Tesla: Racial harassment lawsuit is a ‘hotbed of misinformation’

Tonight Tesla responded to a report of another lawsuit where a former worker, Marcus Vaughn, said he suffered from racial harassment at the company’s Fremont, CA assembly line. In a blog post titled “Hotbed of Misinformation,” Tesla calls its response (firing three people who worked on or near his team) a “fair and just response to the facts that we learned.” It also disputed Vaughn’s account on several points, including whether he complained to Elon Musk about the harassment, and claiming he wasn’t fired, but that his contract with a temp agency was not renewed.

Tesla also posted the full content of an email cited in the lawsuit, which it says “is dedicated to ensuring that Tesla employees always try to do the right thing, that being a jerk is not allowed, that everyone should be contributing to an atmosphere where people look forward to coming to work in the morning and that no one should feel excluded, uncomfortable, or unfairly treated.” It also says that “we” feel an apology for an offensive or hurtful statement should be accepted, to avoid what Tesla describes as the counterpoint — ruining someone’s life.

This is the language that Vaughn’s lawyer Larry Organ cited in a comment to Bloomberg, where he said that “The law doesn’t require you to have a thick skin…Tesla is not doing enough.” Whether or not Organ can convince the court Vaughn’s concerns do cover more than 100 employees (Tesla says they don’t), it appears he will have an opportunity to argue that point — its blog post made clear that Tesla “would rather pay ten times the settlement demand in legal fees and fight to the ends of the Earth than give in to extortion and allow this abuse of the legal system”

Source: Tesla Blog

MekaMon is an anime-styled battle bot you pilot with your phone

Between the success of shows like BattleBots and the amount of interest in last month’s MegaBots debacle, it’s pretty obvious that people really want to watch robots fight. But while watching two mechanical titans grapple can be satisfying, few things have captured the feel of the robot battles in video games and anime. Reach Robotics’ $300 MekaMon, which launches today in the Apple Store, might be the closest we’ve seen to capturing that cyber-future ambience. Its bots can run and climb around the physical world while also using AR to add virtual weaponry for the full Japanese mech experience.

Each MekaMon is a 2.2-pound spider-like device with a round torso that can fit in your hand. The plastic shells have a futuristic military style, reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell’s Tachikoma. But while those anime bots roll and hop around the streets of Tokyo, the MekaMon have four long legs that allow them to stroll around and traverse small steps. Leave one idle long enough and it’ll even do a set of pushups to keep itself occupied.

The robots are controlled via the iOS or Android app, which is loaded with lots of options for piloting your MekaMon. It doesn’t just let you control the robot’s direction with a joystick. You can also choose the kind of gait the robot walks with, from a scuttle to a lumber. You can also have your MekaMon hunker down low to hide behind objects. There are even a few programmed actions thrown in for fun, like lifting its leg as if it’s peeing on a hydrant and playing dead with a dramatic flair that puts Aibo to shame.

But MekaMon is more than just another robotic pet to play with. They were built for battle, and the app has two combat modes. For the single player, there’s an AR function that creates virtual opponents for you to fight. You place your Mekamon on the specially-marked mat and the app will render enemy robots to destroy and towers to defend. They may only exist in the confines of your screen, but your robot will treat them as tangible things it has to avoid. So you can’t ram into the simulated enemies or climb over the building you’re supposed to be defending.

While duking it out in an AR version of Asteroids has its charms, where MekaMon really shines is when you pit two of the robots in a head-to-head battle in the real world. One player sets up a battle on their device that the other player joins, with the system keeping track of both robot’s damage levels and other stats. You can set up a battle arena with obstacles that the robots have to climb over or barriers they can hide behind. In my testing the robots really excelled at making it over various piles of books and squatting to fit behind a wooden box.

Instead of relying on brute force, MekaMon robots use virtual projectiles represented by plastic guns you snap onto its torso. These become attacks you can access in the app, with their mechanics heavily inspired by those of collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering or Pokémon. Over time you can assemble a collection of different packages of attacks and defenses, choosing which “deck” you want to equip at the start of each battle.

You can fire virtual missiles or send out EMPs. However, you can’t just spam the button for a never-ending stream of fire; the robot can “overheat” and shut down for a short period of time, leaving it vulnerable.

The attacks are detected via infrared sensors, like the Laser Tag matches of your youth. And just like your childhood friends, the MekaMon dials up the drama, recoiling when hit and collapsing in defeat when its energy is depleted. These reactions make each battle feel a little more visceral, which is important when there’s no actual physical contact involved.

Even though they’re designed to avoid actually hitting each other, each MekaMon can take quite a beating. The body is made of durable plastic, and should survive some abuse at the hands of children or jealous pets. I even accidentally steered one off a table, but it landed on its feet and continued on its way with no problems. If parts came off they could have easily be popped back on or replaced completely: Each MekaMon is intended to be modded for that extra-personal touch.

The MekaMon might have been designed for battle, but its insect-esque legs and programming tics also have the effect of making it feel more organic and familiar. Other robots like the Cozmo use an expressive face or cute voice to generate empathy, but all the spider-like MekaMon needs is a crab-like shuffle and some hilariously over-dramatic death poses.

Reach Robotics’ ‘MekaMon’ AR Gaming Robot Available at Apple Stores for $299

Augmented reality gaming company Reach Robotics today announced that its MekaMon gaming robot is coming to Apple Stores throughout the US and UK starting on November 16.

Priced at $299.99, MekaMon is a real-life robot that melds real-world gameplay with augmented reality. MekaMon, a four-legged spider-shaped robot that measures in at 11.8in x 11.8in x 5.9in, is designed to let players battle their robots in both the physical and virtual worlds using iOS devices.

MekaMon is compatible with newer iOS devices and adopts the iPhone’s camera and infrared sensors for what Reach Robotics calls “precision gameplay.” MekaMon robots connect to one another using infrared signals as players’ iPhones connect over Bluetooth, letting friends battle against each other or participate in arcade and cooperative gameplay.

With the built-in augmented reality support, gamers can choose to play with their MekaMon robots either in the real world or using augmented reality. Once a battle is engaged, MekaMon is able to move and use objects in the room like tables, chairs, and more to block attackers.

Each MekaMon robot can be customized by adding weapons or shields to make the robot more aggressive, defensive, or technically inclined, and the MekaMon robots are compatible with Swift Playgrounds, so users can control their robots using Swift code.

MekaMon can be used as a code learning tool with users able to implement “fundamental coding concepts” to control MekaMon’s movements, reactions, and startup and shutdown features.

“We’ve created an entirely new video gaming platform,” said Silas Adekunle, CEO of Reach Robotics. “MekaMon straddles both the real and virtual worlds while taking the gaming experience beyond a player’s screen and turning their sitting room into a limitless robotic battle zone. MekaMon represents a quantum leap forward in the leveraging of augmented reality. Players can whip out their smartphone to battle their multi-functional, connected battlebots in the physical and virtual worlds at the same time.”

MekaMon can be purchased from Apple.com or MekaMon.com for $299 starting today. It will be in Apple retail stores tomorrow.

Tag: Apple retail
Discuss this article in our forums

Private Tutors is the Way to Go for People with Tight Schedules

Private tutoring is quite old, dating back to a time in history when Socrates, a great Greek philosopher, made Plato an exemplary student. Even in the contemporary society, this practice is quite popular, especially for parents who don’t spend adequate time with their children.

A site such as preply.com/en/Skype/math-tutors might help your kids catch up in maths, Chemistry or just fostering interest in languages, by, say, enlisting a French tutor. It usually gives the kids a special challenge away from the school environment, ending up with improved results.

Some families might prefer face-to-face lessons, either at their own or the tutor’s home. This depends on the level of trust built between the parents, kids and the service provider. However, most recent trends show that most people currently prefer online tuition, using no-frills audios and webcam chat.

According to Louise Harrison, a retired school teacher, parents don’t have to worry about the lack of a personal touch in online tuition. This is because it has worked for her students, with some scoring A’s and A*’s in the subjects she offers. According to her, the current generation does not find studying through the screen as hard as most parents may want to imagine it is.

Ms. Harrison believes that online lesson structures are almost the same for audio and webcam approaches, although she says that the initial is less distracting. For her, each virtual meeting involves working on similar resources on the screens, with the keen exploration of all arising problems or questions.

Studying is better when done in an interactive environment, as compared to one that is totally quiet. Good communication helps the student and tutor to get under the topic’s skin by the end of the sessions, which usually take 1 hour.

The anonymity of online communication helps the reticent and shyer students to shine, as compared to face to face encounters. These students might not gather a lot in school, but end up absorbing everything they learn over the internet.

Coaxing your child into harboring love for certain subjects might not be easy, and requires quite some time. Most parents today have limited time to spend with their kids, especially during weekdays. This is due to the current economic circumstances, which force one to take up more than one job. Therefore, most of these parents prefer hiring private tutors to do the job on their behalf.

For instance, a typical modern family man might have two jobs during the day, and an extra one at night. Coupled with family responsibilities and following their kids’ performance at school, it would be right to say that such a man’s plate is already full.

Now, let us assume that he wants to go back to school and sharpen or refresh his skills. Apparently, there won’t be any time available to go and sit in a class. Good news is that he can still learn if he hires a private tutor online. Together with the tutor, they can come up with a workable timetable.

Flexibility is one of the greatest advantages of private tuition. This is because it allows people with very tight schedules to learn at their own pace and at times when they are available.

UC Browser gets temporarily delisted on the Play Store for ‘misleading’ users

UC Browser has over 500 million downloads, and is a popular alternative to Chrome in India.

Alibaba-owned UC Browser is no longer available for download from the Play Store. The app is particularly popular in India, where it briefly overtook Chrome to become the most-used mobile web browser in the country earlier this year. The browser has a userbase of 420 million globally — racking up 500 million downloads on the Play Store last month — with over 100 million coming from India.

There’s no statement as to why the app was taken down, but the prevailing theory on Reddit is that the malicious redirect ads served up by UC Web’s affiliates to inflate installs prompted Google to take action and delist the browser.

An email received by Android Police founder Artem Russakovskii from UC Union (UC Web’s affiliate network) reinforces this theory:

Dear Partner, We hereby emphasis again that UC Union prohibits any and all misleading/malicious advertising method(s) to procure new users when promoting UC Browser campaigns, such as by using slogan inconsistent with the Product functions,
or by using inductive slogan.

DO NOT use the Malicious Promotion method(s) or STOP such behavior immediately if you are acting so.

Upon discovery a Malicious Promotion, UC Union is entitled to

(i) STOP your payment settlement, or DEDUCT your corresponding payment made to you;

(ii) compensation in recovery of the loss suffered by UC Union, including but not limited to loss of UC Union’s good will, loss of users of UC Union Product(s), removal of UC Union Product(s) from Google Play or Apple Store, and any other loss as a result of your Malicious Promotion;

(iii) require you to CLARIFY the facts for elimination of the negative impact shed upon UC Union; and (iv) resort to any other legal measures if necessary.

UC Union is looking forward to cooperating and developing with you in a healthy UC Union ecosphere.

While there’s no official statement from UC Web or Google regarding the delisting, it looks like the ban will be temporary:

I work for UC Browser,I got mail today morning it said that UC Browser was temporarily removed from play store for 30 days because it used “Misleading” and “Unhealthy” methods of promotion to increase installs

— Mike Ross (@SKz_14) November 14, 2017

The browser gained momentum in India over the last few years for its speed and sheer number of features, which included a robust download manager, customizable add-ons, and integration with third-party services.

While India is the second-largest market for UC Browser, an article in the Times of India back in August suggested the Indian government was looking to ban the browser for sending user information back to China. Today’s delisting doesn’t seem to be related to the security vulnerabilities reported in that article, however.

Although UC Browser isn’t available for download, UC Browser Mini is still up on the Play Store.

Android Central is giving away a gold Honor 6X!

The Honor 6X is a great phone at an affordable price, and we have one to give away! Keep reading to enter!

Honor’s 6X brings high-end features like a dual-sensor rear camera at a highly affordable price point. Sporting a premium metal construction and a price that can be found as low as $250 unlocked, the 6X is an easy phone to consider. The display is a 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p IPS panel, surrounded by 2.5D curved glass and your choice of a gold, silver, or dark gray metal body. Huawei’s octa-core Kirin processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 32GB internal storage you can expand via microSD card, along with Android 6.0, make the Honor 6X a compelling buy.

Now on to the giveaway!

THE PRIZE: One Android Central reader will win a Gold Honor 6x, MSRP: $199.99.

TO ENTER

• Click HERE to go to the forums and post in the contest thread. This is mandatory and gains you one entry into the giveaway.
• Once you have posted in the giveaway thread, you can earn more entries by participating in the Honor forums. Ask and answer questions, join in the conversation, and have fun! Just don’t spam the forums with valueless comments because they won’t count and could end up getting you disqualified from the giveaway.

Due to sponsor restrictions, this giveaway is only available in the US. We will keep it open until November 30, 2017, and the winner will be announced right here after the closing date. Good luck!

Essential Phone gets an Oreo treat in beta form

Essential Phone users can now get Oreo in beta, but expect bugs.

If you’ve been following the trials and tribulations of the Essential Phone, you’ll know that it arrived to market with a few showstopping bugs and a camera that wouldn’t quit. Oh, wait — a camera that always Force Quit.

Anyway, months later, the Essential Phone is now $200 less — a cool $499 — and considerably more stable, with improved camera quality and speed. And, as promised during a tell-all AMA, the phone now has access to Android 8.0 Oreo in beta.

The installation process is a bit convoluted and involves using the command line to sideload a new ROM through ADB, so if that the preceding words made no sense to you, it’s probably best to wait until the release is public, and available through an over-the-air update.

If those words made you salivate, though, the instructions are fairly straightforward.

Essential Phone

• Essential Phone review
• Essential Phone specs
• The latest Essential Phone news
• Join our Essential Phone forums!

Amazon
Best Buy
Sprint
Telus

Taiwanese variant of the HTC U11 is now receiving the Oreo update

HTC kicks off the stable Oreo update to the U11.

HTC said it’ll roll out Oreo to the U11 before the end of the year, and while it didn’t specify a timeline, the update was expected sometime this month. The company is now kicking off the Android 8.0 Oreo update to the device, starting with the Taiwanese variant. The OTA update comes in at 1.3GB, and includes VoWifi service for Chunghwa Telecom customers in Taiwan.

OMG, Oreo update is live for #HTCU11! (TW unit) Totally didn’t expect @htc to drop the update this early. 😱cc @LlabTooFeR pic.twitter.com/dJwJAfmO9l

— Shimon Das (@shimonips) November 15, 2017

The Oreo update introduces the latest iteration of HTC’s Sense UI, and while most interface elements have remained largely unchanged, you do get the rotary menu, “squircle” icons, and notification dots.

The update also bumps the build number to 2.31.709.1, and has the November 1, 2017 security patch.

There’s no information on when the global variant of the U11 will pick up the update, but with the rollout officially underway, it should be a matter of weeks. We’ll let you know once we hear more.

HTC U11

• HTC U11 review
• HTC U11 specs
• Manufacturing the U11: Behind the scenes
• Join our U11 forums
• HTC U11 vs Galaxy S8
• HTC U11 vs LG G6

Amazon
Sprint
HTC

‘Warframe’ for PS4 gets yet another expansion four years after launch

When the PS4 launched on November 15th, 2013, the free-to-play MMO-ish shooter Warframe was available to download. It had debuted on Windows the previous March and came to Xbox in September 2014, yet still sustains a healthy playerbase. The Warframe team has been refining it since, adding content for free. Now, its latest gratis expansion is live on the PS4 version.

Warframe procedurally generates maps whenever a player embarks on new missions. The expansion, Plains of Eidolon, adds a large new area that players share, a la most MMOs. While it probably won’t compare with grander paid, games, the new content might be worth looking into if Destiny 2 is no longer scratching your sci-fi shooter itch.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Feds reveal technical details of North Korea’s cyber attacks

North Korea has been running a hacking campaign targeting aerospace, telecommunications and financial industries in the US since 2016, according to alerts issued by the government. Homeland Security and the FBI have released the technical details of what they say are North Korean-sponsored cyber attacks in an effort to help companies protect themselves. The alerts contain IP addresses associated with Volgmer, one of the backdoor Trojans the hackers have been using for years.

They also contain info on the FALLCHILL malware North Korean hackers have reportedly been using to compromise networks in the aforementioned sectors. FALLCHILL gains entry into a computer when a user visits an infected website and unwittingly downloads it. It could also come as a secondary payload brought about by another malware that had infected the system. Once it’s in, FALLCHILL can retrieve info, as well as execute, terminate and move processes and files. The malware can also clean up after itself, making it hard to detect its presence.

According to the feds, both Volgmer and FALLCHILL are part of North Korea’s “Hidden Cobra” program, which was created to deploy cyber attacks against enemy states. The US government had already issued a warning about Hidden Cobra earlier this year, claiming that it’s been infiltrating media, financial, aerospace and critical infrastructure sectors in the US and around the globe since 2009.

If the name doesn’t exactly sound familiar, it’s because they’re apparently more widely known as the Guardians of Peace — the group that claimed responsibility for the massive Sony Pictures hack in 2014 — and the Lazarus Group. North Korea, however, continues to deny all the hacking allegations thrown at it, including the attack on Sony Pictures and the theft of F-15 fighter jet wings’ blueprints from South Korea’s computers.

Source: Homeland Security, Reuters