iPhone X Camera Overview: Portrait Lighting, Video Improvements, Front-Facing Portraits and More

With each new iPhone, Apple introduces significant camera improvements, a practice that has established the iPhone as one of the most popular cameras for photography on sites like Flickr.

The iPhone X, as Apple’s new flagship device, is no exception. It features new hardware and new features that have established it as the best iPhone camera to date, on par with dedicated point and shoot devices and even DSLRs in some modes. With the iPhone X now widely available, we spent some time with the iPhone X’s rear and front-facing cameras to see just what they can do.

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There’s an all new rear camera in the iPhone X, with two lenses arranged in a vertical orientation, a first for an iPhone. Apple chose a vertical orientation because of space constraints and design changes that required more available surface area for the front-facing TrueDepth camera.

The rear camera has a standard f/1.8 12-megapixel wide-angle lens that’s paired with an f/2.4 12-megapixel telephoto lens. Sensors in both lenses have been improved, and the lower aperture of the telephoto lens means it’s able to let in a lot more light for sharper images in poor lighting conditions.

In addition to sensor improvements, Apple has introduced a new color filter for more vibrant photos, and there’s a new Apple-designed image signal processor that can detect elements in a scene for faster autofocusing and optimization of scene elements before an image is even captured.

Both rear lenses support optical image stabilization for the first time, for better photo quality in all lighting conditions, and better than ever portraits when using Portrait Mode.

There’s also a new front-facing camera system, the TrueDepth camera, which is what powers Face ID with its dot projector and infrared camera and sensors. There’s also a high-quality f/2.2 7-megapixel camera built into the TrueDepth system for taking selfies.

With the TrueDepth camera, the front-facing camera in the iPhone X now supports Portrait Mode right alongside the rear camera, so you can create Portrait Mode selfies with an artfully blurred background. Both the front and rear-facing cameras also work with the new Portrait Lighting feature for dynamically adjusting the lighting in a photo.

Photo taking isn’t the only improvement in the iPhone X. The rear-facing camera supports 4K video capture at 60 frames per second and 1080p slo-mo video at up to 240 frames per second, both significant improvements over previous-generation devices. New video stabilization techniques, the aforementioned larger sensor, and the new image signal processor all go a long way towards improving video quality.

Along with this detailed look at the iPhone X’s camera, we’re going to be sharing a lot more iPhone X content over the course of the coming week, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel if you haven’t done so already.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Apple Releases Second Beta of macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 for Public Beta Testers

Apple this afternoon released the second beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 update to public beta testers for testing purposes, one week after releasing the first public beta and more than a month after releasing the High Sierra operating system. The second public beta of macOS High Sierra is identical to the second developer beta provided to developers earlier this week.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will be able to download the new macOS High Sierra beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

Those who want to be a part of Apple’s beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.

macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 appears to focus primarily on bug fixes, performance improvements, security enhancements, and other under-the-hood updates. No major outward-facing features were found in the first two developer betas.

The previous update, macOS High Sierra 10.13.1, addressed a serious WPA 2 vulnerability and introduced new emoji.

Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
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iPhone X Case Review Roundup 2: Casetify, Caudabe, and Incipio

Apple’s new iPhone X brings the first major design overhaul in years, so I’m taking a look at a wide range of iPhone X cases from different manufacturers to see what’s available. This is my second review roundup post, which covers Casetify, Caudabe, and Incipio.

My first review roundup on cases from Twelve South, Nomad, Speck, and Apple can be found here, and in the coming days, I’ll have additional review roundups that highlight many other cases.

For all of my reviews, I’m looking at the general usability of iPhone X cases. Extreme drop tests and in-depth testing aren’t covered because those factors are less important than how a case works on an average day, and it’s often fairly easy to tell from design how protective a case is going to be.

Factors like bulk, button accessibility, grip, thickness, and appearance are what I focused on. With the removal of the Home button, button presses are more important, and there are a surprising number of cases out there that make the buttons a lot more tedious to press.

All of the cases in today’s review roundup support wireless charging and I’ve confirmed that each one works with a Qi wireless charger I have on hand.

Casetify

Casetify offers a huge selection of cases for the iPhone X, some of which are customizable and some of which are more standard case designs.

I’m a fan of Casetify’s customizable cases, and I’ve ordered them several times in the past. They’re essentially clear cases that you can add your own images to, or choose one of hundreds of designs from artists.

There are three base customizable cases: the Snap Case ($35), the Impact Case ($45), and the Glitter Case ($45), which has a layer of liquid-filled glitter inside of it.

From left to right: Impact Case, Glitter Case, Snap Case
All of these are clear, hard plastic cases that snap onto the iPhone, but the Snap Case is a simple little shell that leaves the bottom and side buttons exposed, while the Impact Case and the Glitter Case cover all of the buttons and offer protection for the bottom of the phone.

The Snap Case is the most minimal of the three customizable case options, while the Impact Case is somewhat bulkier. The Glitter Case is the thickest of the bunch because it needs dual layers for the layer of liquid glitter to float around. It looks neat, but it adds a lot of bulk. Glitter and Impact both cover the buttons but leave them usable and easy to press, and all three cases have a bit of a lip that comes up to protect the display.

Casetify’s customizable cases are great because (with the exception of the Glitter Case) they’re lightweight, add a decent amount of protection, and look however you want them to look. I love the look of the glitter in the Glitter Case, and while it adds a little too much rear thickness to the iPhone X for my taste, I’m still going to use it.

From left to right: Essential Woven, Essential Skin, Essential Impact
Casetify also makes non-customizable cases, several of which are sleek and stylish. The Essential Snap ($28) is a lightweight, hard shell case that has a rough texture that’s easy to grip. Darker cases pair the best with the iPhone X’s black front bezels, and the black rubber rim of this case paired with the fabric back looks great. This case isn’t as thick as some of the others I’ve tested, but it’s going to keep the iPhone X safe from scratches and minor drops.

Essential Snap
The Essential Woven Card Case ($40) is similar in design to the Essential Snap, but it features a slit on the back that can hold a few cards and it has a rubber rim. The Essential Impact ($45) is a clear case with a hard plastic back and flexible, shock absorbing rubber edges, and like the rest of the Essential Cases, it has a lip that protects the display.

Casetify’s final case is the Essential Skin ($25). The Skin is a super slim plastic-style ~0.3mm case that’s similar to other cases sold by several brands. It offers only scratch protection and isn’t going to do much if you drop your phone. It also doesn’t have any display protection.

Incipio

Incipio is a well-established iPhone case maker with several options for the iPhone X, and all of the cases I tested are relatively slim but seem to offer a decent amount of protection. Each case wraps all the way around the iPhone X, covering the buttons and the bottom of the device, and they all come up over the screen just a bit to protect the display when face down. It’s worth noting that most of these Incipio cases have prominent branding in the form of a large Incipio logo on the back of most of the cases.

From left to right: NGP Sport, DualPro, Reprieve Sport, and Siliskin
The NGP Sport ($29.99) is made from a soft, malleable material available in several bright colors. I much prefer soft cases to hard shell cases because they’re easier to get off and feel better able to absorb shock when dropped on the ground. The NGP Sport has nice soft buttons that are easy to press. It’s a bit thicker than the Apple Silicone case (as a point of reference) but it’s not adding too much bulk to the phone, and it has a nice two-texture design. The material it’s made from is smooth and untextured for the most part, so it’s a bit hard to grip.

The Reprieve Sport ($39.99) is a hard plastic clear case with rubber that wraps around the sides and extra reinforcement at the corners. It’s about as thick as the NGP Sport, but the clear back is nice because it lets the design of the iPhone X shine through. I like the reinforced corners paired with an extra thick lip around the display, as both make this case feel more protective than the average iPhone case. I’m not a huge fan of the color combo, but Incipio offers several options.

From left to right: NGP Sport, Reprieve Sport, Siliskin
The Siliskin ($29.99) may be my favorite case from Incipio. It’s made from a malleable rubber material that’s thin but still offers some light protection. It’s not going to be as protective as something like the Reprieve Sport, but it’s almost unnoticeable on the phone, adds a good amount of grip, is designed in such a way to leave the buttons easy to press, and is just plain nice to hold.

The DualPro ($29.99) is one of the most protective cases that Incipio makes. It has a two layered design that pairs a thin, flexible internal case with a hard outer shell, which is nice because it’s versatile. If you want, you can remove the outer shell to have a thinner case, snapping it back on when you need additional protection. The inner case is not quite as slim as the Siliskin, but it’s close, and paired with the outer shell, it’s the thickest of Incipio’s offerings.

When I say thick, though, it’s still worth noting that it’s fairly slim – this doesn’t add a huge amount of bulk and seems to be a nice compromise between thickness and protection. Buttons are a little bit harder to press because they’re covered, and I do wish the material offered more grip, but it’s a nice case.

Caudabe

Caudabe seems to specialize in cases with a minimal design, something that will appeal to people looking for slim cases with muted colors and nearly invisible branding.

From left to right: Synthesis, Lucid Clear, Veil XT, and Sheath
The Lucid Clear ($24.99) is a plain, slim clear case made of hard plastic that’s the best option I’ve seen if you want something unobtrusive that’s going to offer a small amount of protection without obscuring the design of the iPhone X. It has a raised lip to keep the display of the iPhone X from touching a surface when face down, and it leaves buttons exposed so they’re easy to press.

The Veil XT ($19.95) is a super slim 0.35mm plastic case that’s going to protect from scratches but not drops. It’s identical to the Essential Skin from Casetify, but cheaper, and it’s worth noting that several other companies also make cases like this. These types of cases are the absolute thinnest you’ll find because they’re made of plastic not much thicker than a sheet of paper.

The Sheath ($24.95) is a plain black case that’s made from a flexible rubber material. It covers the volume and power buttons, but since it’s such a malleable material, it doesn’t impede their functionality. It has a little bit of a raised lip and offers protection all the way around the phone, and it’s actually not too much thicker than the Veil XT. This is a good compromise if you want thin but with a little more protection than you’ll get with the ultra thin cases. This is one of my favorite cases of the bunch because it’s thin without being so thin that it offers no benefits.

The Synthesis ($29.95) is Caudabe’s thickest, most expensive case. Comparatively, I’d say this is about the same thickness as the Apple Silicone case. It’s still fairly slim, as far as cases go, and the hard plastic material it’s made from wraps around the iPhone X and covers the buttons. This case suffers from a problem that plagues many cases with hard plastic — the buttons are hard to press. It doesn’t have much shock absorption, but the hard back and the plastic lip seem like they’ll offer decent protection from minor drops. The hard plastic material is, however, hard to hold onto because it has no texturing.

Bottom Line

These manufacturers all produce cases that are fairly minimal, and I was a fan of a lot of these. I’ve never dropped a phone, so I tend to prefer cases that are thin and lightly protective, and if you’re the same way, give Caudabe’s Sheath and Incipio’s Siliskin a look. I loved both of these.

If you only need scratch protection, Casetify’s Essential Skin and Caudabe’s Veil XT are some of the thinnest iPhone cases on the market, but there’s no real protection from drops. The most stylish of this bunch definitely goes to Casetify’s Essential Snap, which is as slim as the Siliskin but made from a more rigid, textured material that looks sharp and is easy to grip.

For thicker cases that offer more protection without being overly bulky, Incipio’s Sport XT and Caudabe’s Synthesis are worth checking out, and for customization, Casetify is a must.

Since this was a brief look at the cases available from several different companies, I’m happy to provide additional photos and answer questions about any of the cases listed down in the forums. I’ll be covering additional cases from companies like Nodus, X-Doria, MagBak, Spigen, Otterbox, Peel, and more in roundups that will be shared later this week and next week.

Note: Caudabe, Casetify, and Incipio provided MacRumors with iPhone X cases for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

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Snapchat plans a big redesign to attract more users

Rounding up the collection of tech companies releasing performance results this quarter is new kid on the (trading) block Snap Inc. According to its third-ever public earnings report, Snap continues to add daily active users (DAU) at a relatively slow growth rate of 3 percent. That translates to 4.5 million new users for the app, bringing the total number to 178 million. That’s a far cry from the 800 million DAU on Instagram, which saw 100 million new users in less than half a year.

In the company’s prepared statement accompanying the results, CEO Evan Spiegel admitted that “we grew our Daily Active Users at a lower rate than we would have liked”. He added that “this can be partially attributed to our decision to report our Daily Active Users as an average over the entire quarter, where a strong September was offset by the more modest months of July and August.” Still, the company wants to focus on driving user growth in 2018.

To attract more Android users, the company is rebuilding its Android app to optimize performance. Having seen more Android users joining after improving performance in that app, Spiegel said in the statement “we wish we had done this sooner.” The new version of the Android app will be launching in select markets before a wider rollout, although the company hasn’t disclosed a timeframe for this.

It’s also redesigning Snapchat overall in response to feedback that the app is “difficult to understand or hard to use.” The redesign will focus on a few areas, including updating “streaming architecture for Story playback” so that you no longer have to download an entire video file before initiating playback. This could make it faster to start playing a clip, but could potentially lead to buffer delays due to spotty signals.

Snap also wants to reach people in what it calls “Rest of World markets” that don’t have as speedy or affordable internet access as more-established regions. It is exploring “partnerships with select wireless carriers who can help us to provide our service at a lower cost to our community.”

Part of the redesign also involves tweaking the content section of its app to feature the many original shows and news programs that tend to be hidden away. The company hasn’t shared details on what this will look like, but said that “there is a big opportunity to surface some of this content in a personalized and more relevant way, while still maintaining the exploratory nature of our service.” It’s likely that shows will be served up to users based on their viewing or sharing habits.

Snap also said it will open up its Lens Studio tool to let more people create AR filters, just as it gave the public access to Geofilters before.

In the last quarter, Snap has added filters and more ad tools to its app, formed a mobile-only studio with NBC, launched AR art installations and sold dancing hotdog costumes on Amazon. The latter is a strangely appropriate second foray into selling physical products, following the company’s video-recording Spectacles.

The company didn’t mention either product in its report this quarter, aside from a mention of the $39.9 million inventory charges related to Spectacles. This was “primarily related to excess inventory reserves and inventory purchase commitment cancellation charges.” Once the initial hype was over, it seems people just aren’t buying Spectacles anymore.

Source: Snap Inc

LG’s V30+ is coming to T-Mobile on November 17th

While most carriers got LG’s vlog-ready V30 smartphone (pictured above) back in August, Sprint got an exclusive version, the V30+, that doubled its storage to 128GB. Or so the company claimed. T-Mobile just announced that it’s getting the device too, and will make it available to customers on November 17th.

Aside from the extra space, the phone also packs in nicer earbuds and HiFi Quad DAC — but otherwise, it’s the same ol’ V30 that came out months ago. The real coup lies in bragging rights more than securing a signature phone, but spoiling exclusives wouldn’t be an issue if the Sprint–T-Mobile merger hadn’t gotten called off days ago.

Source: T-Mobile

Apple Says iOS 11 is Installed on 52% of Devices

iOS 11 is now installed on 52 percent of iOS devices, according to new statistics that Apple shared today on its App Store support page for developers.

This is the first time that Apple has updated its App Store support page since the release of iOS 11, and the first look we’ve had at official installation numbers.

We’ve previously only seen installation estimates from analytics company Mixpanel, which appear to be quite a bit different. Mixpanel currently lists iOS 11 installation at just about 66 percent.

With iOS 11 installed on 52 percent of devices, 38 percent continue to run iOS 11. 10 percent are still on an earlier version of iOS.

iOS 11 adoption has been slower than iOS 10 adoption was last year, but the number of devices with the update installed has grown steadily since the new update was released.

Apple has thus far released several updates for iOS 11, including iOS 11.1, the first major iOS 11 update. iOS 11.1 introduced new emoji, brought back the 3D Touch App Switcher, and included some critical security fixes.

iOS 11.2, an update currently in testing, will be the first major update to bring a new feature — Apple Pay Cash — which could encourage additional users to upgrade to the new operating system.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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New augmented reality ‘coach’ aims to help autistic people build life skills

For people on the autistic spectrum, the kind of everyday social interactions that most of us take for granted can be enormously difficult. After manifesting in early childhood, these challenges can create difficulties for sufferers from school age right through their years in the workplace. A startup based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thinks it has one possible way to help them — and it involves augmented reality, smart glasses, and some cool emotion-tracking technology.

Launched in early November, Brain Power’s Empower Me system is hailed as the world’s first wearable smart glasses platform that’s designed explicitly to help people with autism. A bit like the kind of “brain training” apps that have been popular for years, the technology functions as a “digital coach. It runs on Google Glass and provides various games — with a focus on aiding those on the spectrum in building important life skills.

“Some of the challenges we address include decoding the emotions of others, face-directed gaze, language, context-appropriate conversation skills, controlling behaviors, and general cognitive enhancement, among others,” Dr. Ned Sahin, founder and CEO of Brain Power, told Digital Trends. “Our applications are gamified and engaging, and run on smart glasses. Unlike with a tablet or phone, the person is looking up, and our software encourages social interaction with other people.”

Empower Me features a suite of apps. For example, in the kid-oriented Emotion Charades, players must identify different emotions in siblings, parents, or therapists and then match them with emojis. The emotions are recognized by the smart glasses using cutting-edge facial recognition technology, so the player gets to learn based on real live people, rather than avatars.

“People on the spectrum enjoy the engaging format of the applications we have designed, and parents truly appreciate the ‘connectedness’ they feel with their child,” Sahin continued. “We’ve studied this formally and scientifically during those clinical trials in children and adults across the spectrum. Results from stage one of our clinical trials are being published now, with many more papers to come.”

The technology has been in development for several years. It’s got some impressive names behind it. It’ powered by neuroscience developed at MIT and Harvard University, and was created in close partnership with Affectiva, the world’s leading emotion AI company, and X, formerly known as Google X.

Those interested in the Empower Me system can pledge support on Indiegogo. Prices start at $945 for the suite of apps, minus the Google Glass headset. Shipping is set to take place in August 2018.

Editors’ Recommendations

• That’s ‘Professor Bot’ to you! How AI is changing education
• The 100 best iPad apps for your Apple tablet (October)
• Amazon Alexa and the Mayo Clinic team up to provide public health information
• Google and Snapchat team up to host the #MyFutureMe contest
• Prepare your kids — SpongeBob SquarePants is now an Alexa skill

Everything you need to know about Neuralink: Elon Musk’s brainy new venture

Elon Musk has no shortage of ambitious, inspiring, and downright crazy ideas. You’ve probably heard about his efforts to build reusable rockets, blanket the globe in Wi-Fi, and build a network of tunnels under LA — but one of his newest ventures, called Neuralink, is arguably one his most intriguing yet.  It’s a crazy mix of futuristic science and brain surgery, with a healthy dose of, “what does it even mean to be human?” thrown in for good measure. Here’s everything you need to know!

Neuralink sounds like something from a movie. What is Musk up to?

Neuralink is based on a very sci-fi concept: the startup wants to link your brain directly to computers and other electronic devices, preferably via cybernetic implants that allow your mind to interface with gadgets and programs.

Musk believes that brain-to-machine interfaces are an important part of humanity’s future – preferably without the dystopian tagalongs. Neuralink wants to find the best possible ways to make that mind connection possible. There’s also a more paranoid factor at work: Musk and others are worried about the impact of A.I. on the world, especially if that A.I. turns against humans. Musk would prefer that we have a more direct way to control A.I. if necessary, and would like to find a way to increase our intelligence to compete with the super smart A.I. programs of the future. If that sounds exciting to you, you can read more about it in this whitepaper.

It’s a little more than a year old. Reports started surfacing about Neuralink in 2016, and Musk’s involvement in 2017. Since then, the project has received a collection of Elon Musk tweets, it’s own Twitter feed, and a bare bones website.

What are the ultimate goals of Neuralink?

There are a number of interesting long-term goals for Neuralink – and similar projects. More specifically:

Create new implants that can be surgically inserted into the human brain: Interestingly, this technology already sort of exists. A number of different brain implants are being used to help treat blind patients, those suffering from neurological diseases, and other conditions – sometimes with surprising success. But these implants are largely autonomous. People don’t really interact with them, and they don’t give anyone extra capabilities. Obviously Neuralink is more ambitious, and the company is busy looking for better neural laces, or webs that can integrate into the brain.

Allow humans to mentally interact with the devices around them: In the lingo, these are called “BCIs” or brain-computer interfaces. The closest we’ve gotten here are advanced bionics that can interpret brains signals and allow people to control limited movements for prosthetic arms and legs. The next step is linking that technology with implants that, instead of actuating movement, can interface with other types of external software. Neuralink would love to see wearable devices that do the same thing, but the startup admits that surgery and brain implants are probably going to be a big first step.

Let humans amass data via the chip: In other words, Neuralink wants to create chips that can increase human storage and processing power. That probably requires interface technology that we aren’t even close to yet – but that’s the point of Neuralink.

Help out the medical field treat more injuries: We just talked about how most current brain implant projects are trying to help disabled people recover. This provides an ideal entry point for Neuralink to develop new technology and come up with new solutions before jumping straight into the A.I. War of 2075.

Where is Neuralink now, in the real world?

UPMC

This venture is still somewhat secretive. However, the startup did make big news when it raised $26.96 million in a funding round in late 2017. Based on the documents filed, it looks like Musk may want to raise much more money in the future, but for now he has stated that there is no active fundraising or investment action going on. However, Musk hopes to begin developing the first mind-link devices within the next several years.

Is any of this even possible?

That’s a matter of debate. Brain-computer interface technology has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past few years — but there’s still a lot of uncertainty about just how far these efforts can go. The human brain is fantastically complex, and when it comes to allowing thoughts to pass back and forth from software …well, no one is even sure where to begin. Some consider the whole idea to be far out of our reach.

I’m an engineer and this is my dream come true. Is Neuralink hiring?

Yes, the startup is looking for a limited number of engineers in all kinds of fields, particularly software and mechanical. Of course, Musk is looking for the best of the best, so you better brush up your resume.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Everything you need to know about the Boring Company, Elon Musk’s latest venture
• Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson climbs aboard the Hyperloop
• A beginner’s guide to A.I. superintelligence and ‘the singularity’
• Here’s everything you need to know about SpaceX Starlink
• Man somehow plays sax solo following brain surgery, for science

Everything you need to know about Neuralink: Elon Musk’s brainy new venture

Elon Musk has no shortage of ambitious, inspiring, and downright crazy ideas. You’ve probably heard about his efforts to build reusable rockets, blanket the globe in Wi-Fi, and build a network of tunnels under LA — but one of his newest ventures, called Neuralink, is arguably one his most intriguing yet.  It’s a crazy mix of futuristic science and brain surgery, with a healthy dose of, “what does it even mean to be human?” thrown in for good measure. Here’s everything you need to know!

Neuralink sounds like something from a movie. What is Musk up to?

Neuralink is based on a very sci-fi concept: the startup wants to link your brain directly to computers and other electronic devices, preferably via cybernetic implants that allow your mind to interface with gadgets and programs.

Musk believes that brain-to-machine interfaces are an important part of humanity’s future – preferably without the dystopian tagalongs. Neuralink wants to find the best possible ways to make that mind connection possible. There’s also a more paranoid factor at work: Musk and others are worried about the impact of A.I. on the world, especially if that A.I. turns against humans. Musk would prefer that we have a more direct way to control A.I. if necessary, and would like to find a way to increase our intelligence to compete with the super smart A.I. programs of the future. If that sounds exciting to you, you can read more about it in this whitepaper.

It’s a little more than a year old. Reports started surfacing about Neuralink in 2016, and Musk’s involvement in 2017. Since then, the project has received a collection of Elon Musk tweets, it’s own Twitter feed, and a bare bones website.

What are the ultimate goals of Neuralink?

There are a number of interesting long-term goals for Neuralink – and similar projects. More specifically:

Create new implants that can be surgically inserted into the human brain: Interestingly, this technology already sort of exists. A number of different brain implants are being used to help treat blind patients, those suffering from neurological diseases, and other conditions – sometimes with surprising success. But these implants are largely autonomous. People don’t really interact with them, and they don’t give anyone extra capabilities. Obviously Neuralink is more ambitious, and the company is busy looking for better neural laces, or webs that can integrate into the brain.

Allow humans to mentally interact with the devices around them: In the lingo, these are called “BCIs” or brain-computer interfaces. The closest we’ve gotten here are advanced bionics that can interpret brains signals and allow people to control limited movements for prosthetic arms and legs. The next step is linking that technology with implants that, instead of actuating movement, can interface with other types of external software. Neuralink would love to see wearable devices that do the same thing, but the startup admits that surgery and brain implants are probably going to be a big first step.

Let humans amass data via the chip: In other words, Neuralink wants to create chips that can increase human storage and processing power. That probably requires interface technology that we aren’t even close to yet – but that’s the point of Neuralink.

Help out the medical field treat more injuries: We just talked about how most current brain implant projects are trying to help disabled people recover. This provides an ideal entry point for Neuralink to develop new technology and come up with new solutions before jumping straight into the A.I. War of 2075.

Where is Neuralink now, in the real world?

UPMC

This venture is still somewhat secretive. However, the startup did make big news when it raised $26.96 million in a funding round in late 2017. Based on the documents filed, it looks like Musk may want to raise much more money in the future, but for now he has stated that there is no active fundraising or investment action going on. However, Musk hopes to begin developing the first mind-link devices within the next several years.

Is any of this even possible?

That’s a matter of debate. Brain-computer interface technology has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past few years — but there’s still a lot of uncertainty about just how far these efforts can go. The human brain is fantastically complex, and when it comes to allowing thoughts to pass back and forth from software …well, no one is even sure where to begin. Some consider the whole idea to be far out of our reach.

I’m an engineer and this is my dream come true. Is Neuralink hiring?

Yes, the startup is looking for a limited number of engineers in all kinds of fields, particularly software and mechanical. Of course, Musk is looking for the best of the best, so you better brush up your resume.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Everything you need to know about the Boring Company, Elon Musk’s latest venture
• Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson climbs aboard the Hyperloop
• A beginner’s guide to A.I. superintelligence and ‘the singularity’
• Here’s everything you need to know about SpaceX Starlink
• Man somehow plays sax solo following brain surgery, for science

Google’s ‘Files Go’ gives Android users an easy way to share their files

Apple’s AirDrop has long been an extremely easy and convenient way to share files among Apple devices, but it looks like Google is finally working on a competitor — Files Go.

The new app was first spotted on Google Play in closed beta by 9to5Google and while the app has since been pulled, the outlet was able to get its hands on some screenshots and find out some of the features through the Google Play listing.

According to the report, the new app will partly act as a file manager and partly as a way to transfer files between devices. You also get a rundown of how much space is being used and some tools you can use to clean up your phone’s files — freeing up valuable space you could use for other things. You can also filter files based where they came from to more easily comb through them on your phone — for example, you could see files from WhatsApp, which would show photos that your friends have sent you.

There is certainly some app crossover here, but the app could still prove to be very useful. For starters, those that avidly use Google Drive probably already have most of their files in the cloud. Not only that, but Google Photos already has a way to clean up unnecessary files — though the new utility won’t be limited to photos and images.

Of course, the real draw for the app will be quick and easy file transfer and it seems as though the service will work over Bluetooth — meaning you can transfer files to other devices even if those devices are online, and without having to eat up some of your data. In other words, it’s an Android version of AirDrop, which also uses Bluetooth.

It’s currently unknown who exactly will be able to take advantage of the new app. Some theories suggest that considering the name of the app, “Files Go,” it will only be available on the Android Go operating system, a stripped-down version of Android built for emerging markets where phones may not be as powerful. A report from TechCrunch, however, instead says that the app will be available globally at the beginning of December. On top of that, someone managed to get the app’s APK — and if you’re so inclined you can download it for yourself here, as long as you have Android 5.0 or later.

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