Amazon envisions delivery drones that self-destruct in emergencies

It’s been years now since Amazon revealed its plan to begin using drones for delivery, and the company has slowly been improving and refining the idea ever since. Now, Amazon has been granted a patent on tech that would allow its drones to self-destruct in the event of an emergency.

The patent is specifically for “directed fragmentation of unmanned airborne vehicles,” or in other words, controlled destruction of drones. The flight controllers can analyze such factors as the drone’s flight path, current conditions and the ground it’s flying over in order to determine the best way to destroy it in any given situation. If they detect a disruption in its operation, the drone can safely break into multiple pieces and avoid injuring anyone or damaging property.

This comes after Amazon filed a patent earlier this year to complete deliveries by parachuting packages from the sky. The parachutes might even be embedded within the shipping labels. The idea of drone deliveries might sound wild, but the company is clearly invested in trying to make them work under different conditions.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: US Patent and Trademark Office

8Bitdo’s wireless SNES controller is perfect for Switch retro gaming

The Nintendo Switch’s controllers shouldn’t work as well as they do. That might be why options beyond a Joy-Con in each hand (or the Switch’s own Pro controller) are few and far between. 8Bitdo’s latest wireless peripheral, the SN30 Pro, might be worth considering for your secondary controller needs. Beside that allure of nostalgia, the SN30 Pro particularly shines with older games and tries to balance a classic design with modern controls. I picked up the (obviously prettier) European / Japanese model, the otherwise identical SF30 Pro, and had a play.

It’s like the original SNES controller and PlayStation’s DualShock had a wireless baby: two analogue sticks force their way into the 16-bit controller’s iconic design. Iconic doesn’t mean entirely ergonomic, however, and it doesn’t feel as well-balanced as modern gamepads. It feels like the SNES controller you remember; it’s just that the SNES came out two decades ago. Games peripherals have gotten better, if a little duller, over the years.

8Bitdo combined analogue controls with a NES controller design already, but the NES30 Pro was a little bit too small for so many inputs. The SN30 Pro feels like an improvement, simply by virtue of being larger. Like its predecessor, 8Bitdo added secondary trigger buttons on both sides as well as vibration support (although not HD rumble). It’s also wireless and can be charged through a USB-C port. I kept a cable plugged into the back of my Switch’s dock. I just wish the boxed cable was a little longer — it doesn’t quite extend far enough away from my TV to allow me to play wired while it charges.

It doesn’t quite do everything that Nintendo’s own Switch controllers do: There’s no Amiibo support or gesture controls. This is a Bluetooth gamepad, too, so it can connect to PCs, Macs and Android devices through Bluetooth, but let’s not kid ourselves; this is for Nintendo consoles. There are also dedicated buttons for getting to the main Switch menu and taking screenshots.

The retro design brings one an arguable upgrade from the Switch’s pack-in / built-in controller: its D-Pad. 8Bitdo’s SN30 Pro maintains that unusual combination of spongy and springy just like you remember it, and I feel it’s an improvement from the four-button assembly that the Switch has. No 3D printer needed.

This makes the likes of Ultra Street Fighter II and 2D indie games are wonderful to play on the SN30 Pro. The digital controls are a better fit, and with the former, the hadoukens seemed to flow from my fingers. The Switch is still a young console, and so I’m still waiting to see how Nintendo handles a virtual console this time around. The SN30 Pro was made for the likes of Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario World and Castlevania.

For modern games with more complex control systems, a few cracks appear. Some buttons on the SN30 Pro have shifted ever so slightly to make space for the analogue sticks. The sticks seem very, very similar to the ones found on PlayStation controllers though the differently shaped SN30 Pro shell requires a bit of time to get used to. I held it a little differently, which, coupled with those sticks made for some unfortunate failed jumps in Super Mario Odyssey. The lack of motion controls was an occasional frustration too.

The original SNES’ shoulder buttons have now been split into two. The L1 and R1 buttons are a little too slim though, meaning I was prone to triggering the bigger L2 and R2 buttons below. It requires slightly more precise playing — an issue that many had with the NES30 Pro. It’s a shame that the Switch’s Joy-Cons are just so comfortable to play with. You might think differently, but the analogue sticks, paired with a very slim body, isn’t as easy to hold.

The SN30 Pro doesn’t have the smoothest connectivity, either. At first, the Switch struggled to recognise and sync with the controller, bouncing me between a few tutorial screens. Later attempts to connect were a little less problematic, but it’s not perfect.

There’s one smart feature: Once you start up the gamepad, you can assign which device it’ll be used with by pressing a preset button assigned to Switch, Android and the rest. (There’s even a cheat sheet printed on the back of each controller.)

Mat Smith, Engadget

The SN30 Pro isn’t the best controller for playing actual Switch games — I find the Joy-Cons incredibly comfortable to use. It is, however, a smart choice for a second gamepad, one that is both perfect for retro games (with plenty of those coming) and for when a buddy comes around to best you in Street Fighter (not gonna happen) or to race along in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Both the purple-hued SN30 Pro and the obviously superior SF30 Pro are priced at $50 to preorder from Amazon, set to ship December 10th. And if this isn’t your favorite Nintendo controller, well, there are other convoluted methods available.

Source: 8Bitdo (Amazon)

Google Home Mini is crashing when cranked up to 11

The Google Home Mini is a great, low-cost option for putting Assistant all over your house. Like your smartphone, though, its built-in speaker isn’t the type of thing you’d want to use for any sort of critical listening. In a pinch it might be better than nothing, though. If you feel like cranking the volume on its diminutive driver, however, consider the following warning: Depending on what you’re listening to via Google Play Music, the smart speaker could crash.

Google isn’t quite sure what’s causing the problem, and it sounds like users aren’t either. People posting on the Google Home help forum and Reddit say that after maxing out the volume and playing “multiple songs” the device would crash and then reboot. A few of the tracks in question? “Royals” from Lorde (Pure Heroine was a free Google Play download a few years ago) and “Icon” by Jayden Smith.

If this happens to you as well, Google implores that you make sure you’re using the supplied power cable, fill out a crash report and then send it to the company. Oh, and if you don’t have a Home Mini and want one, they’re currently on sale for $30.

Via: Slashgear

Source: Google Home Forum, Reddit

Craig Federighi: Apple Focused on Single-User Face ID, Touch ID Was Never Intended for Multiple Users

Apple’s current focus with Face ID is on single-user authentication, suggesting support for multiple faces won’t be added in the near future, according to an alleged email from the company’s software engineering chief Craig Federighi.

By comparison, Touch ID can store up to five fingerprints, and each of those fingerprints can belong to a different person. This allows a married couple, for example, to be able to securely authenticate a single iPhone.

In an email to a customer, however, Federighi appears to admit that Touch ID’s multi-finger support has always been intended for a single iPhone owner to authenticate with a finger or thumb on both the left and right hand if desired.

Federighi added that Face ID could eventually authenticate multiple faces as the system evolves in the future, but his email makes it clear that Apple doesn’t have any immediate plans to implement said functionality.

The user who shared this email on Reddit has a good reputation and history on the website, so we’re inclined to believe it is authentic. However, we are still waiting to receive full headers of the email to verify its origins.

A screenshot of Craig Federighi’s alleged email response to a customer
Apple says Face ID has a one in 1,000,000 chance of being spoofed, compared to one in 50,000 for Touch ID, although the probability of a false match is higher among identical twins, siblings who look alike, and children.

Vietnamese security firm Bkav has also been able to spoof Face ID twice with 3D printed masks, but the steps involved are quite complex and this isn’t something the average user should be very concerned about.

In practical, real-world usage, Face ID has proved to be very secure and reliable. But, at least for now, it appears that iPhone X owners won’t be able to extend this convenience to their trusted family members or friends.

Tags: Touch ID, Craig Federighi, Face ID
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Apple Seeds Sixth Beta of iOS 11.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming iOS 11.2 update to developers, a few days after releasing the fifth iOS 11.2 beta, a month after releasing the first major iOS 11 update, iOS 11.1, and two weeks after releasing the iOS 11.1.2 update.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 11.2 beta from Apple’s Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center. Today’s beta update may be the iOS 11.2 golden master, suggesting we could see the official release of iOS 11.2 soon.

iOS 11.2 introduces Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s new peer-to-peer payments service. Apple Pay Cash works through the Messages app and is designed to allow for quick person-to-person money transfers. It’s available as a dedicated iMessage app in Messages, with cash transferred through the app.

Cash can be sent from a linked debit or credit card, while received cash is stored in an Apple Pay Cash card in Wallet that can be used for purchases or sent to a bank account.

On the iPhone X, iOS 11.2 adds a small bar underneath the icons located at the upper right side of the device on the Lock screen, which is designed to make the location of the Control Center gesture more clear. On the iPhone X, Control Center is accessed by swiping down from the top of the device.

In Control Center on all devices, there are two new informational pop-ups that are displayed when using the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth toggles. These pop-ups explain that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are disabled temporarily rather than permanently when accessed from Control Center.

In iOS 11.2, there’s support for faster 7.5W wireless charging for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus. The faster speeds will be available when using third-party wireless chargers that support 7.5W charging or more.

The update also addresses an animation bug in the Calculator app that caused some numbers and symbols to be ignored when entered in rapid succession. The update removes the animations from the calculator app so calculations can be done quickly with no need to pause between entering numbers to obtain the correct result.

In addition to these bug fixes, iOS 11.2 introduces a new Now Playing option for controlling content on the Apple TV in Control Center, a dedicated Sports section in the TV app, redesigned camera emoji, a new loading animation for Live Photos effects, and new Live wallpapers for the iPhone X, plus it adds a feature that lets developers offer new customers discounted introductory pricing for auto-renewable subscriptions on the App Store.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Apple Seeds Sixth macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Beta to Developers

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 update to developers, a few days after seeding the fifth beta and a month after releasing the macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 update.

The new macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 beta can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store with the proper profile installed.

It’s not yet clear what improvements the second major update to macOS High Sierra will bring, but it’s likely to include bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that weren’t addressed in macOS High Sierra 10.13.1.

This update may fix a serious macOS vulnerability that enables the root superuser on a Mac with no password or additional security check. Apple released a patch for the bug in macOS 10.31.1, but the issue has not been fixed as of yet in macOS 10.3.2.

No significant new features were discovered in the first five betas of macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, but we’ll update this post should notable changes be found in the fifth beta.

Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
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Moët Hennessy pops the cork on its new Alexa skill, Bottles and Bubbles

It would be easier these days to list the number of companies that don’t have associated Amazon Alexa skills than to list the oodles of companies that have jumped on the virtual assistant’s bandwagon. The latest Amazon Alexa skill, however, isn’t one that you might expect. It comes from Moët Hennessy USA, the luxury wine and spirits company, who announced on Friday a new Amazon Alexa skill that gives customers the chance to learn about champagne and “create their own experiences at home,” which sounds interesting.

Called Bottles and Bubbles, this new skill makes use of Alexa’s voice and Moët’s expertise to help casual champagne consumers become connoisseurs. You’ll now be able to ask Alexa to recommend champagne pairings, how to pronounce champagne names, and a whole host of other tips and educational lessons.

“As Moët Hennessy USA continues to bring new and innovative experiences to consumers, we are excited to announce the Bottles and Bubbles skill on Amazon’s Alexa,” said chief marketing officer Vanessa Kay. “New technologies are providing us with incredible opportunities to not only grow our business, but engage with our consumers in exciting ways while still delivering on our commitment to building luxury brands. Bottles and Bubbles will empower individuals with a champagne education and help them create the perfect champagne experience in their own homes.”

To use the skill, folks need only say, “Alexa, open Bottles and Bubbles.” From there, they’ll be able to access Champagne 101, which promises champagne basics and information about Moët Hennessy brands; a calendar of events worthy of a champagne celebration (though we think that’s every day); and suggestions and services to improve just about any party, like hosting tips, champagne-esque playlists, and even ambient sounds.

While Moët Hennessy may not strike customers today as a particularly tech-savvy brand, the spirits maker is hoping to change that. Indeed, with its foray into Alexa territory with Bottles and Bubbles, the brand is hoping to prove itself as “an innovative and future forward leader in the space.” After all, can you really be taken seriously if your customers can’t interact with you via an Amazon Echo?

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U.K. lawsuit aims to win British iPhone users $1.35 billion from Google

A campaign group in the United Kingdom is pressing forward with its lawsuit that claims Google owes a payout to everyone who used an iPhone between 2011 and 2012, because of Google’s data gathering techniques on the Apple browser Safari.

The group, “Google, You Owe Us,” accuses Google of bypassing security restrictions on the Safari browser on iPhone devices to gather personal data, while insisting to users that it was not able to do so. The group claims that this bypass, known as the “Safari Workaround” was used to sell personal data from the 5.5 million iPhone users in the U.K.

Google has denied that the claims are valid, and holds that the breach was not serious enough to break each users’ human rights, and should have originally been tried in California. Richard Lloyd, former director of product-review company Which is representing the iPhone users, and told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that “Google and similar tech giants from Silicon Valley are behaving as if they are above the law,” and beseeched the courts to allow him to hold Google to account for their deception. Legal firm Mishcon de Reya has agreed to represent the group at court, and agreed that data was a “valuable new currency,” and consumers rights would need to be upheld, and new systems to police them would need to be established.

This is hardly the first time that one of Silicone Valley’s tech giants has been sued over misuse of data. In 2011, Apple were sued for tracking US iPhone users without permission, after the iOS 4 update enabled location tracking in the background. This particular case against Google dates back to 2015, after the same campaign group won the right to sue Google over this particular breach of privacy.

Issues with the “Safari Workaround” date back even further than that, with Google having previously settled out of court with U.S. state attorneys for $17 million in November 2013, and paid a $22.5 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission in August 2012 after the FTC decided that Google had misrepresented its stance on tracking to the Safari users.

This case is thought to be the first of its kind in the U.K., and hopes to win 1 billion British pounds ($1.35 billion) for the Apple customers affected by the data breach, and is expected to go to the British courts in 2018.

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Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes Apple apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest iOS app deals available from the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

LifeList

LifeList will help you be more productive, organized, and realistic about what you can really get done in a day. It will help you go to bed every night feeling accomplished, motivated, and excited about what you got done.

Available on:

iOS

Palabras

Learn Spanish through daily reminders with hundreds and hundreds of words. They say practice makes perfect, and with this app, you’ll be able to practice all you want.

Available on:

iOS

Scored

This app is great for keeping score of those regular Friday night card games, your child’s high school basketball games, or almost any game that involves a score keeper.

Available on:

iOS

Ruler

This is simple virtual ruler app 17 feet or 5 meters long. Even if you don’t carry a measuring tape around in your pocket, you can always take simple measurements.

Available on:

iOS

dB meter

The dBA meter app will allow you to measure the current average SPL levels, peak SPL levels, and absolute maximum SPL levels, among other key sounds settings.

Available on:

iOS

Live 2 Photos

Live 2 Photos is the world’s first all-in-one tool that enables you to extract multiple still images from your live photos, videos, gifs, and burst photos.

Available on:

iOS

Editors’ Recommendations

• Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time
• Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time
• Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time
• Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time
• Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

How are you liking the Essential Phone’s portrait mode?

Portrait mode for the Essential Phone is finally here, but is it any good?

On November 29, an update to the Essential Phone’s camera app finally added the greatly-anticipated portrait mode that’s been introduced on so many other smartphones this year.

We’ve seen portrait mode implementations on devices range from awesome to hot garbage, and with the Essential Phone’s camera already being one of the weaker ones on a flagship in 2017, expectations for its portrait offering were admittedly low.

However, now that people are actually getting the chance to test the feature out for themselves, initial impressions seem to be quite good.

yfan
11-30-2017 10:15 AM

“

Yup the phone is definitely going in the right direction software wise. I just hope we’re rewarded for our patience! 🤣

Reply

Armeniandave
11-30-2017 08:18 AM

“

Just tried it myself and it does work pretty well. Compression on regular pics is much better now too. Definitely going in the right direction!

Reply

Roosterman
11-30-2017 08:09 AM

“

Thanks for the couple pictures yfan. I like that you don’t have to have a face present to get the effect. As I recall Apple or Pixel had some issue with this.

Reply

estebancam
12-01-2017 07:19 AM

“

portrait mode is looking great.

Reply

If you’ve had the chance to mess around with this new feature, we’d like to know – How are you liking portrait mode on the Essential Phone?

Join the conversation in the forums!

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