With prices as low as $16, you can’t go wrong with either of these Bluetooth headphones

These are perfect for stuffing stockings or as a gift to yourself!

With each day that passes Bluetooth headphones become more of a necessity than a luxury. Phone manufacturers are removing headphone jacks left and right, and no one wants to deal with the wires anymore, but not everyone wants to spend a ton on headphones. Luckily, you don’t have to, and you can actually pick up some high-quality Bluetooth headphones for as little as $16.

Right now, at Amazon, you can pick up iClever’s sporty Bluetooth headphones for just $15.99 with coupon code 7EVHUCXM, or you can opt for Anker’s magnetic Bluetooth headphones for just $17.99 with coupon code SUPER236. So, how do you decide between the two pairs? You can’t go wrong with either of them, but there are a few differences here, so let’s break that down.

First off, if battery life is what you’re after, the iClever option is the way to go. For $2 less, you actually get an extra 2 hours of battery life over the Anker ones. The Anker headphones have magnetic buds, which means that when you aren’t using them and have them around your neck, they will clasp together. This keeps them a bit more secure on you and prevents them from possibly falling off by accident.

Both options are water resistant, making them perfect for working out or while tanning by the pool. Sound quality will be pretty similar on both, though some may prefer the sound of one over the other.

• See iClever headphones at Amazon
• See Anker headphones at Amazon

The Internet Association asks FCC to delay its net neutrality vote

The Internet Association, whose members include Amazon, Netflix and Uber, sent a letter to the FCC today requesting that the commission either delay its upcoming vote on the proposal to remove net neutrality protections or vote against it, Reuters reports. “This draft order ignores the wishes of tens of millions of Americans who, like us, have voiced their support for the 2015 Open Internet Order,” Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman said in the letter. “IA and its members will continue our fight to preserve the 2015 Order and its strong, enforceable net neutrality protections.”

The FCC’s vote is currently scheduled to take place on December 14th and as that date has gotten closer, a number of groups have requested the FCC consider a delay. More than two dozen senators asked for a delay earlier this week based on numerous reports of fake comments being posted during the proposal’s public comment period. The city of New York and 40 advocacy groups including Public Knowledge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Digital Democracy also sent the FCC a letter asking for a delay. And yesterday, a group of Representatives sent the Government Accountability Office a letter asking it to investigate the reports of fraudulent commentary on the proposal.

However, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said on Monday that the vote will go forward on December 14th as planned and in a statement sent to Ars Technica, his office said that those that oppose the proposal “are becoming more desperate by the day.”

Via: Reuters

Source: Internet Association

Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann teases Vine 2.0

The social platform Vine suffered a cruel demise at the dawn of 2017 when its owner Twitter shut it down. The six-second-max format became a haven for bizarre performances that birthed a new culture with its own cadre of viral stars. Vine’s closure veritably smothered a unique and unprecedented community that migrated to Instagram and YouTube with scattered success, but its absence has been mourned. But perhaps it’s not too late. Today, Vine’s cofounder Dom Hofmann tweeted a simple logo ‘V2’ in the platform’s signature type and color. Perhaps Vine will return.

v2 pic.twitter.com/JkzE1CULSV

— dom hofmann (@dhof) December 6, 2017

Full disclosure: It’s pretty unclear how solvent a potential Vine 2.0 is. Hofmann tweeted a week ago that he is ‘going to work on a follow-up to vine’ and that he’s funding it himself as an ‘outside project’ to keep it from interfering with other work at his current company Interspace. Hofmann tweeted that he would share more as the project develops.

HQ Trivia, the app that the other Vine cofounders Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll launched in October, has achieved its own success. The company is seeking post-money valuation at $80 million to $100 million, sources told Recode, and the app will soon launch on Android.

Source: Dom Hofmann (Twitter)

Google’s AlphaGo AI can teach itself to master games like chess

Google’s DeepMind team has already advanced its AlphaGo AI to dominate Go without human input, but now the system is clever enough to master other board games without intervention. Researchers have developed a more generalized system for AlphaGo Zero that can train itself to achieve “superhuman” skill in chess, Shogi (a Japanese classic) and other game types knowing only the rules, all within less than a day. It doesn’t need example games or other references.

This doesn’t mean that DeepMind has developed a truly general purpose, independent AI… yet. Chess and Shogi were relatively easy tests, as they’re simpler than Go. It’ll be another thing entirely to tackle complex video games like StarCraft II, let alone fuzzier concepts like walking or abstract thought. There’s also the question of speed: less than 24 hours works for board games, but that’s too slow for situations where AI needs to adapt on the spot.

Even so, this is a major step toward AI that can accomplish any task with only minimal instructions. Robots and self-driving cars in particular may need to learn how to navigate unfamiliar environments without the luxury of pre-supplied training material. If nothing else, chess champions have one more reason to be nervous.

Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: ArXiv.org

Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ hasn’t cut ties with Jeffrey Tambor yet

Last month, following accusations of sexual assault, Transparent actor Jeffrey Tambor released a statement that made it seem like he would be leaving the show. “Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent,” Tambor said. And while he has stated that he regrets if anything he did in the past was misinterpreted as aggressive, he has denied any purposeful wrongdoing. “The idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue,” Tambor said in a statement. However, the New York Times reports today that Tambor’s departure is far from certain and the show is currently operating under a very unclear future.

Allan Mayer, Tambor’s publicist, told the NYT, “What he said was that given the toxic atmosphere and the politicization on the set, it’s very hard for him to see how he can possibly return. But no final decision for next year has been made, either by Jeffrey or by Amazon.” And the show’s creator, Jill Soloway, said that they take the accusations against Tambor very seriously, but because of Amazon’s ongoing investigation into the matter, they couldn’t discuss it further.

Those pointing to sexual misconduct on the part of Tambor include his former assistant Van Barnes, Transparent cast member Trace Lysette and makeup artist Tamara Delbridge.

Amazon’s slow response to the accusations against Tambor stand in contrast to how Netflix reacted to those made against Kevin Spacey. The streaming site was fairly quick to suspend House of Cards production following the initial reports of Spacey’s alleged misconduct and said that it wouldn’t make the show with him involved after eight of the show’s crew members told CNN that Spacey sexually harassed people on set. Netflix also canceled Louis C.K.’s second stand-up special after allegations were made against him, though the company was rather slow to cut ties with Danny Masterson who has now been accused of rape by four women.

While Transparent’s future and Tambor’s involvement are currently up in the air, many have said the show could do just fine without him and might even be better for it. In support of Lysette, Transparent writer Our Lady J said on Instagram, “We cannot let trans content be taken down by a single cis man.”

Via: New York Times

Lyft’s self-driving car pilot launches in Boston

It took several months, but Lyft and nuTonomy have made good on their promise to test autonomous ridesharing cars in Boston. The two have launched a pilot program that gives “select” Seaport-area passengers a ride in one of nuTonomy’s self-driving Renault cars. If you’re one of the few to hop in (the Lyft app will make it obvious), your feedback will help refine the system to make sure it’s both comfortable and safe.

This is as much a tech demo as it is a trial run. Lyft and nuTonomy aren’t shy about using the Boston experiment to help you “better understand the impact” of self-driving cars — that is, to sell you on the concept so that you’ll be a customer when driverless cars dominate. Marketing strategy aside, it’s still an important step for everyone involved. NuTonomy may see the most benefit as it improves its navigation systems, but it also gives Lyft an opportunity to integrate driverless cars into its service. And of course, that first contact for passengers could reduce fears and (eventually) make self-driving cars a mainstay of daily life.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: nuTonomy

US airlines plan to enforce new rules on smart bags

Travelers looking to use their fancy new smart luggage may soon face a hard time getting the bags on a plane due to safety concerns about their batteries. According to CNN, American, Delta and Alaska Airlines have all announced that starting January 15th, passengers checking smart luggage will have to remove the lithium-ion batteries (or keep them powered down if traveling in the cabin). The site also says that United Continental and Southwest Airlines both plan to announce similar policies soon. That’s 80 percent of the US air traffic, according to CNN.

The report also mentions Bluesmart, a smart bag maker that says it’s compliant with current regulations, but whose lithium batteries cannot be removed. “We are saddened by these latest changes to some airline regulations and feel it is a step back not only for travel technology, but that it also presents an obstacle to streamlining and improving the way we all travel,” the company said in a statement given to CNN. Safety around lithium-ion batteries has been a topic of concern lately, with the FAA recently proposing a ban on laptops in checked baggage. Researchers continue to try and find safer alternatives, though none have come to market just yet.

Via: CNN

Source: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta

Porsche is working on a plug-in hybrid version of the 911

Porsche has been flirting with EVs for a bit now and it looks like the the famed 911 coupe might be going partially electric. CEO Oliver Bloom recently told Automotive News that a plug-in hybrid version of the car will go on sale near 2023, roughly four years after the redesigned gas version hits the market. The publication reports that the decision to hybridize the coupe isn’t final, but that Bloom is pushing for it regardless. “It will be very important for the 911 to have a plug-in hybrid,” he said.

New battery tech could extend electric-only range to 43 miles on a 47 amp-hour battery, and by the time the cars hit the market, that number could go up. The Panamera hybrid Porsche showed off at the LA Auto Show boasted a 30-mile range on a 14.1kWh battery.

Why the 911, though? Well, it could be that Porsche is willing to try anything to boost fuel economy and get regulators off its back — a 2017 911 Carrera gets 20 MPG city and 29 MPG highway.

Via: Autoblog

Source: Automotive News

Jordan Peele to executive produce CBS ‘The Twilight Zone’ reboot

A couple of weeks back, CBS CEO Les Moonves announced in an earnings call that the network was planning to bring back “The Twilight Zone” to the broadcaster’s All Access streaming app. Now we’ve got a little more information from CBS about the reboot, including the fact that Jordan Peele (Get Out) will co-executive produce the show.

A new Twilight Zone original series is coming exclusively to CBS All Access in association with @JordanPeele, @Kinberg & @MarcoRamirezMD: https://t.co/BkbvgRZHJa pic.twitter.com/Dust8AFB4G

— CBS (@CBS) December 6, 2017

The show will be produced by CBS Television Studios, with Simon Kinberg, Marco Ramirez, Win Rosenfeld and Audrey Chon also executive producing. Peele, Kinberg and Ramirez will collaborage on the premiere episode. “”Too many times this year it’s felt we were living in a twilight zone, and I can’t think of a better moment to reintroduce it to modern audiences,” Peele said in a statement.”

Star Trek Discovery gave All Access a needed boost; the show has already been renewed for a second season. The Twilight Zone will join Discovery, No Activity, and The Good Fight (also renewed for season two) as CBS’s flagship originals on the streaming service.

Via: CBS/Twitter

Source: CBS

Exclusive Offer: Get 15% Off Any Full-Priced Items From Nomad Through December 18

MacRumors has partnered up with accessory maker Nomad to offer our readers an exclusive promotional code for 15 percent off any full-priced items on the company’s website. To receive the promotion, all you have to do is enter the code MRUMORS15 during checkout and any full-priced items will get marked down by 15 percent. Note that this offer excludes any Nomad accessories already on sale.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

If your cart includes both full-priced and sale items, the promo code will automatically apply to the correct items and exclude any that are already discounted. The offer will be live from today through Monday, December 18, which should provide enough time for any items to arrive to your home in time for Christmas. Since this promo code can be used across most of the Nomad storefront, we’ve rounded up some the company’s products to give you a few browsing ideas.

• 0.3M Universal Cable – $25.46, down from $29.95
• Space Gray Stand for Apple Watch – $33.96, down from $39.95
• Leather Case for iPhone 7 Plus/8 Plus – $33.96, down from $39.95
• Rugged Case for iPhone X – $38.21, down from $44.95
• 5-Port USB Hub – $42.46, down from $49.95
• Modern Strap – $50.96, down from $59.95
• PowerPack – $101.96, down from $119.95

Anyone browsing Nomad’s site will also notice that the company has a sitewide 10 percent off coupon that you can obtain by entering your email address, but this will not stack with our exclusive offer. Head over to Nomad to see more of the company’s products, and be sure to place any orders before December 18 to take advantage of the promotion.

Check out our Deals Roundup for more sales going on throughout the holidays, this week including a 25 percent off coupon at eBay on select orders in Tech, Home, Fashion, and more totaling $25 and over. Also don’t forget about the ongoing Apple TV 4K offer from DirecTV Now, which nets you a free $180 32GB Apple TV 4K when you pay for four months of the over-the-top streaming service upfront at $140. You can find more information on that deal in our blog post here.

Related Roundup: Apple DealsTag: Nomad
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