From dusty plot to green oasis, Apple Park receives the finishing touches

Apple is applying the finishing touches to its so-called “spaceship” campus, officially known as Apple Park, with a new flyover video revealing the site to be pretty much completed.

The first of 12,000 workers started moving into the main building in April, 2017, while the 1,000-seat, subterranean Steve Jobs Theater, topped with what Apple claims is the largest carbon-fiber roof ever made, had its stage lights fired up for the first time in September, 2017, for the launch of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 handsets.

Apple Park has certainly come a long way since its somewhat dusty beginnings back in 2014.

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Drone enthusiasts have been shooting video flyovers of the site from the very start, giving Apple fans and architecture enthusiasts the chance to see the remarkable “donut” design — as well as the entire 70-hectare location in Cupertino, California — gradually take shape.

The latest video, posted on Sunday by Duncan Sinfield, shows that with the buildings completed, work is now focusing on landscaping the site, with thousands of native and drought-resistant trees turning much of the area into a green oasis for Apple employees to enjoy during their breaks. If they have the energy, they can also slip into some running gear and make use of the numerous jogging paths snaking through the site.

“The workspaces and parklands are designed to inspire our team as well as benefit the environment,” Apple boss Tim Cook said last year.

The “spaceship”

The centerpiece of Apple Park is the ring-shaped, 2.8 million-square-foot main building, “clad entirely in the world’s largest panels of curved glass,” according to the tech giant. The company says that power drawn from the main building’s solar panel roof makes it one of the most energy-efficient buildings on the planet, and helps the entire campus to run on renewable energy. The naturally ventilated building should also be able to go without heating and air conditioning for nine months of the year.

The huge project was the long-time ambition of company co-founder Steve Jobs, who drove the plan forward until his untimely death in 2011. Acclaimed U.K. architect Norman Foster presented the final design, with Tim Cook describing Apple Park as “the home of innovation for generations to come.”

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Micromax’s first Android Go phone coming later this month, and it could cost just $30

India’s Micromax is all set to unveil its first Android Go phone, with rumors hinting at a sub-$50 price.

Google formally unveiled its Android Oreo (Go Edition) platform last month, detailing how devices running 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage will benefit from the lightweight OS. We haven’t heard much on the device front, but that’s set to change soon as India’s local handset manufacturer Micromax has announced that its first Android Go phone will be launching later this month. Dubbed Bharat Go, the phone will be the first to be powered by the lightweight platform, with current rumors hinting at a retail price of ₹2,000 ($30).

Micromax hasn’t shared specs of its upcoming phone, but it’s likely the device will sport either 512MB or 1GB of RAM as well as 8GB of internal storage. As for the chipset, both Qualcomm and MediaTek have pledged support for the platform, so we’ll have to wait until later this month to get an idea as to the kind of hardware that’s powering the Bharat Go.

During a visit to the country last year, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that entry-level phones need to cost as low as $30 to be able to attract millions of new customers in markets like India, and Android Go is the ideal platform to achieve that.

As for the Bharat Go, Micromax is to lowering the barrier to entry for those looking to pick up a smartphone while effectively undercutting the likes of the Redmi 5A:

Taking its mission of connecting the unconnected ahead, and providing the best in class mobility devices, Micromax will introduce BHARAT GO to deliver optimized Android experience as an entry level smartphone to millions of Indian consumers.

Micromax isn’t the only vendor working on an Android Go device, with HMD Global also said to be mulling a phone with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage called the Nokia 1. We’ll know more about the Bharat Go in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Army base pulls Chinese security cameras over ‘negative perception’

If it wasn’t already clear that concerns over the security of Chinese equipment are reaching a fever pitch, it is now. The US Army has pulled five of Hikvision’s surveillance cameras from Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri not because they pose an active security risk (they were on a closed network and monitored the roads), but because it’s worried about the “negative perception” following media reports. Hikvision is 42 percent owned by the Chinese government, which has previously raised concerns that they might be used to spy on American operations.

There had been concerns about security holes in some cameras’ firmware, but Hikvision made patches available within a week of learning of the flaws. It has routinely promised that its cameras are secure, and that its state-owned shareholder doesn’t have a say over its daily affairs. It hasn’t been formally accused of spying.

Not this will reassure everyone. The House Committee on Small Business is planning a hearing on January 30th where it will discuss internet security risks for small business, and it’s singling out Hikvision for security questions. Whether or not there’s any merit to the suspicions, it’s clear that even the slightest hint of a Chinese government connection is enough to raise security fears in the current American climate.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: Wall Street Journal

Nanoleaf wants you to control your smart home with a dodecahedron

A few months ago, Nanoleaf revealed a “Rhythm Starter Kit” that let you synchronize its colorful Aurora light panels with music. At CES, the company released a product designed to control it and more: the Nanoleaf Remote. But instead of a typical handheld remote control, the Nanoleaf Remote is in the shape of a 12-sided polygon — a dodecahedron if you will — which changes the lights depending on which side it’s on. And the beauty of it is that you don’t have to use it with just Nanoleaf products — it’ll work with compatible Apple HomeKit products as well.

So, for example, you could turn one of the sides to adjust the temperature, or you could flip it to another to lift your blinds. Or if you like, you can map one of the sides to a particular “scene” that will do things like turn on your lights and play a favorite song at the same time. And, of course, all of the functions can be designated and assigned using the Nanoleaf companion app.

I checked out the Nanoleaf Remote at the company’s booth at CES, and was enamored by its ease of use. Admittedly, I was also very amused by its die-like shape, and I asked a spokesperson if you could roll the Remote like you could a pair of dice. He said yes, you could, but he did warn that there’s a chance it could break if you did it that way. At the same time, he said it was made out of a durable plastic, so you could try it out at your own risk.

Changing lights is really as easy as shifting the dodecahedron from side to side. Each side lights up in a different color after it’s face up, as a visual cue that an action has been triggered. In our demo, all the Remote did was change the Nanoleaf light panels from one color palette to another, but it did so pretty easily and quickly.

And the Remote isn’t the only thing on display at Nanoleaf’s booth. It also gave a preview of an upcoming product, which are Nanoleaf’s new square light panels. Like with the triangular panels, they can be customized with other Homekit products. The cool part though, is that while you can only connect up to 30 triangular panels together, you could potentially connect up to 1,000 of these square panels together to create a truly immersive experience.

What’s more, the square displays are designed to be water-resistant, and you can touch and glide your hand around on them to change their colors. The reason for the waterproofing? According to a spokesperson, Nanoleaf envisions that these square displays could eventually be installed as a high-end backsplash in a kitchen, or perhaps even a bathroom. That sounds pretty crazy to me, but it would make for quite a conversation starter at your next dinner party.

The Nanoleaf Remote will go on sale later this spring for $50, while the availability and pricing of the square displays are still to be determined.

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

NBC brings two Winter Olympics preview shows to Netflix

You won’t have to stay glued to NBC to watch all of its Winter Olympics coverage — although it won’t necessarily be the coverage you want. The network is offering a two-part PyeongChang preview series, Go For the Gold and Meet Team USA, that will be available on Netflix between January 15th and the end of the Olympics on February 25th. The episodes will explore the American team’s athletes and their stories, including well-known competitors like Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White.

The nature of the series and its limited availability says a lot about NBC’s intent. It sees Netflix as a way to advertise its own coverage, rather than a complement that you can watch alongside (or even after) the Olympics themselves when they start on February 8th. That’s not shocking given that NBC’s bottom line will depend on its live coverage and daily summaries, but it suggests you won’t see any thrilling recaps on third-party services any time soon.

Source: Deadline

AI helps Dutch emergency dispatchers diagnose heart attacks

Emergency dispatchers have a tough job assuring callers while trying to ask questions that could save the patient’s life. But soon they could get backup from AI. Starting in 2016, dispatchers in Copenhagen began getting help from an artificial intelligence named Corti that understands the words and sounds during calls to recognize cardiac arrest, then prompts the emergency professional with the right questions to get a more accurate diagnosis.

Corti helps out in other ways, too, like reminding to ask whoever’s on the phone for the address of the incident and ensuring the ambulance en route is headed to the right place. But much of its value lies in refining its diagnosis by detecting background clues. In one incident, recounted by Fast Company, the dispatcher had concluded a man who’d fallen off the roof had broken his back. Corti heard a faint rattling, which fit the sound pattern of a patient attempting to breathe despite a stopped heart. While the AI was still in training mode and couldn’t give recommendations to the dispatcher, in the future it could present a proper sequence of instructions for them to read out to callers.

The AI, created by a Dutch startup of the same name, is still developing its tech. Like other machine learning platforms, Corti refines its diagnosing abilities as it ingests more information. At some point in the future, the startup will announce its plans to introduce Corti to the US.

Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: Fast Company

Chrome OS may soon get Android notification badges

Chrome Story has reported that Chrome OS will be taking another feature from Android. The OS which, powers Google’s Chromebook line, will be getting the notification badges found on devices running Android Oreo 8.0.

Google has not officially made any announcements regarding this new feature, but evidence for the feature’s existence was found buried within Chrome OS’ code. One of the comments makes mention of this new feature, though the details are scarce. For starters, we don’t know when the new feature will come out or what it will look like. However, one of the comments describes the badges as being in the top right corner of the app image.

One other lingering question lies in regards to whether this feature will work with only Android apps or just Chrome OS apps as well. Again, nothing is confirmed, but one of the comments suggested that this change would apply to both Android and Chrome OS apps.

Another comment suggested that Chrome OS will get the pop-up feature that appears when you long press an Android app, such as displaying recent contacts in a messenger app. However, that feature’s inclusion has yet to be confirmed.

When Chrome OS first launched, it proved to be a popular choice for many people, thanks to the low price and long battery life offered by Chromebooks. However, Chromebooks were largely useless without an active internet connection. Recently, Google has taken steps to address this by including support for Android apps on Chromebooks which make the devices much more useful than they were before.

The wide array of Android apps allowed for Chrome OS users to play games, consume media and other things without having to rely on an internet connection though, of course, Chromebooks do work much better with an active internet connection.

The inclusion of Android apps has led to some speculation that Google may seek to combine the two operating systems in some way. That remains to be seen, however, and it is possible that the mysterious Fuschia OS may replace both Chrome OS and Android one day. For now, though, Fuschia remains a distant project.

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Retro-bit brought brand-new Sega accessories to CES

While Nintendo’s ‘classic’ consoles have soaked up much of the retro love lately, Sega fans do have something to look forward to. The last booth I stopped by at CES 2018 was one of my favorites, as Retro-bit showed off new officially-licensed accessories it’s releasing for Sega consoles later this year, including (but not limited to) Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get my hands on any of these controllers to see how they match up with the originals, but it’s nice to see them upgraded with modern capabilities like USB and Bluetooth.

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

Source: Retro-bit

Mercedes CEO: ‘Stay tuned’ for an electric G Wagon SUV

Mercedes-Benz’s G-Class Wagon isn’t changing for the future in the ways you might expect. Yet. From a preview event at Detroit’s crumbling, historic Michigan Theater for the North American International Auto Show, chairman Dieter Zetche was joined onstage by Arnold Schwarzenegger to talk about the iconic SUV’s improvements. Given where Schwarzenegger used to hold office — California — and his environmental bend, The Governator had a pressing question for Zetche: “What is the future [of Mercedes] in fossil fuels? Does this G Wagon eventually come out as an electric G Wagon?” He has the world’s first one at home in Los Angeles, he said.

Zetche’s response was coy. Last year, the automaker announced that the future of Mercedes was all electric drivetrains. “Stay tuned,” Zetche teased. And then Schwarzenegger gave Zetche a cowboy hat and the pair did a shot of schnapps.

Other new bits for the SUV? An all new rear camera system, with two sensors — one above and one below the spare tire. The lower is 100 percent waterproof to accommodate the G’s new 700mm (27.56 inches) wading depth. There’s also a new infotainment system, which premieres in the A-Class sedan, with Car Play and potentially other configurations (a demo wasn’t available).

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

SCOTUS will hear a case on internet sales tax

One of the benefits of internet shopping for many consumers is not having to pay sales tax. But the Supreme Court has just agreed to hear South Dakota v. Wayfair, which may reverse the 1992 ruling that prevents state and local governments from requiring retailers to collect sales tax for online purchases.

Bloomberg reports that states may have lost out on as much as $13 billion in 2017 because of the internet’s functionally tax-free status, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The state of South Dakota decided to do something about it; its legislature passed a bill in 2016 that required any retailer with over $100,000 in sales per year to pay a 4.5 percent state tax on purchases. After the bill became law, the state turned to the courts to ask it to make the law constitutional.

Online retailers WayFair, NewEgg and Overstock are opposed to the legislation. The companies state that, while Congress might pass a law supporting an online sales tax, the courts aren’t a way to solve this problem. “If Quill is overruled, the burdens will fall primarily on small and medium-size companies whose access to a national market will be stifled,” the companies said. “Congress can address this issue in a balanced and comprehensive manner through legislation.”

If the Supreme Court upholds the South Dakota law and overturns the 26-year-old precedent of Quill v. North Dakota, it will certainly impact online buying. While online mega-retailer Amazon collects sales tax in most states this point, companies without physical presences in states currently have an advantage over brick-and-mortar locations. Without that, it’s possible online sales could fall.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Justia