Elon Musk dares the CEO of Boeing to race SpaceX to Mars

Whether it’s DC Comics versus Marvel, Nike versus Reebok, or Apple versus Microsoft, there is nothing like some friendly competition to raise the stakes — and spark a bit of crazy innovation in the process. Now we have our latest standoff to add to the collection: SpaceX founder Elon Musk versus Boeing. What’s at stake? Being able to lay claim to getting the first human to Mars, apparently.

The first shots were fired Thursday, December 7, when CNBC host Jim Cramer quizzed Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg over whether the established giant would be able to beat SpaceX. “We’re working on that next generation rocket right now with our NASA customers called ‘Space Launch System,’” Muilenburg said. “This is a rocket that’s about 36 stories tall. We’re in the final assembly right now, down near New Orleans, and we’re going to take a first test flight in 2019. And we’re going to do a slingshot mission around the moon.”

He added that, “Eventually we’re going to go to Mars and I firmly believe the first person that sets foot on Mars will get there on a Boeing rocket.” This is the second time Muilenburg suggested a similar triumph for Boeing, having previously said at a 2016 conference in Chicago that, “I’m convinced that the first person to step foot on Mars will arrive there riding on a Boeing rocket.”

Like waving a red rag to a Tesla Model 3, the statement quickly provoked Musk to respond on Twitter with the two words that may as well sum up his career: “Do it.”

OK, so on some level, this is Twitter drama, which usually peters out after a few hashtags and several retweets. But we’re talking about a man who was told his plan to take on the giants with an electric car was madness, but still succeeded; who has figured out how to land a rocket vertically; who is drilling giant tunnels underground for high-speed transportation; and — most importantly — who has been constantly talking up Space X’s rocket, which he plans to use to transport humans to Mars.

This is one wager we’re excited to see the outcome to. Whoever wins is going to be in line for some serious bragging rights.

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Razer jumps into the wireless networking market with an updated Portal router

After revealing a smartphone in early November, Razer said on Thursday that it is collaborating with Ignition Design Labs on an update to the latter company’s Portal wireless router. The device promises lag-free gaming using “key technologies,” such as the use of new 5GHz channels not typically offered on most wireless AC routers. Portal is also an AC2400 Wave-2 device, meaning it’s capable of reaching theoretical wireless speeds of up to 1,733Mbps.

According to Ignition Design Labs, Portal includes nine “large” internal antennas that handle four incoming and four outgoing 5GHz Wireless AC streams (433Mbps each), and three incoming and three outgoing Wireless N streams (200Mbps each). Two antennas may be dedicated for communicating with a second Portal router to create mesh-based coverage throughout your house.

The router includes four gigabit Ethernet ports for the local network, another gigabit Ethernet port that connects to your modem, and two USB-A 2.0 ports for sharing files, printers, and more across the home network. There’s also a Bluetooth 4.1 low-energy component for configuring the device using a smartphone, and for communicating with IoT devices.

The big selling point behind Portal is the FastLanes aspect. The router relies on the standard channels used on the 5GHz spectrum, but introduces four additional channels (FastLanes) that are typically used for commercial and military purposes. These channels fall under the Dynamic Frequency Selection umbrella, and can be used only if the router can automatically switch channels if it detects active radar signals in the local area.

To put this in perspective, all channels on the 2.4GHz spectrum are congested given that most electronic devices with a wireless component use this space. The 5GHz spectrum was a big sell because it was less congested, thus providing faster speeds. But now that those channels are filling up with Wireless N and Wireless AC devices, previously unused “reserved” channels are wide open and ripe for exploring … but only under certain conditions imposed by the Federal Communications Commission.

At its root, Portal is a mesh networking device. It connects directly to your modem, and can serve as the central wireless access point in your home with a 3,000-square-foot spread. But it can also communicate with one additional Portal unit to create mesh-based coverage providing double the distance. Connecting devices will only see one access point on their list of wireless networks, and will move seamlessly between the two units as you move throughout the home.

So what is Razer’s involvement with a router already sold on the market? The announcement wasn’t specific, stating only that the companies “collaborated to optimize features and performance of the Portal router specifically for gaming.” Razer’s product listing also mentions multichannel ZeroWait ZWDFS technology, which doesn’t appear on Ignition Design Labs’ own product listing for the router.

Our best guess is that Razer helped with an update that will optimize the device for gaming. Razer is selling the router now through its website for $150, and will make it available worldwide in the first quarter of 2018.

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Nearly $64 million in bitcoin is missing following NiceHash marketplace hack

Cryptocurrency is booming — the rise and rise of bitcoin has been one of the biggest stories of the latter part of 2017. Now, we have seen a glimpse of the more troubling side of the technology, as an attack on a major mining marketplace has resulted in almost $64 million worth of bitcoin being stolen.

“Unfortunately, there has been a security breach involving NiceHash website,” reads a statement posted by the company in response to the situation. “We are currently investigating the nature of the incident and, as a result, we are stopping all operations for the next 24 hours.”

NiceHash is a service that allows customers to exchange their hardware’s processing power for the purposes of verifying bitcoin hashes. When they want to cash out, they are paid in bitcoin.

The payment system employed by NiceHash was reportedly compromised, which allowed thieves to drain the contents of its bitcoin wallet. The authorities have been notified and the company is working on its own investigation into exactly what happened, and the best course of action.

Approximately 4,700 bitcoins were stolen, according to the company’s head of marketing Andrej Škraba, who spoke to The Guardian. Concerns were first raised among users when the website began behaving strangely, at which point NiceHash’s social media presence was the target for a bevy of queries and complaints.

“We would not exist without our devoted buyers and miners all around the globe,” read its response to the attack. “We understand that you will have a lot of questions, and we ask for patience and understanding while we investigate the causes and find the appropriate solutions for the future of the service.”

It’s easy to see why there’s so much excitement about cryptocurrency, but a situation like this demonstrates what can go wrong. This isn’t tried-and-tested infrastructure, and attacks can and will happen — as we saw with the high-profile Equifax hack, unseen vulnerabilities are all-too-common.

This isn’t to say that bitcoin or cryptocurrency are inherently dangerous or untrustworthy, but there is certainly an element of risk when it comes to using a service like NiceHash.

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Coach collaborates with Snap to create high-tech Coach x Snapchat holiday pin

Luxury leather goods retailer Coach is partnering with Snap to create custom Coach x Snapchat pins. The collection, available throughout the holidays, features three metal pins featuring Snapcodes that unlocks a secret Coach game.

A limited number of pins are available at select Coach stores in the U.S. Customers who wish to win a pin will need to take the “Which Coach Mascot are you?” quiz on Snapchat. Upon completion, customers are presented with a pin featuring Rexy or one of her signature Coach mascots.

Once users receive a Coach x Snapchat pin, they can scan it to unlock an arcade game based on the retailer’s holiday video campaign by taking a picture of the pin in Snapchat. Although there are three different pins, they all appear to unlock the same features.

The pins are the first accessory for Snap since it launched Spectacles in 2016. While initial sales of the Spectacles were strong, with users waiting in lines up to five hours to snag a pair, the glasses lost momentum soon after. In November, Snap announced that it lost almost $40 million dollars on Spectacles due to “excess inventory reserves and inventory-purchase commitment cancellation charges,” according to Nasdaq.

Snap’s collaboration with Coach is a huge win after a difficult year. The company witnessed a significant drop in advertising revenue in 2017, with many advertisers opting to spend their marketing dollars on Instagram. Difficulty discovering content, and measuring impact were a common complaint among advertisers. The company is working to regain advertisers by improving data tracking and adding several self-service content development options for developers.

The pins are a significant marketing opportunity for Coach as well. Since the pins are available only in store, they should drive in-store traffic to the retailer during the cutthroat holiday shopping season. Retail traffic generated from Snapchat marketing campaigns result in significantly higher in-store sales.

The limited-edition pins aren’t the luxury retailer’s first foray into the tech world. Coach manufactures a line of playful bands for the Apple Watch as well as leather goods for iPhone.

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Weekly Rewind: Best products of 2017, Google vs. Amazon, Facebook’s top issues

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from the best products of 2017 to the latest in the Amazon vs. YouTube battle — it’s all here.

Digital Trends Best Products of 2017

In 2017, the future was looking up. Literally. From Elon Musk’s feverish Mars talk to Cassini’s kamikaze dive into Saturn, to the sun-swallowing eclipse that enraptured half the United States, humans spent 2017 looking skyward for inspiration. But life back on Earth yielded plenty of impressive marvels of the technological variety, if you were paying attention.

Read: Digital Trends Best Products of 2017

IBM’s new A.I. predicts chemical reactions, could revolutionize drug development

From building the Deep Blue computer that beat Garry Kasparov at chess to the Watson artificial intelligence (A.I.) that won Jeopardy, IBM has been responsible for some high-profile public demonstrations of A.I. in action. Its latest showcase is less high concept, but potentially far more transformative — applying machine learning technology to the subject of organic chemistry.

As described in a new research paper, the A.I. chemist is able to predict chemical reactions in a way that could be incredibly important for fields like drug discovery. To do this, it uses a highly detailed data set of knowledge on 395,496 different reactions taken from thousands of research papers published over the years.

Read: IBM’s new A.I. predicts chemical reactions, could revolutionize drug development

Google is yanking YouTube from Amazon Fire TV and Echo Show

If you wanted to watch the trailer for Natalie Portman’s upcoming sci-fi movie Annihilation, you would probably go to YouTube. You might even ask Alexa to pull it up on your Amazon Echo Show. But not so fast — Google and Amazon aren’t playing together, as playing YouTube videos on the Echo Show apparently violates Google’s terms of service.

Despite a recent workaround that allowed Echo Show users to continue accessing YouTube by going to the web browser, it looks like Google is now pulling its video service for good. And more importantly, the platform is also disappearing from Amazon’s Fire TV.

Read: Google is yanking YouTube from Amazon Fire TV and Echo Show

 Women’s issues and natural disasters top Facebook’s list of top posts from 2017

Facebook may be social media, but in 2017, the network was also a place for support. On Tuesday, December 5, Facebook released its annual year in review report, where women’s issues, tragedies, and natural disasters were among the most popular topics on the social network over the last year. Unlike previous years that generated a top 10 list of topics, Facebook divided the 2017 report into three categories for posts, Crisis Response, and events.

The moments over the last year that generated the most Facebook discussion was topped off by International Women’s Day. For Facebook users, this day generated the most discussion in 2017.

Read: Women’s issues and natural disasters top Facebook’s list of top posts from 2017

Here is everything we know so far about ‘Westworld’ season 2

The shock and awe of Westworld has only just begun. With season 1 of the hit sci-fi series behind us and season 2 on the way, there is so much more that’s sure to play out beyond the show’s Western-themed adventure park. We’re ready to head back now, but the upcoming 10 episodes won’t start airing until spring 2018, with an official premiere date still pending.

The second season will continue the often-twisted, always-intriguing story inspired by novelist Michael Crichton’s 1973 film of the same name. Season 2 will return viewers to the complex fantasy sci-fi world that features artificially intelligent robots who, as it turns out, don’t always do their job of letting the human guests fulfill their fantasies.

Read: Here is everything we know so far about ‘Westworld’ season 2

6 stunning rides we couldn’t take our eyes off at the LA Auto Show

As a whole, the 2017 LA Auto Show felt risk-averse. The show floor was largely populated with mild refreshes, crossovers, and SUVs, none of which raised our pulse above the level of a brisk walk. What’s more, most of the eye-catching stuff had already been revealed at previous events, but just seeing the Mercedes-AMG Project One in metal made it a trip worth taking.

Despite the show’s tepid atmosphere, there were more than a few highlights to take away. Here are our favorites.

Read: 6 stunning rides we couldn’t take our eyes off at the LA Auto Show

Comcast claims new gateway can reach wireless speeds of 1.5 gigabits per second

Comcast’s new xFi Advanced Gateway is now available to all Xfinity broadband markets, the company announced on Wednesday. According to a blog written by Comcast’s Fraser Stirling, this new all-in-one device reportedly supports wireless speeds of more than 1.5 gigabits per second in the Comcast labs. It also includes an 8×8 antenna setup, meaning your connected device must have eight incoming and eight outgoing antennas to support the reported 1.5Gbps speeds.

In reality, promoted wireless speeds which are theoretical in nature, never translate into real-world speeds. Many factors come into play, including the channel width, local radio interference, neighboring networks, and more. Stirling says the new gateway sports an additional 160MHz channel width, which means there’s more air space for sending data back and forth from devices. Modern routers and gateways typically include 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz channel widths.

Read: Comcast claims new gateway can reach wireless speeds of 1.5 gigabits per second

 10 things you could buy with $200,000 instead of the new Lamborghini Urus

After months of anticipation, luxury sports car manufacturer Lamborghini finally unveiled its Urus SUV. Packed with the company’s first production turbocharged engine — a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that puts down 650 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque — the Lamborghini Urus is nothing short of an automotive monster. Unsurprisingly, all of this engineering comes at a cost — $200,000, to be exact.

This ungodly sum of cash got us to thinking, instead of buying this big car how could one just as easily, irrationally, and conspicuously blow this much cash? Here are the most investment-savvy ways to burn nearly a quarter of a million clams. Period.

Read: 10 things you could buy with $200,000 instead of the new Lamborghini Urus

Want to reduce your electric bill? Here’s how to go solar-powered in your home

As recently as the 2000s, solar-powered homes were a rare thing to see. But with tax incentives motivating homeowners and increasing fears about climate change, more people have gone solar, and solar panels have become a common sight on the tops of homes around the country. Installing solar panels is a great way to live a little greener, as they can decrease the carbon footprint of your household by about 35,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

In addition to going green, there are also many other benefits of solar panels, such as reducing your energy bill and earning tax credits. But the prospect can be a little daunting, what with all the technical jargon, the installation process, and the different panel types to choose from. But once you break the whole thing down into steps, it will feel a lot more manageable. Here’s a guide on how to go solar-powered in your home.

Read: Want to reduce your electric bill? Here’s how to go solar-powered in your home

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Grab an unlocked Galaxy S8+ bundle and $100 Amazon gift card for $725

This is the bundle you want to buy!

If you’re in the market for a Samsung Galaxy S8+, you won’t want to overlook this bundle. Right now, Amazon has not only discounted the price of the phone itself, but it is also including a fast wireless charging pad and a $100 gift card with the purchase. All of this is down to just $724.99, which is just a little more than we’ve seen just the phone by itself drop to in the past.

Amazon currently has just the phone listed at $701.26, which shows you the value of buying the bundle. Since it’s an unlocked version, you’ll be able to take your SIM card from your current phone and use it in this phone without any issues.

See at Amazon

Quincy Jones has a streaming service for jazz documentaries

It’s easy enough to find concert movies or music documentaries online, but watching them across various services is kind of a pain. Jazz legend Quincy Jones wants to help with that. Along with a French TV producer, Jones is launching Qwest TV. For between €7.49 and €9.90 per month ($8.83 – $11.68; the higher price is for HD/4K streaming) you’ll get access to “hundreds of hours” of jazz programming, sourced from European TV and other places. Annual subscriptions are available as well.

Jones is hand-picking the first round of videos, and from there a different curator will play tastemaker each subsequent month, according to the New York Times. Each video is accompanied by an essay from either a journalist or a jazz expert. Jones seems optimistic that the service will at once help preserve and present jazz in a way that’s particularly suited for modern audiences. “I know I won’t convert the world to jazz,” he said. “If I serve high quality programs in HD, with good curation and have a good, close relationship with my audience, I’ll be fine.”

That confidence doesn’t seem misplaced. Earlier this year the service almost doubled its €75,000 ($88,447) Kickstarter goal. Qwest TV goes live December 15th.

Via: New York Times

Source: Qwest

Drone curbs overtime in Japan by blasting workers with music

Japan has a culture that encourages overtime out of a sense of loyalty, and that’s a serious problem. It not only cuts into family and social life, it leads to entirely avoidable deaths. Taisei (the company behind the main Tokyo 2020 Olympic stadium) aims to fix that in an unusual way: having a drone nag you into going home. Its newly unveiled T-Frend is ostensibly a security drone that surveils the office with its camera, but its specialty is blasting workers with “Auld Lang Syne” (commonly used in Japan to indicate closing time) to force them out of the office. In theory, the music and the drone’s own buzzing make it impossible to concentrate.

The drone is autonomous, and doesn’t need GPS to find its position. It’ll be available in Japan in April as a ¥50,000 ($443) per month service, which largely limits it to mid- and large-sized businesses that can easily justify the cost through improved worker health.

Whether or not T-Frend is effective remains to be seen — we could see stubborn workers donning noise-cancelling headphones. However, it could contribute to a national effort to create more balanced lifestyles. And it might even be more effective than existing strategies. Right now, overseers at companies frequently find themselves working overtime as they urge staff to avoid those extra hours — the drone might let everyone punch out on time.

Via: AP (Phys.org)

Source: Taisei (translated)

Qualcomm made a USB-C DAC to show off its hi-fi audio tech

If you’re familiar with the name Qualcomm at all, you may know them best as the maker of Snapdragon processors that power many, if not most, of the market’s leading smartphones. But Qualcomm doesn’t just make CPUs and modems, and it can now add dedicated Hi-Fi DACs (or digital-to-analog converters) to its list of products. At its Tech Summit today, the company announced its first dedicated Hi-Fi audio DAC, which has a very memorable name — AQT1000.

Of course, per Qualcomm’s usual way of doing business, the company isn’t selling these devices directly to consumers, but the DAC will be available to headphone makers “for 2018 products.” And to be clear, Qualcomm already makes DACs and audio codecs, but this is its first USB-C Hi-Fi DAC.

The AQT1000 looks to be a compact size for what it is. Typical headphone DACs tend to be bulky, and while the Apogee Groove (released in 2015) was relatively small for the category, it is expensive and not USB-C compatible (yet).

While the Groove can stream music at 24bit quality, the AQT1000 can do so at 32bit, allowing for richer, fuller sound. Qualcomm’s external DAC also has a dynamic range of 123 decibels and comes with native DSD (direct stream digital).

Although this isn’t really a consumer product yet, it looks like a decent accessory out of Qualcomm’s Aqstic Hi-Fi arm, and could help audio manufacturers offer USB-C to analog audio jack dongles more easily.

Thai company mu Space can now operate satellites

Today, Thai startup company mu Space announced that it has acquired a satellite license from Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. It allows the company to operate satellites, and provide services based on those satellites, through the year 2032. mu Space is the first Thai startup company to acquire such a license.

We previously covered mu Space because it was the third company (and first Asia-Pacific company) to book a slot on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. Blue Origin is Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, and the New Glenn is still under development. This license means that mu Space has crossed another regulatory hurdle in its quest to get the brand new company up and running.

Only 12 percent of Thailand’s population has access to broadband internet, and those people are typically centered in space. mu Space hopes to fill in the gaps by providing an alternative in rural areas, where traditional telecom companies haven’t bothered to build infrastructure. The company also hopes to provide space tourism to Asian customers within the next 10 years.