” the program challenges customers to recruit as many new subscribers to Fi as possible before it ends on December 17.

What’s in it for you? Two successful referrals net you a Google Chromecast streaming stick, while seven referrals nab you a brand new Android One Moto X4 smartphone, which we liked in our review.

Entering is easy. You just need to be signed up for Project Fi, find your referral code from either the Project Fi app or website, and share it with as many people as possible. It’s a fun little incentive, and you can keep an eye on how the top 10 referrers are doing on Google’s leaderboard. At the time of writing, the top referrer already has 12 referrals, so there’s some catching up to be done if you want to become number one. Don’t worry, you’ve got until December 17.

As an additional little bonus, Google is also donating $50,000 to the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC), a charity aimed at keeping crisis-hit communities in touch with the outside world following a disaster. Subscribers don’t need to do anything additional to participate in this charitable donation — a Google blog post makes it clear subscribers have already contributed by simply being a part of Project Fi.

Interested in jumping from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon, to Google’s wireless carrier? Check out our Project Fi guide, where we break down the plans, pricing, and perks.

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Google reportedly collects Android data when Location Services are off

Since early 2017, Google has been collecting location data from all modern Android devices, according to a report from Quartz.  The company did not limit its collection of data to devices with Location Services enabled, instead opting to collect data from any device that connected to the internet, even if Location Service were disabled and the device did not have a carrier SIM card.

Google began collecting the addresses of nearby cellular towers from users devices in early 2017 after a change to Firebase Cloud Messaging service. Firebase, owned by Google, runs by default on Android devices. Firebase Cloud Messaging allows third-party app developers to send notifications and messages to devices running both Android and iOS.

While the address of a singular cellular tower can provide a general location, the ability to triangulate data from multiple towers can provide much more in-depth location data. While the data collected for devices in rural and suburban areas may only provide a location within a quarter of a mile, the high density of cellular towers in urban areas can provide much more detailed information.  

This isn’t the first time Google’s privacy policy has raised concerns. Although Google’s privacy policy states it may collect location through multiple means, including the location of nearby cellular towers. The privacy policy does not, however, state that this data will be collected even when Location Services are turned off and the device does not have or use a carrier SIM. Privacy advocates believe Google’s data collection extends far beyond a reasonable expectation of privacy and could be potentially dangerous for law enforcement officers, domestic violence victims, and others who wish to keep their location information private.

The report comes after U.S. lawmakers blasted internet companies like Google on its increasingly invasive data collection practices. While data collection can be useful for certain tasks, internet companies are increasingly collecting very personal information including voting histories, location data, and purchasing histories. This data can then be used to create extremely targeted marketing and advertisers for users.

When contacted by Quartz, a Google spokesperson stated the data collected through Firebase was “distinctly separate from Location Services, which provides a device’s location to apps.” While Location Services can be disabled on Android devices, Google did not give users an option to opt-out of the collection of data from cellular towers.

In an email to Quartz, Google stated the data was used to “further improve the speed and performance of message delivery” and that the data was “never incorporated in our network sync stem, so that data was immediately discarded.”  In the same email, Google announced it discontinued its collection of cellular location data from Android devices.

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LED vs. LCD TVs explained: What’s the difference?

Creating or upgrading a home theater setup often comes down to one major question: What kind of TV should I get? While there are several types of TVs, two terms come up pretty often: LED TVs and LCD TVs.

But what’s the difference? It’s a question we hear a lot from budding home theater shoppers, but shouldn’t. Blame the acronyms. Here’s the quick answer: An LED TV is an LCD TV, but how the two came to be confused with each other might come as a surprise.

Once you’ve got a better grasp on LED and LCD technologies, check out our QLED vs OLED to find out about the latest TV tech, as well as our list of the best TVs you can buy for suggestions of our favorite picks from what’s currently available

An LED TV is an LCD TV

Despite having a different acronym, an LED TV is just a specific type of LCD TV. The proper name would actually be “LED-backlit LCD TV,” but that’s too much of a mouthful for everyday conversation, so people generally just refer to them as LED TVs.

Both types of TV make use of a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to control where light is displayed on your screen. These panels are typically composed of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them, so when an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align so that light can (or can’t) pass through. Think of each crystal as a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it out.

Now, since both LED and LCD TVs use LCD technology, you’re probably wondering what the difference is. Actually, it’s about what the difference was. The LCD TVs you think of now no longer exist. Here’s why: Backlighting. Older LCD TVs used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) to provide backlighting, whereas LED TV’s used an array of smaller, more efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the screen, which gave them a few advantages. Now, all LCD TVs use LED lights, and are colloquially considered LED TVs. Here’s how that works.

Backlighting

There are three different forms of illumination that have been used in LCD TVs: CCFL backlighting, full array LED backlighting, and LED edge lighting. Each of these illumination technologies are different from one another in important ways, and each have pros and cons. Let’s dig into each.

CCFL Backlighting

CCFL backlighting is an older form of technology that has mostly been abandoned, though some manufacturers do use CCFLs in lower tier LCDs since they’re cheaper to make. A series of CCFLs sit across the inside of the TV behind the LCD display. The lights illuminate the crystals fairly evenly, which means all regions of the picture will have similar brightness levels. This affects some aspects of picture quality, which we discuss on the next page. Since CCFLs are larger than LED arrays, CCFL LCDs tend to be thicker than their LCD counterparts. As this is an outdated technology, you won’t find many models using this style of illumination. A few tend to crop up here and there, but they’re almost always on the cheaper end of the spectrum.

Full array backlighting

Full array backlighting swaps the outdated CCFLs for LEDs. An array of LEDs spans the back of the LCD screen, with zones of LEDs can be lit or dimmed in a process called local dimming (we go deeper into how local dimming works on the next page). TVs using full array LED backlighting make up a chunk the high-end LCD TV market, and with good reason — with more precise and even illumination, they can create better pictures than CCFLs LCD TV were ever able to achieve. Plus, they’re less of a power drain than CCFL LCDs were. Given these benefits, the shift to LEDs as industry standard made a lot of sense.

Edge lighting

Another form of LCD screen illumination is LED edge lighting. As the name implies, edgelit TVs have LEDs along edges of a screen. Within this lighting type there are a few different configurations, including: LEDs along just the bottom; the top and bottom; left and right; and along all four edges. These different configurations result in differences in picture quality, but the overall brightness capabilities still exceed what CCFL LEDs could achieve. While there are some drawbacks to edge lighting when compared to full array or direct backlight, the upshot is edge lighting allows for manufacturers to make thinner TVs which cost less to manufacture.

To better close the local dimming quality gap between edgelit TVs and full array backlit TVs, manufacturers like Sony and Samsung have developed their own advanced forms of edge lighting. Sony’s technology is known as “Slim Backlight Master Drive,” while Samsung has “Infinite Array” employed in its line of QLED TVs. These  keep the slim form factor achievable through edgelit design but with local dimming quality more on par with full array backlighting in these cases (though still not quite equal).

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Google Assistant gains eyes with Google Lens, now rolling out to Pixel phones

Google Assistant is getting smarter. While the digital assistant has traditionally only used the microphone to hear, now it’ll also use the phone’s camera to see. That’s thanks to Google Lens, which, after some testing, is now rolling out to all users of Google Pixel phones.

The news was announced by Google through a blog post, and while expected, it is exciting. Google Lens promises to apply Google’s machine learning expertise to what the phone can see through a camera. Lens was first announced at Google I/O in May.

“Looking at a landmark and not sure what it is? Interested in learning more about a movie as you stroll by the poster? With Google Lens and your Google Assistant, you now have a helpful sidekick to tell you more about what’s around you, right on your Pixel,” said Google in its blog post.

That will manifest in a number of different ways. Previously, Google Lens was available through Google Photos, but it involved users having to take a photo, then switch apps and hit the Lens button. Lens on Google Assistant promises to not only be more intuitive, but also smarter. According to Google, the feature will allow users to do things like save information from a photo of a business card, follow links, and recognize objects. You can also do things like point lens at a movie poster for information about the movie, or at landmarks like the Eiffel Tower to learn more about it and its history. Last but not least, Assistant can look up products through bar codes.

Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how it all works once it’s rolled out, but the good thing about Google Lens is that it doesn’t really rely on a great camera — it’s more dependent on software, so it can be updated and improved over time.

Google Lens is currently rolling out to Pixel phones in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, India, and Singapore. Google says it will roll out “over coming weeks.” When it is finally available on your phone, you’ll see the Google Lens logo at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen after you activate Google Assistant.

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Uber concealed hack affecting 57 million users by paying off the culprits

Another day, another massive data breach. This time around, Uber was the target, but unlike other hacks, it took the company more than a year to disclose the hack to its customers.

According to a blog post from Uber, hackers managed to steal the personal data of a whopping 57 million Uber users in a data breach. Among those compromised, according to a Bloomberg report, were 7 million drivers, of which around 600,000 had their drivers license numbers stolen. Uber says that the information did not include things like Social Security numbers or credit cards.

Uber didn’t keep the hack under wraps because it didn’t know about it. The Bloomberg report notes that former Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick was alerted to the breach in November 2016, only a month after the hack took place.

So what was Uber doing in the year between the hack and the present day? Well, the Bloomberg report notes that instead of reporting the breach to investigators, which it was legally obliged to do, it contacted the hackers and paid them a whopping $100,000 to delete the data and keep quiet about it all. At the time of the hack, Uber was already negotiating with investigators for separate privacy violation claims — and it still failed to report the hack.

“None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it. While I can’t erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, the company’s new chief executive officer, who took over in September, in the blog post. “We are changing the way we do business.”

Despite concealing the hack for a year, it does seem as though Uber is telling the truth in saying that it’s “changing the way it does business.” Bloomberg reports that the company ousted Joe Sullivan, its chief security officer , and one of Sullivan’s deputies for their roles in covering up the data breach, which is at least a first step in changing its ways. The Uber blog mentioned that “two of the individuals that led the response to this incident are no longer with the company.”

This is not the first massive data breach of the year. Earlier in 2017, credit reporting agency Equifax was breached, potentially putting at risk the information of a whopping 143 million U.S. residents. The hack itself took place sometime between May and July, but was disclosed in September.

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