Here’s why 2017 was a great year for Chromebooks

Oreo’s updates may mean more for Chrome than they do for Android.

It’s the time of year to look back and reflect on all that’s happened in the past 12 months. You’ll see that sort of thing here and most everywhere for the next week or so, which is great because there was a lot to talk about. It’s great to hear what people think about the products we love (or want to love) so we don’t get mired down by our own thoughts alone.

For me, Chrome has been the big thing from Google this year. The new Pixel 2 and its camera are great, updates for Google Photos are awesome, and Oreo is polishing Android very nicely. But Chrome has all that and more, and most of what’s really great about using it on a Chromebook happened in 2017.

Oreo has some great stuff for Chromebooks, too!

I’m talking about the way Android has been folded into the OS, of course. We’ve seen and heard about Android apps and Google Play on Chromebooks for a while now, but things kind of stalled at the end of 2016 and early this year. I’m a big fan of Chromebooks, and even I was getting to the point where the lack of, well, anything on the Android for Chrome front had me worried that the project was just dead like another Google Reader. The Chromebooks that incorporated it worked well enough but getting it on models slated for Google Play support had slowed to a crawl and it looked like not much was being done to make things any better.

More: These are the Chromebooks that can run Android apps

Google and its partners jumped in and sent a slew of Chromebooks to the table where Android apps were served in the middle of the year and we saw Oreo. Oreo has some great things when it comes to Chromebooks running Android apps, mainly the new split window views and support for extra-large displays and remote displays. These changes might not have much of an impact on our phones, but they are just what the doctor ordered when it comes to Chromebooks. Here’s hoping we see it for Chrome soon.

Now developers need to get on board, and I’m hoping that happens. Google can jump start it all during 2018’s I/O conference and get 5,000 or so devs excited like we saw when the first Chromebook Pixel was released. Android apps run well on Chromebook’s engine but the presentation can be pretty bad. Apps were designed for a small screen and the same problems we saw (and still see) for tablets are present on Chromebooks — tiny apps on a big screen, stretched out apps with loads of empty space and a general mess when it comes to the user interface.

It’s now easier than ever to support a big screen in an Android app, and tricks, like defining the size of the window and what display to show it on at launch, can be pretty awesome if done right I think. Not to mention a decent and dependable side-by-side view for apps on a 13-inch display. This is something Microsoft figured out years ago, Apple has done it wonderfully, and Chromebooks were a mess. It all needs to change and tools to present an app in a way that looks good and makes it easier to use were long overdue.

Those tools are here now, at least the beginnings of them. I expect we’ll see more treats for developers in 2018 from Google, and a lot of them will be for Android apps on Chromebooks. The Pixelbook was clearly made to be a tablet and not have a tablet mode as an afterthought, so Google wants this.

I want it, too. Here’s hoping it happens!

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Apple poaches three Amazon video execs

Apple’s push into original programming has been given another significant boost after it was revealed the company lured three executives over from rival Amazon Studios. Variety reports that Tara Sorensen, who joined Amazon in 2012 and helped lead its children’s TV division, will jump ship to continue the same role within Cupertino. She’ll also be joined by legal affairs chief Tara Pietri and international development executive Carina Walker.

Over the past six months, Apple has been laying the foundations for its original programming push, following the hiring of former Sony Pictures Television presidents Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg. Erlicht and Van Amburg brought popular drama Breaking Bad to screens during their time with Sony and Apple is hoping for more of the same while they spearhead efforts inside the company’s video programming division.

Apple’s gain is another heavy setback for Amazon. Amazon Studios recently saw head of programming Roy Price resign following reports of sexual harassment. Transparent actor Jeffrey Tambor is also the subject of sexual misconduct claims from his former assistant Van Barnes, Transparent cast member Trace Lysette and makeup artist Tamara Delbridge.

Source: Variety

Hard-to-get ‘Destiny 2’ holiday loot creates another uproar

Bungie has already learned some hard lessons about making content accessible in Destiny 2, but it’s clear the studio still has some brushing up to do. Many gamers are complaining that the drop system for engrams (basically loot boxes) for the game’s holiday-themed event, The Dawning, appears designed to goad players into spending real money on the in-game Silver currency. It’s not that the items are incredibly valuable (they’re largely cosmetic) — it’s that it’s effectively impossible to get all of them by unlocking them strictly through ordinary gameplay.

In order to get Dawning Engrams, you have to complete event-specific quests. No big deal, right? There’s just one problem: you can only earn three of those engrams per week, one up front and two through challenges. And that’s per account, not per character. Even if you play every day and get perfect, non-duplicate drops (which you won’t), you’ll only get a fraction of the 59 items available during The Dawning’s 3-week run. You can buy gear with the game’s free Bright Dust currency, but it’s hard to earn in any significant amount. In short: if you don’t pay real cash, most of this content will disappear forever (or at least, until the next holiday).

Players have griped about cosmetic engrams and the Eververse marketplace ever since Destiny 2 launched (and really, since Eververse first appeared in the original game). However, the holiday event has amplified those complaints, with many arguing that Bungie should either drop Dawning engrams during ordinary activities (and thus increase your chances of getting it for free) or ditch Eververse outright.

Bungie is aware of the outcry, but just what it’ll do remains to be seen. Game Director Christopher Barrett said that developers “hear your feedback on Eververse,” and agrees that players should “feel respected.” The team is unsurprisingly on a holiday break, though, and an update on what’s next will come “after the new year.” That is, you might not see a change in strategy until after The Dawning ends on January 9th. While that wouldn’t be a disaster (The Dawning itself has plenty of activities), the underlying problems might only be fixed when it’s too late to earn the gear you really want.

Via: Polygon

Source: Bungie, Christopher Barrett (Twitter)

Uber Freight trucker app gets new features to help drivers make money

You may know Uber best as the service that shuttles you from Point A to Point B for a preset price, but back in May, the ridesharing service debuted a service meant less for passengers and more for drivers. And not just any driver — specifically truckers.

Uber Freight, available on both iOS and Android, can almost be described as a job-seeking service, pairing truck drivers with companies who need to get their precious cargo from Point A to Point B (where Point A and Point B are often hundreds if not thousands of miles apart). And now, Uber Freight has two new features, both of which seek to make it easier for drivers to book multiple jobs. Ultimately, Uber noted in a Medium post, the goal is to “deliver an even more seamless experience and help our carriers and their drivers maximize their time and productivity.”

The first new feature is called Post My Truck, which allows drivers to indicate where and when they will have availability to pick up a load. They can also note the sort of job they’re open to — whether it’s a short, medium, or long-haul trip — then receive notifications once they’ve been selected to carry cargo. In many ways, it’s much like the way traditional Uber drivers mark themselves available to pick up human passengers, but Uber says that the technology behind the two features is different.

Then, there’s the Reloads feature, which “keeps carriers and their drivers moving and earning by minimizing empty miles.” This, Uber hopes, will keep truckers using Uber Freight, rather than switching over to another platform to find work. With the Reloads feature, drivers and carriers alike can see a list of backhauls and reloads (which are loads that can be picked up near a trucker’s current drop off location) so that they can quickly and easily book their next trip. That means that drivers won’t have to waste time looking for a new job in what may be a new city, and can instead keep their income stream up as they continue to take on new cargo.

Folks with the Uber Freight app should be able to see the new Post My Truck feature on the app now, whereas Reloads will make an appearance in a few weeks on both Android and iOS.

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The world’s first nuclear fusion plant is now halfway to ‘First Plasma’

Earlier this month, the director-general of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) announced that construction of the project had reached the halfway point. It’s an important milestone for the multi-billion-dollar facility being constructed in southern France. The goal is to begin generating plasma, an essential component of nuclear fusion reactors, by 2025.

ITER (Latin for “Way”) is a partnership of 35 countries, all hoping to share in the scientific rewards. “This gives us confidence as we face the remaining 50 percent,” Dr. Bernard Bigot of ITER told the journal Live Science.

When completed, the plasma circulating in the core of the reactor will be 270 million degrees Fahrenheit, or about ten times hotter than the sun. The massive superconducting magnets surrounding the core will be cooled to minus 452 degrees, as cold as the depths of space. “So many of the technologies involved are really at the cutting edge,” Bigot said.

Unlike traditional nuclear reactors, which generate power by splitting larger atoms into smaller ones, the ITER fusion reactor will combine hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium). At extremely high temperatures, hydrogen gas can become plasma — sometimes called the fourth state of matter — where the electrons are separated from their nuclei.

Wikipedia

Most experimental fusion reactors use a tokamak, which is a superheated donut-shaped device surrounded by superconducting magnets that control the plasma inside. It’s basically a steam engine — the heat generated by the reaction is absorbed by the walls of the reactor and used to produce steam for electricity generation.

It takes a lot of power to create fusion, and the challenge is to make the reaction self-sustaining so it produces more power than is put into it. There are other fusion reactors in operation, but ITER is the largest, with ten times more plasma capacity than any other reactor. Still, it’s just a prototype. If successful, commercial fusion reactors would produce 10 to 15 times more power.

Wendelstein 7-X, a fusion reactor in Germany, recently went online for the first time, and may be able to generate self-sustaining plasma. However, Jonathan Menard of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab told Business Insider that it’s unlikely to generate enough surplus energy to create electricity.

Another experimental concept envisions fusion reactions powered by lasers, but most scientists think the ITER project is the most promising. “So far, the laser based systems are pretty inefficient and we think the [plasma] fusion systems are closer to having net energy,” Menard said.

ITER is on schedule for “first plasma” in 2025, and by the 2030s they hope to generate ten times more power than goes into it, laying the groundwork for a clean energy revolution. “With ITER and fusion energy, we have a chance to leave a powerful and positive legacy for future generations,” Bigot said.

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Olympics fans headed to PyeongChang will be able to experience LTE-R technology

The Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are just around the corner, and South Korea is making a few final preparations to ensure that these are the most technologically advanced Olympics ever. The latest innovation comes in the form of the world’s very first LTE-Railway service, which has just been deployed on the Wonju-Gangneung high-speed train. The new activation is said to be the very first application of LTE-R technology on a high-speed train (which travels 155 miles per hour).

So what exactly is LTE-R? Heralded as a “next-generation communications technology for smart train and metro services,” LTE-R is specific to public transportation vehicles like subways and trains. It allows for high-speed wireless voice and data communication not only in a vehicle, but also among control centers and folks working on the train. Both train-to-train and train-to-ground communications are enable for LTE-R, which could help to ensure smooth, critical communications.

And now, this technology is being implemented on the 75 mile Wonju-Gangneung line, which will ferry fans (and perhaps even athletes) directly to PyeongChang, ensuring that passengers are entirely connected throughout the duration of their trip. The LTE-R network will be activated across all seven of the train’s stations, so you shouldn’t be running into any dead zones.

“We are delighted to work with Samsung to provide critical communications systems for this brand new high-speed train line,” said Yihan Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Business Performing Unit of KT. “The new line puts Gangneung only two hours away from Seoul, and LTE-R will make the journey for PyeongChang visitors a much safer and reliable experience.”

While this is the first deployment of LTE-R on a high-speed train, it’s not the first time LTE-R has made an appearance in South Korea. As Gy Seo, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales and Marketing Team in Networks Business, Samsung Electronics, noted in a statement, “Samsung’s first commercial deployment of LTE-R [was] at the Busan Metro last April,” but “this new implementation demonstrates the maturation and validation of our LTE-R solutions for high-speed trains.”

Samsung is also working on deploying LTE-R on a train running between Incheon International Airport and Seoul Station.

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Olympics fans headed to PyeongChang will be able to experience LTE-R technology

The Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are just around the corner, and South Korea is making a few final preparations to ensure that these are the most technologically advanced Olympics ever. The latest innovation comes in the form of the world’s very first LTE-Railway service, which has just been deployed on the Wonju-Gangneung high-speed train. The new activation is said to be the very first application of LTE-R technology on a high-speed train (which travels 155 miles per hour).

So what exactly is LTE-R? Heralded as a “next-generation communications technology for smart train and metro services,” LTE-R is specific to public transportation vehicles like subways and trains. It allows for high-speed wireless voice and data communication not only in a vehicle, but also among control centers and folks working on the train. Both train-to-train and train-to-ground communications are enable for LTE-R, which could help to ensure smooth, critical communications.

And now, this technology is being implemented on the 75 mile Wonju-Gangneung line, which will ferry fans (and perhaps even athletes) directly to PyeongChang, ensuring that passengers are entirely connected throughout the duration of their trip. The LTE-R network will be activated across all seven of the train’s stations, so you shouldn’t be running into any dead zones.

“We are delighted to work with Samsung to provide critical communications systems for this brand new high-speed train line,” said Yihan Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Business Performing Unit of KT. “The new line puts Gangneung only two hours away from Seoul, and LTE-R will make the journey for PyeongChang visitors a much safer and reliable experience.”

While this is the first deployment of LTE-R on a high-speed train, it’s not the first time LTE-R has made an appearance in South Korea. As Gy Seo, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales and Marketing Team in Networks Business, Samsung Electronics, noted in a statement, “Samsung’s first commercial deployment of LTE-R [was] at the Busan Metro last April,” but “this new implementation demonstrates the maturation and validation of our LTE-R solutions for high-speed trains.”

Samsung is also working on deploying LTE-R on a train running between Incheon International Airport and Seoul Station.

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Biometric scans at airports across the country may not be legal, report claims

Going through security at our nation’s airports is always one of the lowlights of traveling, but now, it may not just be the inconvenience of the process that’s frustrating travelers — it could be the unlawfulness as well. A new report from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology calls into question the Department of Homeland Security’s new biometric exit pilot program.

Currently live in nine airports across the U.S., the program leverages facial recognition technology to ID passengers taking off on international travel. The point of the program, the DHS claims, is to prevent flyers from attempting to use others’ travel documents, like passports and visas. But according to Georgetown Law, it might not be totally legal.

The main issue at hand, the report notes, is that Congress has not approved DHS to scan American citizens’ faces. While Georgetown notes that Congress “has repeatedly ordered the collection of biometrics from foreign nationals at the border,” the lawmaking body has “never clearly authorized the border collection of biometrics from American citizens using face recognition technology.” As such, DHS does not actually have the explicit permission of Congress to collect the personal data of travelers (but obviously, it is doing so anyway).

Moreover, while a biometric screening system has been brought up in Congress, neither the legislative branch nor DHS “has ever justified the need for the program,” Georgetown Law noted. While DHS has claimed that airport scans can verify traveler identities, the Department has itself called into question “the additional value biometric air exit would provide,” as well as the “overall value and cost of a biometric air exit capability.”

Indeed, it doesn’t seem as though biometric scanning is in fact all that effective. DHS’ data suggests that one out of 25 travelers are mistakenly rejected — that is to say that 4 percent of folks using valid credentials are said to be impostors. This, Georgetown Law suggests, could result in more than 1,600 passengers to be delayed or denied boarding each day at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

Finally, Georgetown Law raises privacy concerns, calling the program “a serious escalation of biometric scanning of Americans” without any “codified rules that constrain it.” These concerns have not gone unnoticed, as lawmakers have since sent a letter to DHS to ask for more information about the program. But for the time being, you may have to have your face scanned at the airport.

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Biometric scans at airports across the country may not be legal, report claims

Going through security at our nation’s airports is always one of the lowlights of traveling, but now, it may not just be the inconvenience of the process that’s frustrating travelers — it could be the unlawfulness as well. A new report from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology calls into question the Department of Homeland Security’s new biometric exit pilot program.

Currently live in nine airports across the U.S., the program leverages facial recognition technology to ID passengers taking off on international travel. The point of the program, the DHS claims, is to prevent flyers from attempting to use others’ travel documents, like passports and visas. But according to Georgetown Law, it might not be totally legal.

The main issue at hand, the report notes, is that Congress has not approved DHS to scan American citizens’ faces. While Georgetown notes that Congress “has repeatedly ordered the collection of biometrics from foreign nationals at the border,” the lawmaking body has “never clearly authorized the border collection of biometrics from American citizens using face recognition technology.” As such, DHS does not actually have the explicit permission of Congress to collect the personal data of travelers (but obviously, it is doing so anyway).

Moreover, while a biometric screening system has been brought up in Congress, neither the legislative branch nor DHS “has ever justified the need for the program,” Georgetown Law noted. While DHS has claimed that airport scans can verify traveler identities, the Department has itself called into question “the additional value biometric air exit would provide,” as well as the “overall value and cost of a biometric air exit capability.”

Indeed, it doesn’t seem as though biometric scanning is in fact all that effective. DHS’ data suggests that one out of 25 travelers are mistakenly rejected — that is to say that 4 percent of folks using valid credentials are said to be impostors. This, Georgetown Law suggests, could result in more than 1,600 passengers to be delayed or denied boarding each day at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

Finally, Georgetown Law raises privacy concerns, calling the program “a serious escalation of biometric scanning of Americans” without any “codified rules that constrain it.” These concerns have not gone unnoticed, as lawmakers have since sent a letter to DHS to ask for more information about the program. But for the time being, you may have to have your face scanned at the airport.

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NASA is planning an interstellar mission to Alpha Centauri — but not until 2069

One hundred years after man set foot on the moon, NASA hopes to launch an exploratory probe to investigate the system of our nearest neighbor, the star system Alpha Centauri. There’s only one problem: how do we get there?

An exclusive report in New Scientist reveals the plans of a group of engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The mission concept, which was presented at the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union, also promises to use technology that doesn’t exist yet. “It’s very nebulous,” said Anthony Freeman of JPL.

The only spacecraft that’s ever left our solar system is Voyager 1, and it’s travelling through interstellar space at about 30,000 miles per hour. Although Alpha Centauri is right next door in galactic terms, it’s still 4.3 light-years away, or about 25 trillion miles to us Earthlings. A spacecraft like Voyager would take nearly 80,000 years to get there.

The NASA team hopes to develop technology that would propel the interstellar probe at one-tenth the speed of light. Outer Places speculates that such technology might involve generating thrust by using a laser shining on micro-organisms. Other possibilities being floated include using nuclear reactions or matter-antimatter collisions.

Even at 10 percent the speed of light, the future probe would take 44 years to get to Alpha Centauri. NASA may have some competition, however, if the space agency hopes to get there first.

Breakthrough Starshot is a venture from Breakthrough Initiatives, a $100 million non-governmental program created by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, and they also have their sights set on Alpha Centauri. They plan to reach 20 percent of light speed using a tiny wafer attached to a superthin sail propelled by laser beams.

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is also part of the project. “With light beams, light sails and the lightest spacecraft ever built, we can launch a mission to Alpha Centauri within a generation,” he said during a news conference at the One World Observatory. The ambitious plan still has a few obstacles to overcome before it becomes a reality, however.

The Alpha Centauri system consists of three stars, two of them about the size of our sun orbiting each other as well as a tiny red dwarf star. The discovery of Proxima Centauri b, an Earth-sized exoplanet that may be suitable for life, has scientists excited about what we may discover.

“The limit that confronts us now is the great void between us and the stars, but now we can transcend it,” said Hawking. “Because we are human, and our nature is to fly.”

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