NVIDIA’s ‘most powerful GPU’ ever is built for AI

NVIDIA’s newest Titan GPU is now available for purchase, and the company says it’s the “world’s most powerful GPU for the PC” yet. The GPU-maker has launched the Volta-powered Titan V at the annual Neural Information Processing Systems conference. Volta is NVIDIA’s latest microarchitecture designed to double the energy efficiency of its predecessor, and Titan V can apparently deliver 110 teraflops of raw horsepower or around 9 times what the previous Titan is capable of. This powerful new GPU’s target? Scientists and researchers working on AI, deep learning and high performance computing.

Since Volta was designed to work on a mixture of computation and calculations and has features created specifically for deep learning, scientists can use the GPU to build their own desktop PCs if they don’t need special servers. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said during the event:

“Our vision for Volta was to push the outer limits of high performance computing and AI. We broke new ground with its new processor architecture, instructions, numerical formats, memory architecture and processor links. With TITAN V, we are putting Volta into the hands of researchers and scientists all over the world. I can’t wait to see their breakthrough discoveries.”

Those scientists and researchers probably need the backing of their educational institutions and donors to build computers with Titan V, though. The GPU, which is now available from NVIDIA’s website and retailers, will set them back $2,999.

Source: NVIDIA

Researchers find another smart toy that’s easy to hack

A team of security researchers that has warned of the dangers of smart toys has found another that can be used to spy on your children. Pen Test Partners examined the Teksta Toucan, finding that it’s easy to hack the device’s microphone and speaker. According to The Register, the device is built by Genesis Industries, makers of the iQue and My Friend Cayla, two devices that are already feeling the heat from regulators. Both are currently being looked at in the US and Europe, while the latter has been withdrawn from sale in Germany.

The Toucan had two ways of being accessed, the first of which was simply by connecting to the device’s built-in Bluetooth speaker. Crucially, however, the microphone was also accessible, so sufficiently local and motivated attackers could snoop on what you, or your kids, were saying. The second method required breaching the device’s OS and replacing its library of MP3 files for something less suitable. To demonstrate the hack, Pen Test filmed the Toucan turning the air blue, which you can see in this NSFW clip below.

Parents are advised to steer clear of all three devices, and return them if they’ve snagged them as a gift for the holidays. Pen Test is also sharing its findings with regulators in the hope of ensuring that the device is banned.

Via: The Register

Source: Pen Test Partners

BBC iPlayer Update Hints at Imminent Release of Apple’s TV App in the UK

BBC’s iPlayer app received an update this morning that is fueling speculation online that Apple’s TV app will hit U.K. shores imminently.

iPlayer’s changelog for version 4.35.0 of the app simply lists “support for the new Apple TV app, available to users with devices running iOS 11.2 and above”.

Apple’s TV app – billed as an easy way to watch your favorite movies and TV shows in a single place – has been available in the United States since December of 2016, but remains absent from Apple TVs and iOS devices in the United Kingdom and across the rest of Europe.

In September, Apple released the Apple TV app in Canada and Australia, and announced that it would be bringing the app to France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the U.K. by the end of the year.

The BBC’s mention is just the latest indication that the TV app should make an appearance very soon, in the U.K. at least.

Channel 5 was another British broadcaster Apple said it would be adding to its TV app, and last week the My5 app began appearing on Apple TVs. On Tuesday, ITV announced its ITV Hub was available on Apple TV, while Wednesday saw the global rollout of Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV, which also supports the native TV app.

Related Roundup: Apple TVTag: tvBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Apple’s ‘TV’ App Starts Showing Up for Users in the UK, France, and Germany

Apple’s official TV app today started showing up for some fourth- and fifth-generation Apple TV owners in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, almost a year after Apple originally announced the service in the U.S.

The TV app is billed as an easy way to watch your favorite movies and TV shows in a single place. It offers a unified experience for accessing TV shows and movies across multiple video apps, and aims to help users discover new TV and movie content by offering recommendations based on what they’ve previously watched. The service syncs content in the cloud so users can pick up where they left off on other devices via the accompanying iOS TV app, which has also been appearing on devices across the pond.

More than 60 services are supported by the U.S. version of the TV app, but with the expansion to new countries, Apple is adding support for additional local content, such as ITV, Channel 5, and BBC iPlayer in the U.K.

#AppleTV app goes live in UK @cultofmac @MacRumors pic.twitter.com/6mLRexE3CH

— 🎄 Brian Saxmas 🎄 (@BrianKSaxon) December 8, 2017

it is available on my iphone in germany now! not showing up in ipad though.. pic.twitter.com/ER9nEfpdxM

— David Cox (@daviddarrencox) December 8, 2017

Apple’s TV app has been available in the United States since December of 2016. In September, Apple released the Apple TV app in Canada and Australia, and announced that it would be bringing the app to France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the U.K. by the end of the year.

Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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The Morning After: Friday, December 8th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

There’s plenty of news from last night’s Game Awards, plus a ride in the surprisingly tech-heavy 2018 Ford Mustang.

Everybody’s pregnant.The Game Awards 2017

Last night’s event was about more than just trophies (congratulations to GotY The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) — we also got some big premieres and announcements. Think Bayonetta 3 as a Switch exclusive, and a new DLC for Zelda that’s ready for you to play right now and an… interesting eight-minute trailer for Kojima’s Death Stranding.

The future of technologies like AI, 5G, AR and VR.Why Qualcomm’s Tech Summit mattered

During a three-day tech summit, Qualcomm showed off a new high-end mobile CPU, a USB-C audio DAC and laptops that blur the line between PCs and phones. Catch up on all you may have missed with this short video.

More brains to go with its brawn.2018 Ford Mustang GT review

While the Mustang’s exterior, tire-spinning power and roar make it seem like a big dumb (but fun) animal, this pony has gotten an impressive tech upgrade.

Curious.Uber paid off a 20-year-old Florida man to destroy hacked data

The individual, whose identity Uber refuses to disclose, received $100,000 hidden as a “bug bounty” for destroying the info, which exposed the personal data of roughly 57 million customers and drivers. The ride-hailing firm then kept quiet about the breach for more than a year.

With double the maps.‘PUBG’ will hit v1.0 on December 20th

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is already a phenomenon in Steam Early Access, but in a couple of weeks, it’ll be ready for an official release. Don’t expect much to change, including the price, but there’s a second map that brings its battle royale gameplay to a new desert setting.

Hot wallet.Cryptocurrency mining marketplace loses $64 million to hackers

Someone nabbed 4,700 bitcoin from the NiceHash marketplace. They were worth $64 million at the time, but with the cryptocurrency’s skyrocketing exchange rate, the heist’s value is now $76 million.

’tis the season.The best gifts for the PC gamer in your life

If you need headphones, a mouse, keyboard, mic, webcam or actual games, then we’ve got you covered.

But wait, there’s more…

• This wireless VR tech could make it easier to play with others
• This is why you don’t look directly at a solar eclipse
• Ubisoft delays ‘Far Cry 5’ and ‘The Crew 2’
• Sharp wants a Japan alliance to boost OLED TV competition
• Sony has sold 2 million PSVR units, and 70 million PS4s

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

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Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

‘Marvel Rising’ superteam launches with four digital shorts

Marvel is combatting X-Men and Avengers fatigue some you probably already feel by launching a new ragtag band of superheroes in 2018. The new franchise called Marvel Rising will start with six, four-minute digital shorts that will be followed by Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, a feature-length animated film, later that year. It focuses on Gwen Stacy, who’s more than just Spider-Man’s lady love in this iteration: she’s the one who got bitten by a radioactive arachnid and transformed into Ghost-Spider after gaining superpowers.

The other superhuman teens joining Ghost-Spider are familiar names, as well: Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Quake, Patriot, America Chavez and Inferno. Their backstories might be a bit different, but they’re still the same superheroes at the core. Marvel is tapping some pretty well-known celebrities to voice the characters, including Dove Cameron (Descendants) as Ghost-Spider and Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) as Inferno, but it’s unclear where you’ll be able to watch the shorts.

The comics giant says it will announce distribution partners at a later date. Netflix could still be on that list, since its partnership with Disney (which owns Marvel) won’t end until late 2019. After that, however, Disney will stop giving Netflix the right to stream its properties and will instead make them available through its own streaming service.

Source: Marvel

Uber loses another operating licence in the UK

Uber’s UK troubles continue to mount. The company’s operating licence has been suspended in Sheffield following what it calls “an administrative error.” In early October, Uber told the council that its licence would need to be updated because the person named on the document was leaving the company. The council refused, however, and said it would need to submit a new licence application. “The legislation does not allow for the transfer of an operator’s licence,” a council spokesperson said. Uber went along and filed for a new permit on October 16th, which is still being processed.

In the meantime, the council has suspended Uber’s licence because it “failed to respond to requests, made by our licensing team, about the management of Uber.” The decision was made last Friday (November 29th) and comes into effect on December 18th. Uber says it didn’t receive any of these requests, however, because the council sent their letters to an incorrect address. “We hope this administrative error can be quickly resolved so we can continue serving tens of thousands of riders and drivers in Sheffield,” an Uber spokesperson said. Sheffield City Council is standing firm, though, while its licensing department assesses the new application.

Uber can appeal the suspension if its new licence is denied. During the appeal process, it would be able to continue operating in the city.

The suspension follows a similar ruling by Transport for London (TfL) in September. The regulator said it was due to “a lack of corporate responsibility” in key areas including “greyball” and how it reports serious criminal offences. Uber has appealed the decision and a first hearing is expected to take place on December 11th. At the same time, Uber is fighting a legal battle over the classification of its drivers, which critics say should be entitled to additional benefits. It’s also challenging a decision that would force private hire drivers in London to take extensive English tests.

Oh, and a number of high-profile executives are leaving the company. All told, there’s plenty to keep Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi busy.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Sheffield City Council

Coinbase Reaches Top of the Free App Charts on the US App Store Amid Bitcoin Surge

Bitcoin exchange Coinbase watched its iOS app surge to the top of the free apps chart in Apple’s App Store yesterday, amid a speculative frenzy surrounding the blockchain cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin prices on Coinbase’s GDAX exchange flew past $16,000 to almost $20,000 in around 90 minutes on Thursday, reported Bloomberg, extending its record-breaking run and causing the software to crash and the service’s website to go down intermittently in the process. The digital currency fluctuated during a turbulent Asian session, before falling back to about $16,000.

BREAKING: Coinbase unavailable.

The company now has more customers than Charles Schwab and has opened as many as 300,000 accounts in a day.

Today has unprecedented volume and demand.

There are litterally so many people trying to buy Bitcoin that exchanges are crashing. pic.twitter.com/ZzMKkplyga

— Bruce Fenton (@brucefenton) December 7, 2017

The rise and rise of bitcoin has brought it into the mainstream in the last few weeks, but many observers are warning that the cryptocurrency could be a bubble. Investors have also been reminded of the dangers of hackers, after bitcoin mining marketplace NiceHash lost $64 million in BTC following a “sophisticated and professional attack”.

Apple has had its own problems with cryptocurrencies in the past. In August 2016, the tech giant had to remove several fake bitcoin wallets from the App Store after users of the digital currency were scammed out of thousands of dollars.

For anyone interested in observing the hourly fluctuations of bitcoin while maintaining a safe distance, free app CoinHub offers real-time quotes and up-to-date cryptocurrency news all within an impressive-looking dark-themed dashboard. [Direct Link]

Tag: bitcoin
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Component Demand for iPhone X Said to Be Weakening as Production Yield Rates Improve

The surge in component orders for the iPhone X over the last couple of months appears to be coming to an end, based on information coming out of the upstream supply chain. Component shipments for the iPhone X weakened in November, according to sources on Friday, following strong demand in September and October.

With demand for key component not growing as strong as expected, the sources are concerned that Apple may reduce its iPhone X shipment target for the first quarter of 2018. The sources pointed out that Apple’s component orders for the iPhone X in November were around 30% lower than its earlier forecast.

The weakened component demand reflects improved yield rates for iPhone X production, which has saw Apple’s global shipping estimates continue to improve in November, dropping from between 3 and 4 weeks, to 1 and 2 weeks. In the United States and in Europe, iPhone X models ordered today arrive in around a week.

Apple suppliers such as Largan Precision and Catcher Technology have seen revenues slow or begin to decline month on month, respectively. Touch panel supplier General Interface Solution (GIS), which originally expected its sales momentum to continue into 2018, also suffered a sequential decline in November revenues.

Sources expect iPhone X shipments in January and February to be similar as that seen in November 2017, before declining sharply in March. Overall, shipments are expected to be down by around 30 percent sequentially in the first quarter of 2018 because of seasonality and fewer working days caused by the Lunar New Year holidays.

At the same time, DigiTimes’ sources believe Apple’s iPhone shipments in the first quarter of 2018 may still be better than those recorded in the same period of 2017.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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YouTube’s ‘Remix’ subscription music service could launch in March

Another attempt by YouTube to mend fences with the music industry — internally referred to as Remix — is a few months away from launching, according to a report by Bloomberg. Late last year industry vet Lyor Cohen arrived to hold the title head of music, and a proposed new service would include both Spotify-like (or Google Play Music-like) on-demand streaming, plus video clips.

With YouTube Red apparently focused on original video channels and the existing YouTube Music app an also-ran, it’s difficult to see what will be different enough about this service to break through. While Warner Music Group is reportedly already signed up, other labels have not, and beef over whether or not they get enough money from YouTube persists. However, the Bloomberg report notes that much of Google Play Music’s staff is now a part of the YouTube team, plus the added complication of upcoming negotiations with Vevo.

Source: Bloomberg