BBC launches Alexa skill for live radio and podcasts

Every BBC radio station and podcast is now accessible through Amazon’s Alexa assistant. So if you have an Echo or Echo dot in your home (or any Alexa-enabled speaker, for that matter), you can now launch Radio 1, 6 Music, or an episode of Desert Island Discs with your voice. The new Alexa “skill” offers granular control too, including “play,” “pause” and “resume.” You can also skip back to the “previous” episode of a podcast at any time.

It’s not the first time the BBC has backed Alexa, however. The news organisation is one of many that support Amazon’s “flash briefing,” a quick rundown of the day’s top stories. The broadcaster has also experimented with an interactive sci-fi drama called The Inspection Chamber, which lets you answer various questions and choices throughout its 20-minute run-time. (My colleague Jamie Rigg, in a rare moment of praise, called it “genuinely fun and entertaining.”) We’re glad the BBC is supporting Alexa, but now we have to ask: when will all of this come to Google Home?

Source: BBC (Press Release)

Ridin’ nerdy: 15 drool-worthy car gadgets for your daily drive

In the years of yore, a casual Sunday cruise may have been enough to adequately assuage the average driver. However, in our digital age, there are hundreds of gadgets to enhance our daily driving experience and help us streamline our day-to-day tasks. While there are plenty of practical devices designed to assist us during an emergency, there are also several rather unnecessary — albeit, enjoyable — gizmos to choose from. From a self-powered jump starter to a coffeemaker for your car, here are 15 of our favorite car gadgets for your daily driving pleasure.

Bestek Jump Starter ($50)

Jumper cables are great if you have another vehicle to give you a friendly jolt. However, if you’re in a more isolated area, jumper cables are essentially useless. The self-powered Bestek Jump Starter is ideal for this exact scenario, and it features two USB ports for your mobile devices as well as a flashlight.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Ztylus Stinger ($16)

The Stinger is a handy device to have at your disposal after an accident. If your car windows or doors are jammed, the Stinger is designed to shatter the dashboard or car window, thus allowing you to quickly exit your vehicle. The device also incorporates a slim blade on the backside, which allows you to slice through a jammed seat belt.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Fobo Tire Plus ($229)

Properly inflated tires wear more evenly, thus increasing the lifespan of your rubber as well as fuel efficiency. Rather than using a handheld pressure gauge to ensure your tires are properly inflated, the Fobo Tire Plus system uses a series of Bluetooth gauges that relay this information directly to your smartphone. Fobo can monitor up to 19 cars, too, which should be adequate for most mortals — other than Birdman, that is.

Buy one now from:

Fobo Amazon

Scosche USB Charger ($15)

As you begin to accumulate car gadgets, you’ll also need more space to charge many of these devices. Thankfully, Scosche’s charger allows you to charge two devices at once. The unit also emits a subtle, blue glow much to your chagrin, enjoyment, or apathy. While there are USB hubs with more ports, this unit is one of the best given its low profile and budget-friendly price tag. There are plenty of excellent chargers if you’re willing to spend a little bit more, too.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Tile Mate ($20)

Our forgetfulness costs us thousands of dollars over the course of our lifetimes. Unsurprisingly, one of the most commonly misplaced items are our car keys. Thankfully, the Bluetooth-equipped Tile Mate easily slides onto a keychain, allowing you to track the whereabouts of your keys using an accompanying mobile app — even if they’re locked inside your car. Tile is one of the best Bluetooth trackers on the market, and it’s compatible with several infotainment systems, including the one found in late-model Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Garmin Dash Cam 55 ($200)

A dash cam is an exceptional tool for determining fault after a car accident, and the Garmin Dash Cam 55 is our top pick. The device captures images in crystal-clear 1440p video and 30 frames per second. It keeps you safe, and you can use it to make cool time-lapse videos if you drive in through a scenic area.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Escort Max 360 ($509)

Like Sammy Hagar — renowned musician, philanthropist, and notorious restaurateur — many of us simply cannot drive 55. Unfortunately, this unlawful (albeit ubiquitous behavior) will eventual lead to hefty fines. Thankfully, there are an array of radar detectors on the market to notify us when The Fuzz is using radar in the vicinity, including the lauded Escort Max 360. The device is one of the most accurate on the market, loaded with dual antennas and robust smartphone compatibility that allows you to network with other nearby speedsters.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Park-Zone PZ-1600 ($22)

It can be difficult to know just how far to pull up when parking in smaller garages. Luckily, parking assistants are an easy way to help maximize space and prevent us from continually tapping our front bumpers. The simple traffic signal display on the PZ-1600 lets you know when you’ve pulled up far enough, without any ill-fated guesswork.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Handpresso ($168)

Most of us simply shudder at the thought of starting our workday without a cup of coffee. It’s easy to forget to set the coffeemaker, or, if we’re running behind, we may simply lack the time to swing by our preferential coffee shop on the way to work. Designed for the flibbertigibbet — or those with a soft spot for unnecessary gadgets — the Handpresso is a coffeemaker tailor-made for your car. The unit works with your own preferred grounds or ESE espresso pods, and plugs directly into the cigarette lighter or 12-volt port in your car.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Automatic Car Adapter ($110)

The second-gen Automatic Car Adapter plugs into the diagnostic (OBD-II) port on most cars. This allows the device to pull data directly from your vehicle’s onboard computer. The paired mobile app also has many convenient features, including a vehicle locator, mileage log, and the ability to notify emergency services after an accident. The car adapter also works with a host of third-party apps, such as IFTTT, Nest, and Expensify.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Ion Audio Cassette Bluetooth Adapter ($20)

A Bluetooth cassette adapter is a great way to stream all of your favorite playlists directly from your smartphone (without any unsightly cord clutter). Ion Audio’s offering is one of our favorites, too. It offers roughly four hours of playback on a single charge, which is more than enough juice to play all of your favorite — or embarrassing — tunes, much to the dismay of your friends. It even allows for hands-free calling via a built-in microphone.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

High Road Car Seat Organizer ($20)

Now that you’ve amassed an arsenal of useful gadgets, you’ll need a place to stow them. The High Road Car Seat Organizer is a solid storage option for families and hoarders alike. The unit is made of durable mesh and polyester, and comes with an array of compartments and flexible pockets. The adjustable headrest strap also easily fastens to virtually any seat back, allowing you to keep all of your belongings within arm’s reach.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Pearl RearVision backup camera ($400)

Pearl’s RearVision backup camera ensures you’ll never again bring your car home with a dent — at least not one you’re directly responsible for. Easy and quick to install, it consists of a small camera integrated into a frame you need to mount over your rear license plate. It relies on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer live footage straight to your smartphone, meaning there’s no need to splice anything into your car’s electrical system. Note the RearVision doesn’t work with cars built before 1996.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Garmin Head-Up Display ($150)

Garmin’s head-up display is a simple, compact device that projects important information about a car and its surroundings right into the driver’s line of sight. It provides turn-by-turn navigation directions, the speed limit, and it even gives you the location of speed cameras, among other useful functions. Try it on your next road trip and you’ll never drive without it again.

Buy one now from:

Garmin

Ventev Wireless Pro dock ($52)

Nolan Browning/Digital Trends

Automakers are beginning to include wireless smartphone chargers, either standard or optional, in their newest models. You don’t have to upgrade to a new set of wheels to get one, though. Ventev’s Wireless Pro replaces the traditional (and often painfully slow) USB charger with a device that delivers fast, wireless charging while doubling as a cradle. It’s three times faster than a standard wireless charger, and the lifetime warranty sweetens the deal, but we noted heavier phones make the mount move.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

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Crash, bang, wallop! Researchers wreck hundreds of drones in the name of safety

If Amazon ever gets its way and fills the skies with thousands of delivery drones, the worst thing that can happen to us folks on the ground is for one them to lose control and fall on our head.

The potential for accidents goes some way to explaining why the Federal Aviation Administration has been proceeding so cautiously when it comes to loosening regulations for businesses and organizations keen to make use of drone technology.

And that’s exactly why researchers are hard at work looking into the effects of drone crashes and how drone design can be improved to lessen the effects of any unfortunate impact.

A team at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), for example, has recently been willfully destroying hundreds of quadcopters in the name of research, smashing them at speed into the head of a crash test dummy, the Straits Times reported.

In a video that’s likely to provoke a wince or two, we first see a medium-sized drone dropped from the side of a building before scoring a direct hit on the dummy’s head. It makes a mess of the drone but more importantly, if the dummy was a real person, they’d be walking away with much more than just a headache. If they’re able to walk away at all, that is.

Next up is the “side impact” demonstration. This imagines a low-flying drone traveling at great speed before hitting someone in the head. The video gives you an idea of the kind of impact that could result, and confirms what you probably already knew: Having a drone career into your head is never going to end well.

Led by Professor Low Kin Huat from NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the 10-person team have so far wrecked nearly 600 drones in the name of research, using machines weighing between 2.2 pounds (1kg) and 19.8 pounds (9 kg). To give that some context, DJI’s Phantom 4 Pro weighs 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg), while the Inspire 2 tips the scales at 7.25 pounds (3.3 kg).

Data from the research will help government agencies to make more informed decisions about drone regulations and offer drone makers pointers toward how they might improve the design of their machines for better safety.

With companies like Amazon keen to make drone deliveries in busy urban areas, the safety challenge is huge. The online shopping company was recently granted a patent describing how a drone could essentially self-destruct in mid-air should it get into difficulties, ensuring that its components come down over a wide area rather than crashing to the ground as a single, heavy unit.

The NTU team said another solution would be to carefully map routes that take drones away from pedestrianized areas, such as over the tops of buildings and covered walkways.

Similar research is being carried out at Virginia Tech, where researchers have suggested drone features such as “bumpers, enclosed rotors, and airbags” to help reduce the risk of injury in the event of a collision. But such components would have to be very light to avoid compromising the drone’s performance.

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Gadget rental startup Lumoid shuts down, scuppering Best Buy partnership plan

There’s disappointing news for anyone who likes to like rent gadgets and gear before deciding whether to hand over the cash to make it their own.

Lumoid, a startup that’s been renting out tech stuff to shoppers via its website since 2014, announced over the weekend that it’s closing down.

San Francisco-based Lumoid started out with camera kit rentals before expanding its offerings to other gear like wearables and drones. But it hasn’t been able to make the business work.

The company was most recently in the news in June when we heard about its plans for a partnership with Best Buy to allow customers of the big-box retailer to “try before you buy.” In fact, it seems the deal was a key factor in Lumoid’s demise. The startup’s founder and CEO, Aarthi Ramamurthyshe, told TechCrunch her business experienced funding difficulties scaling up for the Best Buy launch and as a result decided to end its operation.

In a message posted online on Saturday,  she said that over the last four months, she “gradually wound down Lumoid, sold off assets and IP [intellectual property], and helped the team transition as best as we could.”

But despite the setback, Ramamurthy remained upbeat, writing in her post: “We’re all insane people for doing what we did, and thankful for our investors who believed in us when no one else did.”

The Lumoid founder added that she was proud to have built the startup and in its lifetime managed to accomplish “a lot as a small team.”

The gadget rental business is clearly a challenge for those who’ve tried it. YBuy was another startup offering a similar service that fell by the wayside in 2012. Remaining options include Grover, an outfit founded in 2015 that runs with the motto: “Buy less, experience more.” Current Grover rentals include phones and tablets from $3 a month, wearables from $5 a month, and cameras for $10 a month. For specialists in camera and video gear, check out LensRentals and LensProToGo.

With Lumoid now well and truly behind her, Ramamurthy has decided to put her entrepreneurial endeavors on the back burner, revealing that she’s already started a new job at Facebook helping to develop its online payment systems.

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Drunk droning: New Jersey aims to get tough on sloshed drone pilots

Flying a drone while drunk doesn’t sound like a good idea, and that’s because it’s not. Piloting a heavy object with rapidly spinning propellers needs to be done with due care and attention to reduce the chances of an accident or incident taking place, whether it involves an innocent member of the public, the pilot themselves, or even the U.S. president.

With the remotely controlled copters set to be a big hit with consumers this holiday season, there’s going to be thousands of new drone taking to the skies before the end of the year. In response, New Jersey lawmakers are moving ahead with a state law that would make it a criminal offense to fly a drone under the influence of drink or drugs, NorthJersey.com reported.

The bipartisan bill, which has cleared two legislative committees though still requires a final vote, could be signed into law by the end of January 2018 and comes as 38 other U.S. states consider a similar ban.

The law will mean that flying a drone drunk could land the pilot with a six-month prison sentence, a $1,000 fine, or both, depending on the specifics of the incident.

One of the bill’s sponsors, Democratic Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, said in a statement that drones are becoming “increasingly disruptive, causing near-misses with airplanes, interfering with firefighter operations, and being used to smuggle drugs and other contraband into prisons.”

Quijano added, “This bill sets specific guidelines for how New Jersey’s residents are able to utilize these devices to establish some order and help prevent these dangerous situations.”

Interfering with firefighters or the security of prisons, considered a more serious offense than drunk droning, could result in an 18-month jail sentence or a $10,000 fine.

We don’t hear too many stories of inebriated drone pilots taking their bird for a spin, though you might recall a high-profile incident at the White House in 2015. According to reports, an off-duty and rather drunk government intelligence agency worker decided that 3 a.m. would be a good time to fly a Phantom 4 quadcopter from the balcony of a friend’s apartment. But unable to control the machine, it crashed right on the lawn of the White House, causing a security scare in the process.

This holiday season is set to see millions of new quadcopters taking to the skies, though hopefully the festive drinking, if there is any, will begin once the drone has landed safely back on terra firma.

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Felix Gray’s new anti-glare specs make you look good while protecting your eyes

Computer glasses, the name given to spectacles designed to make looking at any kind of screen less tiring on your eyes, are rarely high-fashion items. They’re designed to perform a function, which doesn’t usually include looking fabulous. Felix Gray doesn’t agree, and has added a new model to its already extensive range of great-looking anti-glare computer glasses — the Kepler.

Taking its inspiration for the name from German mathematician Johannes Kepler is appropriate, given the European styling for the new glasses, which are the first in Felix Gray’s range to combine acetate and metal to create the frame. This feature, along with being the first pair with a nose bridge, gives the Kepler a refined look unlike most other computer glasses you’ll see.

The term digital eyewear is likely more appropriate here, given how they protect your peepers from digital eye strain. The objective of wearing them is to combat dry eyes and blurred vision, avoid headaches, and minimize exposure to blue light emitted from our screens. We stare at a lot of screens for much of the day, so taking some of the strain off our eyes when we can makes a difference in the way we feel.

Felix Gray’s lenses have an anti-glare coating to help our eyes relax and to sharpen vision, plus a clever blue light filter system that’s actually blended into the lens itself. Rather than a yellow-tinged lens — part of what makes other, similar glasses unpleasant to look at — the Kepler’s lens has a synthesized version of a natural blue light blocking pigment along with other materials infused into it that filter out blue light without coloring the lens itself, even at the highest energy wavelengths of 400 to 440nm.

The result should be a pair of beneficial glasses you will actually be confident about wearing. Although prescription lenses aren’t available, Felix Gray told Digital Trends it’s working on providing such an option in 2018. For now, you can add a degree of magnification to turn them into reading glasses. Each pair of Kepler glasses are made to order, cost $125 through the company’s website, and come in three different colors.

Digital eye strain affects 65 percent of Americans, according to The Vision Council, but experts remind us that blue light from a screen isn’t the only factor affecting our sleep, and some suggest that simply staying away from screens for 30-plus minutes before going to bed is enough. Felix Gray has competition from eyewear maker Jins and its varied Jins Screen range. These include both day and night models that can have prescription lenses added to them.

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Felix Gray’s new anti-glare specs make you look good while protecting your eyes

Computer glasses, the name given to spectacles designed to make looking at any kind of screen less tiring on your eyes, are rarely high-fashion items. They’re designed to perform a function, which doesn’t usually include looking fabulous. Felix Gray doesn’t agree, and has added a new model to its already extensive range of great-looking anti-glare computer glasses — the Kepler.

Taking its inspiration for the name from German mathematician Johannes Kepler is appropriate, given the European styling for the new glasses, which are the first in Felix Gray’s range to combine acetate and metal to create the frame. This feature, along with being the first pair with a nose bridge, gives the Kepler a refined look unlike most other computer glasses you’ll see.

The term digital eyewear is likely more appropriate here, given how they protect your peepers from digital eye strain. The objective of wearing them is to combat dry eyes and blurred vision, avoid headaches, and minimize exposure to blue light emitted from our screens. We stare at a lot of screens for much of the day, so taking some of the strain off our eyes when we can makes a difference in the way we feel.

Felix Gray’s lenses have an anti-glare coating to help our eyes relax and to sharpen vision, plus a clever blue light filter system that’s actually blended into the lens itself. Rather than a yellow-tinged lens — part of what makes other, similar glasses unpleasant to look at — the Kepler’s lens has a synthesized version of a natural blue light blocking pigment along with other materials infused into it that filter out blue light without coloring the lens itself, even at the highest energy wavelengths of 400 to 440nm.

The result should be a pair of beneficial glasses you will actually be confident about wearing. Although prescription lenses aren’t available, Felix Gray told Digital Trends it’s working on providing such an option in 2018. For now, you can add a degree of magnification to turn them into reading glasses. Each pair of Kepler glasses are made to order, cost $125 through the company’s website, and come in three different colors.

Digital eye strain affects 65 percent of Americans, according to The Vision Council, but experts remind us that blue light from a screen isn’t the only factor affecting our sleep, and some suggest that simply staying away from screens for 30-plus minutes before going to bed is enough. Felix Gray has competition from eyewear maker Jins and its varied Jins Screen range. These include both day and night models that can have prescription lenses added to them.

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Google reveals all the Android Wear watches getting Oreo

Google left us in the dark for a bit as to which Android Wear smartwatches are getting Oreo. Thankfully, just a few days after its official arrival, we’re getting the lowdown on device upgrades. Aside from the LG Watch Sport, which was spotted with Oreo last week, an additional four smartwatches are getting the Android bump (peep the full list below). The update brings with it some technical modifications, including vibration strength settings for notifications, touch lock, and battery-saving enhancements.

The list is mainly made up of smartwatches from fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton, while older Android Wear devices and the Asus ZenWatch 3 have been left out for now — among them the LG Watch R, and the original Huawei Watch and 2nd gen Moto 360/Sport from 2015 (as noted by 9to5Google). Getting stuck on Nougat doesn’t bode well for those that didn’t make the cut.

Android Wear Oreo(8.0) update is already available in the following watches:

Fossil Q Venture

LG Watch Sport

Louis Vuitton Tambour

Michael Kors Sofie

Montblanc Summit

Watches that are currently pursuing the Android Wear Oreo (8.0) update:

Casio PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20

Casio WSD-F10 Smart Outdoor Watch

Diesel Full Guard

Emporio Armani Connected

Fossil Q Control

Fossil Q Explorist

Fossil Q Founder 2.0

Fossil Q Marshal

Fossil Q Wander

Gc Connect

Guess Connect

Huawei Watch 2

Hugo BOSS BOSS Touch

LG Watch Style

Michael Kors Access Bradshaw

Michael Kors Access Dylan

Michael Kors Access Grayson

Misfit Vapor

Mobvoi Ticwatch S & E

Movado Connect

Nixon Mission

Polar M600

TAG Heuer Tag Connected Modular 45

Tommy Hilfiger 24/7 You

ZTE Quartz

Source: Google

Gene therapy gives ‘bubble babies’ immune systems

Initial results from a new gene therapy technique suggest it could open the doors to a cure for “bubble baby” disease. Lacking the ability to ward off even the most common infections, infants born with the genetic disorder — known as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) — usually die before their second birthday. And, those untreated must be kept in isolation from the outside world, hence the term “bubble baby.” Even with the best available treatment (a stem cell transplant), around 30 percent of children end up dying by the age of 10.

Roughly four months after the genetic modifications, six out of seven babies are out of protective isolation and leading healthy lives, according to doctors at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The remaining infant’s immune system is still in the process of constructing itself.

The patients in the study were all born with the inherited X-linked SCID, which is limited to boys as it’s triggered by a genetic defect in the male X chromosome. The treatment they received uses an inactivated form of HIV to apply genetic modifications to bone marrow — which is prepped using low doses of chemotherapy — in order to kickstart it to produce all three major immune cell types. “The initial results also suggest our approach is fundamentally safer than previous attempts,” said lead study author Dr. Ewelina Mamcarz.

At first glance, the treatment is being viewed as a possible cure. But, more work is needed — specifically, the babies need to be monitored to ensure they remain stable with no side effects. Their response to vaccination will also need to be tracked.

Source: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

‘Evil Within 2’ trial gives you a taste of surreal survival horror

Free trials (aka demos) are good ways to get a feel for a game before you buy, but they could be particularly helpful for The Evil Within 2. How are you going to wrap your head around Shinji Mikami’s surreal survival horror game based on second-hand info? You don’t have to. Bethesda has released a free trial of Evil Within 2 for PS4, Xbox One and Windows PCs. The sample lets you experience a few chapters of detective Sebastian Castellanos’ bid to rescue his daughter, including some open world experiences and character customization. Any progress you make can transfer to the full game if you decide to splurge.

The original Evil Within wasn’t particularly impressive when it launched, but its sequel has generally fared better. The emphasis is more on the “survival” part than the “horror” this time, but reviewers have generally liked the more involving gameplay and open world aspects. In that sense, the trial is particularly fitting: it’s a chance to check out a franchise that you might have ignored the first time around.

Via: Windows Central

Source: PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Bethesda (YouTube)