Most entertaining running and walking apps for Android in 2018

Get fit and have fun at the same time with these interactive fitness apps!

Fitness apps are nothing new, but getting motivated to work out can often be the difficult part. That’s where the emerging genre of interactive fitness apps comes in. These apps use your activity to tell you a story, motivate you, and make your workout seem more like a game. There are plenty of them out there, but we went ahead and weeded through them to find the apps you definitely don’t want to miss.

Runtastic Story Running

We’ve talked before about how Runtastic is a great fitness app, particularly for runners. It’s filled with enough features that you may have missed Runtastic Story Running, which lives in the app itself.

Story runs are considered a premium feature, with varying run times usually totalling 30 to 40 minutes. Topics range from various fiction genres to more ambient meditative breaks. During your run, you will see how long you’ve been moving, the distance traveled, and your average pace. Since it’s part of a larger app, it isn’t quite as interactive, but you can post your workout to Facebook and integrate a heart rate monitor.

With over a dozen stories spanning several genres, you’ve got plenty to listen to on your run. While there are a few free stories to run to, most of them cost $0.99 unless you buy into the premium Runtastic membership for $4.99 a month.

Download: Runtastic (Free, subscription)

The Walk

The Walk is far more of a game than a fitness app. You are an agent who has been tasked with helping to save the world. As you walk— and all you ever need to do is walk — you will unlock sound clips, which expand the story. Each episode has checkpoints, collectible items, the ability to choose a route, and even achievements. If you’ve had your phone closed and you reopen the app, you’ll be notified of how many steps you’ve taken and how long you would need to keep walking to finish the current mission.

The story is seriously engaging, and when you get caught up in it, it’s easy to let time slip by so you can finish the entire mission in a single go. The Walk is $2.99 and entirely worth it.

Download: The Walk ($2.99)

Zombies, Run!

Zombies, Run! is probably the most popular app on this list, and for good reason. There are a bunch of free missions, as well as a paid version of Zombies, Run! for 5k training. The app will hit you with chunks of the story as you move, each piece coming every few minutes. At times, you’ll be told to run and you’ll hear the zombies chasing you — definitely a motivator. As you travel along, you’ll automatically pick up items, which can be used to improve your town after each mission. While you’re running, you have a counter that tells you how far you’ve gone, your pace, a counter for in-game items, and a status bar for how far you’ve traveled.

Zombies, Run! is fantastically fun and captivating. It makes you want to keep going, and because there is so much content, it’s very easy to do just that. You don’t even need to run; you can take the game at your own pace, since missions are timed and not based on how fast you move. Early missions are free, but you’ll have to pay to unlock more.

Download: Zombies, Run! (Free, in-app purchases)

Pokémon Go

You might not think that walking around the neighborhood in search of pocket monsters is a workout, but thousands of miles walked by Trainers worldwide would prove you wrong. Released by Niantic, Pokémon Go is a game that is made to have you up and walking around while you play. You’ll be able to find and catch over 200 different Pokémon, check in at local PokéStops to get items, and even challenge Gyms to aid your team within the game.

Pokémon Go is a ton of fun with plenty to keep you engaged. The game runs regular events, along with rewarding you for how far you’ve walked. That’s because you’ll pick up Eggs that need to be incubated. You’ll need to walk a specific distance in order to fully hatch the eggs and add an awesome new Pokémon to your repertoire. The game is evolving all the time, having added Raid battles, legendary Pokémon, and more.

Download: Pokémon Go (Free, in-app purchases)

Are you ready to get moving?

There you go, four of the best interactive fitness apps on the market today. Whether you’re looking to just amble along, or you’re training for a run, these apps can definitely make fitness more like a game than work. So which interactive fitness apps are up your alley, or which ones did we miss out on? Let us know in the comments!

Updated January 2018: We’ve updated this list with Pokémon Go!

Toyota’s new self-driving test car can better recognize small objects

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) will debut the latest version of its automated driving research vehicle at CES next week. TRI had three major goals with this latest model and Platform 3.0 incorporates them all into a car with more perception capabilities, a design that’s easier to produce at scale and a much sleeker look. “To elevate our test platform to a new level, we tapped Toyota’s design and engineering expertise to create an all-new test platform that has the potential to be a benchmark in function and style,” TRI CEO Gill Pratt said in a statement.

First, the vehicle now has 360-degree LiDAR sensing — previous platforms only had forward-facing LiDAR sensing capabilities — and new shorter-range LiDAR sensors placed lower to the ground allow for detection of smaller objects like road debris or children.

Secondly, Platform 3.0, built on a Lexus LS 600hL, will go into low-volume production this spring and will come in two versions. One will feature a dual cockpit design, allowing for TRI to experiment with methods that transfer driving control between humans and the automated system. It can also accommodate a backup safety driver. A second model will incorporate a single cockpit and will test TRI’s full automation technology. TRI says the production is intentionally low because the team keeps updating the technology so quickly. It just came out with Platform 2.0 in March and Platform 2.1 in September.

Finally, in partnership with CALTY Design Research, Toyota engineers worked to incorporate a lot of the automated technology hardware into the car itself, minimizing what has to protrude from the top of the car and what has to be stored in the trunk. Now, the rooftop sensors and cameras sit closer to the car itself and are covered by a panel that tapers sleekly towards the rear of the vehicle. And the trunk is no longer taken up entirely by the computational hardware but instead houses a small box that contains the necessary equipment.

You can check out Platform 3.0 in the video above and be sure to follow along with our CES coverage next week.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Toyota

Samsung’s next-gen chips point to Galaxy S9 face detection

Samsung has unveiled its next-generation smartphone chip that will give its upcoming Galaxy S9 some iPhone X-like features, including face unlocking and animated emojis. The Exynos 9810 is built on its second-generation 10-nanometer fabrication tech, and will outperform the current flagship Exynos 8895 chip by up to 100 percent in single-core mode, Samsung said. The chip is likely to be sold in Asia, while US and European customers will get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip.

Samsung emphasized that the new chip will be much better at AI, improving face detection, image recognition and other deep learning activities. That, in turn, will allow it to do real-time scanning of your face in 3D.

“Hybrid face detection enables realistic face-tracking filters as well as stronger security when unlocking a device with one’s face,” the press release notes. In other words, future Galaxy smartphones will offer Samsung’s answer to Apple’s FaceID and animated emojis. Samsung notes that the chip has a separate, secure processing unit for fingerprints, iris scans and other sensitive biometric data.

By utilizing both hardware and software, hybrid face detection enables realistic face-tracking filters as well as stronger security when unlocking a device with one’s face. For added security, the processor has a separate security processing unit to safeguard vital personal data such as facial, iris and fingerprint information.

The Exynos 9810 is one of the first chips with a Cat.18 LTE modem featuring 6x carrier aggregation and up to 1.2Gbps download and 200Mbps upload speeds. Samsung also promised better image stabilization, reduced noise in low light, 4K recording at up to 120 frames per second and “real-time, out-of-focus photography in high resolution,” it said. On top of that, you’ll be able to playback video at up to 10-bits (1.07 billion colors) with VP9 support at Ultra HD resolutions.

The Exynos 9810 is now in mass-production, Samsung says, but the big question now is whether the chip for the rest of us, the Snapdragon 845, will have exactly the same feature set. From what we saw late last year, however, it appears that the chip functions and specs are nearly identical. That’s not too surprising, because Samsung is reportedly also building the Qualcomm chip using exactly the same second-generation 10-nanometer fab process.

Source: Samsung

Bipartisan support grows for online sex trafficking bill

The bill aimed to curb online sex trafficking has gained support from 60 senators, which means it has enough backing to withstand a filibuster once it reaches the floor. Both republican and democrat lawmakers have put their weight behind the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, with three additional members of the GOP backing it this week Bloomberg reports. Previously, the Internet Association (which counts Amazon, Facebook and Google as members) was opposed to any changes to the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230, but in November the organization changed its tune after vague wording was cleared up.

If the bill passes, it’ll mean that a website can’t use safe harbor rules if it “knowingly” aids in sex trafficking, a la Backpage’s sex listings.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been fighting the bill, saying that it will actually undermine law enforcement efforts to combat trafficking. The EFF argues that taking these sites offline would eliminate venues for apprehending johns and purveyors of underage sex.

There’s also a worry that the senate bill and a similar House bill (Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act; FOSTA) passing could harm free speech. The concern is this could lead to a crackdown on posts for any type of sex work, “regardless if there’s any indication of force or coercion, or whether minors were involved,” the advocacy group wrote in December.

“Like SESTA, the proposed new FOSTA bill would result in platforms becoming more restrictive in how they manage their online communities,” it said. “And like SESTA, it would do nothing to fight sex traffickers.”

SESTA’s main supporters, Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are urging colleagues for quick passage. The senators would like to see the bill become law as soon as possible given that the president named January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month this week.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Rob Portman

Microsoft shares pre-order details for the $319 Cortana thermostat

Microsoft unveiled its Cortana-powered thermostat, called GLAS, back in July, and now we have more details on it. The software giant partnered with Johnson Controls, the maker of the first in-room thermostat, to create the device, and it’s a beauty. It also comes with a hefty price tag: $319, and is available for pre-order now for delivery in March 2018.

GLAD is powered by a Windows 10 IoT Core and features a gorgeous translucent touch display. You can control the temperature, check the weather, monitor both indoor and outdoor air quality and more. GLAD will keep track of the air quality and adjust its settings to ensure your home is comfortable. Like Nest, GLAD will learn your preferred temperatures and routines and make adjustments as needed.

Users can also take advantage of Cortana, which is integrated into the smart thermostat, to control GLAD. You can say things like, “Hey Cortana, adjust the temperature to 70 degrees,” and the thermostat will respond and change settings accordingly. GLAD will also have similar functionality to a smart speaker. Cortana can check traffic, take a look at the weather, answer questions, tell you about your calendar and more.

It’s certainly a gorgeous thermostat; its transparent display would make an excellent conversation piece. But $319 isn’t cheap, especially when you consider that the least expensive Nest is just $169. However, if you’re planning on using the GLAD as both a thermostat and a smart speaker, the price becomes more palatable. I’m not sure who is actually going to buy this thermostat, but you can’t deny it looks great.

Via: The Verge

Source: Microsoft

JP Morgan figured out how to advertise on ‘safe’ YouTube channels

YouTube has a long history of failure when it comes to self-policing. It’s gotten in hot water multiple times because it has not been able to guarantee that that advertisers’ videos wouldn’t run on channels that had objectionable content. Indeed, the UK government even pulled advertisements from the service after discovering that they were running alongside extremist videos. Now, Business Insider reports that JP Morgan has created its own in-house algorithm to identify YouTube channels that are “safe” to advertise on.

This is interesting for multiple reasons. First, it highlights just how bad YouTube’s problem is. YouTube uses both algorithms and human moderators to police content on its site. Contractors rate content, which trains YouTube’s AI on what consists of “high quality” content. The problem is that contractors were told that videos with high production values got an automatic “high quality” rating, regardless of any objectionable content.

It also puts the spotlight on YouTube’s issues with its advertisers. Multiple big-name companies pulled their ads from YouTube in November after the discovery that their ads were running alongside child exploitation videos (or innocent videos that had comments rank with pedophilia). The advertisers made clear that they wouldn’t be returning until Google put appropriate safeguards into place. It wasn’t the first time this had happened either.

Now, the fact that JP Morgan has had success with its own algorithm, which has 17 layers that separates “safe” channels from unsafe ones, reveals just how much advertisers mistrust Google and YouTube. But it also is telling that a company is able to build an AI to identify these sorts of issues, yet Google is still having so much trouble with its own methods. It remains to be seen whether YouTube will get its problems under control, or if more advertisers will flee the service.

Via: The Times

Source: Business Insider

White House bans personal cell phones for staff and guests

The White House has issued a ban on employees using personal cell phones while at work, according to Bloomberg. Rumors of the ban surfaced back in November, but according to Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, it is going into effect Monday. The order reportedly came from White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and security concerns are cited as the reasons behind the decision.

“The security and integrity of the technology systems at the White House is a top priority for the Trump administration and therefore starting next week the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing,” Sanders said in a statement today. “Staff will be able to conduct business on their government-issued devices and continue working hard on behalf of the American people.”

The concern among staff members has been they may be cut off from their families during busy days in the West Wing. Work phones can’t be used for personal business, after all. We’ve reached out to the White House for further comment on the ban and how it affects staff members.

One anonymous insider told Bloomberg that the reason for the ban was due to security concerns and an overloaded Wi-Fi network, which is possible. It’s more realistic, however, that the White House is trying to control the steady leak (or, really, more like flood) of information from staffers, and this is the best way for them to do it.

Via: Fast Company

Source: Bloomberg

France considers new laws to fight fake news

During a media briefing yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he would soon introduce new legislation aimed at combating fake news during elections. Under the new law, websites publishing sponsored content would have to disclose who paid for it and fees for that content would have a cap. Additionally, authorities would have the power to remove fake content and block websites if they’re found to be publishing fake news. “If we want to protect liberal democracies, we must be strong and have clear rules,” Macron said.

Fake news and actions by foreign groups have become a major focus since the US presidential election, particularly when it comes to what circulates on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Investigations into Russia-backed Facebook ads are ongoing in the US and the UK has asked both Facebook and Twitter to provide information on any evidence of Russian meddling during the Brexit referendum. Facebook made efforts to curtail the spread of misinformation during Germany’s major election last year as well as France’s. Some actions taken by Facebook since the US election include adding Trust Indicators to news articles, requiring those purchasing ads on the platform to disclose their identity and instituting a slew of measures meant to limit the spread of fake news. Facebook has also said it’s working on overhauling its advertising system before the 2018 US midterm elections.

Along with online content, Macron has also called out TV and radio outlets, specifically fingering Russian networks Sputnik and Russia Today as propagating misinformation. At one point last year, he even banned the outlets from his campaign events. In that respect, Macron also said yesterday that the country’s media watchdog, the CSA, would be able to combat “and attempt at destabilisation” by foreign state-controlled TV stations.

Via: TechCrunch

Facebook CEO pledges to tackle hate speech, foreign meddling in 2018

As is tradition, Mark Zuckerberg is starting this year off with a new personal challenge. He kicked off 2017 with a promise to visit every US state to meet the masses in a totally-not-preparing-for-a-Presidential-run way, but that was before a year of criticism leveled at the social network he founded. This year, Zuckerberg is staying at home for a new pledge: Fixing the mess Facebook has made.

“The world feels anxious and divided, and Facebook has a lot of work to do — whether it’s protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent,” Zuckerberg wrote in his post.

This public admission of Facebook’s issues starkly contrasts what Zuckerberg said in the days following the 2016 Presidential election, when he denied the social media platform influenced voters. He spent much of 2017 walking that stance back, especially as so much evidence emerged that Russian-backed actors bought ads on Facebook that the House Intel Committee held a hearing.

Foreign influence is an easier threat to rally behind, but Facebook has struggled throughout 2017 to combat hate speech. Users have found it difficult to flag hate speech, and when that works, enforcement of Facebook’s policies have been sporadic — and then sometimes those reporting hate speech get banned instead. And in the wake of the 2016 election, it became harder to ignore Facebook’s role in incubating racist and alt-right communities.

To its credit, Facebook gradually opened up about the topic as the year progressed, and Zuckerberg’s post today admits that the platform hasn’t done enough: “We won’t prevent all mistakes or abuse, but we currently make too many errors enforcing our policies and preventing misuse of our tools.” He looks forward to bringing ‘groups of experts’ to chat about and work through the issues.

That vague correctional plan is as murky as the rest of Zuckerberg’s post. It hedges that folks have lost faith in the decentralizing promise of technology as a few monolithic tech corporations have risen to dominate the sphere, along with the technology that helps governments monitor their citizens. Zuckerberg doesn’t go so far as to admit that Facebook is one of these titans centralizing tech in fewer hands, of course. But he does say the platform will look into things that “take power from centralized systems and put it back into people’s hands” like encryption and cryptocurrency to possibly, maybe implement them into Facebook.

During 2017, Zuckerberg denied that his America-trotting was preamble for a shift into the political sphere, though the question remained. Judging from his post, cleaning up his platform’s growing issues is a better use of his time: “This may not seem like a personal challenge on its face, but I think I’ll learn more by focusing intensely on these issues than I would by doing something completely separate.” Take from that what you will.

Source: Facebook

Amazon Alexa now controls your microwave

Alexa’s smart home skills aren’t just for turning on the lights or locking your door these days — now, they can help fulfill your culinary ambitions. Amazon has added cooking abilities to its Smart Home Skill framework, letting you control microwaves (and eventually conventional ovens) with your voice. Instead of pressing umpteen buttons, you can simply ask Alexa to “defrost 3lbs of chicken.” Suffice it to say this could be helpful if you don’t want to start cooking right away, or if you just hate your microwave’s interface.

Expect to see the cooking features in use very soon. Whirlpool has already created its own Alexa skill for microwaves, and plans to launch it “soon.” GE Appliances, Kenmore, LG and Samsung have also committed to working on skills for their own ovens and “more appliances.” Also, Amazon is putting its money where its mouth is. It’s investing in June Life, the company behind the connected June Oven. The move will lead to June adding Alexa commands once oven support is available. All told, Amazon clearly hopes to become a mainstay in the kitchen — the only button you may have to press is the one to open your microwave door.

Source: Alexa Blogs