Trek wants to make your smartphone videos look more cinematic

If you’re a budding filmmaker looking to take your work to the next level, or a hobbyist that just fancies exploring new ways of getting better shots, then this motorized slider for smartphones, GoPros, and small cameras could be worth checking out.

A slider lets you shoot silky smooth video as your camera moves gently along a track, adding an air of professionalism to a sequence that might otherwise contain wobbles and shakes. The device, which requires you to simply attach your camera and input some settings before hitting the start button, is particularly popular among time-lapse creators.

Designed and built by a San Diego-based startup led by Scott Matthews, the Trek camera slider has already attracted plenty of interest on Indiegogo, more than doubling its $50,00 funding target.

Trek’s custom-built Dyno app for iPhone and Android offers a slew of possibilities for the imaginative filmmaker, allowing you to easily control the speed, length and direction of each shot. A live mode also lets you instantaneously make speed and direction changes for a more sophisticated-looking sequence.

You can also fix the track to a tripod for video shots up and down steep gradients, while Trek’s adjustable legs and rubber feet ensure stability on pretty much any kind of terrain.

Of particular note is Trek’s versatility, with curved tracks offering more creative possibilities than the standard straight-track systems currently on the market. And unlike many of its competitors, there’s no limit to the length of the track you can build with Trek.

“Each track is one foot long and easily fits into any pack, along with the rest of your gear,” Matthews explains on his Indiegogo page. “Set up tracks to get 360-degree views of a subject, cross 20-foot rivers, or curve in and out of rooms.”

Another attractive feature is the track’s incorporated magnets that allow you to put it together in super-quick time — no tools required.

Trek’s battery should last for up to 20 hours, but don’t worry about your smartphone or camera running out of juice mid-shot as Matthews’ team built in a port to Trek that with the aid of a cable will ensure your mobile device stays fully powered during a shooting session.

Should the team proceed as planned with Trek, the basic kit will retail for $300. The Indiegogo campaign is coming to a close, but there are still some pre-order offers available if you’re quick. Check out its funding page to find out more.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 gets a price cut in India; 4GB variant now costs ₹11,999

Xiaomi’s bestseller gets an enticing price cut in India.

The Redmi Note 4 made its debut in India ten months ago, and went on to become the best-selling phone in the country. It isn’t hard to see why the Redmi Note 4 was so well-received in the market: featuring a Snapdragon 625 and a 4100mAh battery, the phone offered decent performance and class-leading battery life, while undercutting the likes of the Moto G5 Plus.

The Redmi Note 4 variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage launched for ₹12,999, and starting today, the phone is available for ₹11,999, a discount of ₹1,000. Xiaomi has mentioned that it is a permanent price cut, making the device that much more alluring to buyers.

Exciting news Mi Fans:We are announcing a permanent price drop of ₹ 1,000 on India’s #1 selling smartphone: #RedmiNote4. 4GB + 64GB variant now at ₹ 11,999! Head to https://t.co/lzFXOcGyGQ and @Flipkart now! RT if you are excited. pic.twitter.com/Y4qZ2Z5kri

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) November 13, 2017

The discount is valid on both the 4GB variant and the model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage, which is now available for ₹9,999. That’s incidentally the same price as the version with 2GB of RAM, which will likely be discontinued in the market.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 review

Hit up Flipkart from the link below to get your hands on the Redmi Note 4 for just ₹9,999.

See at Flipkart

Mercedes’ ubiquitous city bus is going electric in 2018

Mercedes-Benz wants an electric version of its long-running city bus to power the emissions-free mass transit future. Over a dozen cities recently pledged to make their bus fleets all-electric by 2030 (among them LA and Seattle). And, if the German auto-maker gets its way, its EV will be the one ferrying people around all hours of the day. Mercedes announced that it plans to start producing the electric “Citaro” by the end of 2018.

In the meantime, it’s begun testing prototypes in “extreme” conditions, like the icy roads of the Arctic circle and on the sweltering tarmac in Spain’s Sierra Nevada. The move comes just days after its parent company Daimler unveiled its electric school bus, further emphasizing its commitment to electric public transportation.

The “ultra quiet” bus is powered by modular, lithium-ion battery packs that fuel the electric wheel hub motors at the rear axle. The company also touts its energy-efficient climate control system as a range booster. But, it will have its work cut out to beat EV manufacturer Proterra — which recently set the record for longest distance traveled by an electric bus on a single charge (a whopping 1,101.2 miles). It’s also facing competition from Navya, the French firm behind the Las Vegas driverless shuttle service that just started back up (albeit with a hiccup). Not to mention household names like Volvo and Toyota.

Source: Daimler

Germany’s future trains have digital cars with game consoles

The impending era of driverless rides could prove disruptive for traditional modes of public transport. But, Germany’s state-owned railway company thinks it has a solution, and it sounds like a lot of fun — especially for gamers. It just unveiled plans for a new train complete with a digital coach that packs TVs and game consoles. Deutsche Bahn’s “Ideenzug” (“Idea Train”) will also boast gym equipment and a play area for kids. The railway firm envisions the project as a way to keep pace with, and even overtake, self-driving cars. (If it thinks autonomous vehicles are a scary prospect, wait till it learns of the Hyperloop).

For people turned off by backward-facing chairs, the train will boast swivelling seats (some of which will also come with bulges on either side for added privacy). Deutsche Bahn is currently showing off a replica of the project. But, making it a reality could prove a tricky prospect, with some claiming that it may not pass security regulations, as reported by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The sticking point seems to be the gym equipment, so gaming will likely still be on the cards.

Railway travel is changing elsewhere too, but these modifications have hinged on green energy and faster journeys. India, for example, recently debuted a solar-powered train, while Japan is known for its high-speed bullet trains. But, Deutsche Bahn’s project seems retrofitted to accommodate the modern-day traveller. Someone who wants to get in a workout, catch up on work, and indulge in some multiplayer action en route to their destination. All that’s missing is Netflix.

Source: Deutsche Bahn

Google explains the Pixel 2’s super-stable video recording

Google’s Pixel 2 phones have a clever trick up their sleeve when recording video: they can use both electronic and optical image stabilization, delivering largely jitter-free clips even if you’re walking down the street. But how does it meld those two technologies, exactly? Google is happy to explain: it just posted an in-depth exploration of how this stabilization works. As you might guess, Google uses some of its machine learning know-how to incorporate both anti-shake technologies where many phones can only use one or the other.

The system starts off by collecting motion info from both OIS and the phone’s gyroscope, making sure it’s in “perfect” sync with the image. But it’s what happens next that matters most: Google uses a “lookahead” filtering algorithm that pushes image frames into a deferred queue and uses machine learning to predict where you’re likely to move the phone next. This corrects for a wider range of movement than OIS alone, and can counteract common video quirks like wobbling, rolling shutter (the distortion effect where parts of the frame appear to lag behind) or focus hunting. The algorithmic method even introduces virtual motion to mask wild variations in sharpness when you move the phone quickly.

This isn’t to say that Google’s approach is flawless. As others have noted, the Pixel 2 can crop the frame in unexpected ways and blur low light footage more than it should. On the balance, though, this shows just how much AI-related technology can help with video. It can erase typical errors that EIS or OIS might not catch by themselves, and produces footage so smooth it can look like it was captured with the help of a gimbal.

Source: Google Research Blog

Some iPhone X units suffer from crackling speakers at high volume

The iPhone X appears to have multiple teething troubles, albeit ones that aren’t necessarily common. Some users on Reddit, MacRumors and Twitter report that the new handset’s top speaker is crackling at higher volume levels. The severity varies, but it happens regardless of what you’re playing and persists with replacement units. It doesn’t appear to affect most units, but it’s common enough that it’s not necessarily an isolated issue.

We’ve asked Apple for comment and will keep you updated. Apple support reps are already collecting diagnostic info, so they’re at least investigating the reports.

It’s difficult to pin down a cause at this stage. Although the differing levels of the problem suggest the crackling could be a hardware issue, this comes mere weeks after Apple fixed a software flaw that produced crackles on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. If it’s a related issue, the company could theoretically push out a patch that addresses the problem without replacements. Either way, this and other problems are a reminder that cutting-edge phones can have their share of early glitches — it can take time before manufacturers iron out the kinks.

Via: MacRumors

Source: Reddit

Dream Chaser passes a big milestone with a successful glide test landing

The Dream Chaser prototype spacecraft passed a big test yesterday, gliding to a successful landing on a runway in the Mojave Desert after it was dropped from a helicopter. The unmanned test landing marks a major milestone for the Sierra Nevada Corporation, after a similar 2013 flight ended in a crash after the landing gear failed to deploy correctly.

The success of the flight test likely marks the last milestone for a $227.5 million contract awarded to Sierra Nevada in 2012 for NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) program.

The test had been long-planned but not publicly announced, according to Space Flight Now. The spacecraft was tethered to a heavy-duty helicopter with a 200-foot cable and released at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet. Its on-board guidance system lined up the spacecraft with the runway during the steep final approach.

SNC is proud to announce the Dream Chaser® spacecraft had a successful free-flight test today @EdwardsAFB, with support of @NASAArmstrong. The Dream Chaser had a beautiful flight and landing! pic.twitter.com/lAn0n7FPsg

— Sierra Nevada Corp (@SierraNevCorp) November 12, 2017

In August, the Dream Chaser was flown through the air for more than two hours during a captive-carry test while attached to a helicopter.

As Geek Wire notes, Sierra Nevada landed a different contract last year to use the Dream Chaser as an unmanned vehicle to transfer cargo back and forth to the International Space Station. A fully working version of the Dream Chaser could start making deliveries as soon as 2020, if all goes according to schedule. The company also has a contract with the United Nations to launch payloads into orbit on the Dream Chaser.

The Dream Chaser itself has an interesting and rather convoluted history. It was based on a secret Soviet design from the Cold War that turned into NASA’s HL-20, which never made it into space. A company called SpaceDev resurrected the design, but after its founder left to form a space tourism company SpaceDev was purchased by Sierra Nevada in 2008.

Since then, they’ve had an on-again off-again relationship with NASA. Sierra Nevada got funding in 2012 under the CCiCap program, which paid out certain amounts as the spacecraft successfully completed several milestones.

In 2014, the space agency announced it would only fund the Dream Chaser rival programs, SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft, for Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap). Sierra Nevada filed a protest, but the government’s General Accounting Office upheld the decision.

The Dream Chaser was redesigned for cargo missions and in 2016, NASA announced that Sierra Nevada (along with SpaceX and a new company named Orbital ATK) would all be used for cargo missions to the space station in the upcoming future.

The first actual spaceflight of the Dream Chaser is planned for 2020. It will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster from Cape Canaveral, and will touch down on the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

YouTube bans all videos from an extremist cleric

YouTube’s efforts to catch and take down terrorist videos include some far-reaching measures. The New York Times has learned that YouTube recently removed and blocked all videos from Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric who turned extremist and was killed by an American drone strike in 2011. While it’s only his later clips that technically run afoul of YouTube guidelines, the streaming giant determined that all of them ultimately had to go. Supporters of his terrorist cause have reposted his moderate material in a show of support — getting rid of everything theoretically prevents these adherents from finding something to rally around.

The company hasn’t publicly confirmed that a cull took place, but it’s easy to see the effect. There were over 70,000 al-Awlaki videos earlier in the fall, the NYT said, but 18,600 now. The “vast majority” of what’s left are news stories, rejections of extremist views, discussions of the legality of the drone strike and other videos from people besides al-Awlaki himself. While you can still find some of the banned videos on other sites, they’ll clearly be harder to find.

YouTube’s move underscores its seriousness about discouraging extremist videos, but it also highlights the fine line the company has to walk between freedom of expression and thwarting attempts to promote violence. While it’s hesitant to pull videos if they don’t violate the rules (it sometimes isolates them instead), it has to deal with gray areas like this, where there mere act of allowing videos from a given person is problematic. At what point does it decide that a technically ‘safe’ video is too dangerous? There’s a concern that YouTube could make mistakes, or pull videos for purely arbitrary reasons. Although it appears to have made this particular decision carefully, some observers will no doubt worry that it could go too far.

Source: New York Times

Qualcomm plans to reject Broadcom’s takeover bid

Broadcom might have to forget about taking over Qualcomm without a fight — Reuters sources claim that Qualcomm’s board is planning to reject the unsolicited buyout bid. Reportedly, Broadcom’s offer of $70 per share, despite setting a record, “undervalues” Qualcomm and doesn’t account for the potential regulatory hurdles involved in clinching such a huge deal. The chip giant could voice its objections as early as November 13th, the tipsters said, but might take a few days to ready a fuller response.

Meanwhile, Broadcom appears ready to handle this kind of resistance. It’s considering raising its bid, Reuters’ sources said, and it’s hoping to submit its own selection of directors for Qualcomm’s board. If shareholders want a deal, they could vote for new board members and force the company to come to the negotiating table.

Neither company has commented on the report, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Qualcomm held out. It knows that it has plenty of bargaining chips — its Snapdragon processors are virtually ubiquitous in the smartphone world, and it has lots of clout in wireless infrastructure as well. Qualcomm may not completely object to the idea of a sale, but it knows it can at least try for a better deal before losing its independence.

Source: Reuters

New exploit uses antivirus software to help spread malware

One of the most basic rules of safe web browsing is to use antivirus software in order to keep your computer safe. While it’s a good idea to make use of such software, but a recently discovered exploit proves that even the best antivirus software is not fool proof.

Nicknamed AVGater by Austria-based security consultant Florian Bogner, the exploit takes advantage of the “restore from quarantine” function found on many antivirus programs. The concept behind the exploit is fairly simple one. It allows a user to move a piece of malware from the quarantined folder to somewhere else on the victim’s computer, allowing the malware to be executed.

Bogner uploaded a video that provides more information on how the exploit works.

Under normal circumstances, the restore from quarantine function would not allow a non-administrator to write a file to the computer’s C:Program Files or C:Windows folders, but this attack takes advantage of Windows’ NTFS function to grant the user access to these folders.

As impressive as this all sounds, there is one major flaw which will drastically limit the scope of this exploit. In order to do any of this, the hacker in question must physically be at the computer they wish to infect. Given that most malware is spread via the internet, it is unlikely that this exploit will cause major problems.

Enterprise computers could be the devices most at risk to this sort of attack. While we don’t see it being a widespread problem, it’s feasible that a disgruntled employee could decide to get a little revenge, though such cases are rather limited in nature; most people won’t risk their jobs or prison for such a stunt. That being said, Bogner offered a simple fix to this problem by simply disabling the remove from quarantine feature on enterprise computers.

In terms of antivirus programs, Bogner has notified the vendors of the various software which contain this flaw and many have already rolled out patches to fix this issue.

Exploits such as this are found from time-to-time, but that shouldn’t dissuade users from installing antivirus software as it remains one of the best, though not unquestioned, ways to keep a computer safe from malware and other issues.