Google has officially completed its $1.1 billion HTC deal

All the pieces are in place to make the Pixel 3 as awesome as possible.

A few days before Google unveiled the Pixel 2 at its October hardware event, it was announced that the company would be spending $1.1 billion to acquire around 2,000 HTC employees to beef up its hardware division. A little over four months since this deal was announced, Google’s confirmed that it’s been completed.

Google worked closely with HTC’s hardware talent during the development of both the first-gen Pixel and Pixel 2, but now that they’re officially working under the Google umbrella, the result should (hopefully) be even better hardware design and reliability than what we’ve seen from the past two years.

The employees that are joining Google are the same ones that helped HTC launch the first 3G-capable phone in 2005, the first smartphone that used a touchscreen as the primary input in 2007, and the first phone made entirely out of a metal unibody in 2013 (the HTC One M7).

The hardware improvements that Google made from the Pixel to Pixel 2 are awfully impressive, and while it’s too early to truly speculate about what the Pixel 3 will offer, the completion of the HTC deal can only benefit the development of the phone.

Lastly, Google also says that the acquisition will allow it to expand operations further into Asia – specifically using Taiwan as a “key innovation and engineering hub” and Taipei now becoming Google’s biggest engineering site in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Galaxy S9 will be great, but I’m waiting for Google’s Pixel 3

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OnePlus 5/5T Open Beta removes Clipboard app, adds iPhone X-like gestures

R.I.P Clipboard 💀

The OnePlus 5 and 5T are receiving their second OxygenOS Open Beta update this month, and while there are a few added features and bug fixes, OnePlus is also removing something that it just added a couple weeks ago – its Clipboard app.

A new Clipboard function was added to the OnePlus 5/5T with an OxygenOS Open Beta on January 16, and it introduced a pop-up window that appeared whenever copying text on the phone. With this pop-up window, you had easy controls for sharing text and even the ability to open a web browser preview if highlighting a link. However, today’s update removes it.

Now you can navigate Android while completely hiding its navigation buttons.

While the removal of a new feature isn’t any fun, there’s still some good to be had with this latest update. OnePlus has added a new gesture for incoming calls so you can choose to slide up or down to answer, the latest CVE-2017-13218 security patch has been added to the CPU, and there’s also a new option for hiding Android’s navigation buttons and using gestures similar to what’s found on the iPhone X. Early reports indicate that the feature is a bit buggy in its current form, but it still sounds like something that’s worth checking out.

Users in India are also getting a new feature that’ll automatically sort SMS messages into different categories, and all 5/5T owners will see general performance improvements/bug fixes.

Phones that are already enrolled in the Open Beta should receive an OTA update within the coming days, and if you’re not currently part of it but want to jump in on the action, you can sign up by flashing the update file to your 5/5T.

OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition goes back on sale in India for limited time

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Apple might delay iOS interface revamp to focus on stability

If you hadn’t noticed, iOS 11 has had more than its fair share of bugs. And that’s apparently been worrisome enough to prompt a rethink of how the company approaches iOS 12. Axios sources have said that Apple is pushing some major iOS feature updates into 2019 to focus this year’s upgrades on “performance and quality issues.” Reportedly, Apple is delaying refreshes of the home screen interface, CarPlay, core apps and photography in favor of quality and responsiveness. There will be significant improvements in 2018, the insiders said — they’ll just focus on less dramatic areas like augmented reality, health and parental controls.

We’ve asked Apple if it can comment, although it typically doesn’t talk about leaks.

It’s not unheard of for Apple or other OS developers to push back major features. The release of iOS 9 focused more on under-the-hood improvements, while macOS has tended to alternate between major upgrades and subtler refinements like this year’s High Sierra. Google mostly focused on behind-the-scenes tweaks with Android Oreo. In all cases, though, they produce mixed reactions. While you’ll certainly see arguments that Apple should get its software house in order, this won’t please those who want Apple to be more aggressive — especially now that it has a brand new iPhone design to work with.

Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Axios

India’s Uber rival Ola expands into Australia

While Uber is distracted with lawsuits and a London ban, its ride-hailing rivals are expanding. First it was China’s Didi arriving in Brazil and Taiwan, and now its Ola’s turn. The Indian company, which shares common investors Softbank and Didi with Uber, is heading to Australia. Ola said it’s started adding private hire vehicle drivers in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth in its first move outside of its native India.

Ola landed on the scene in 2011, and has since snapped up more than 125 million registered users and over 1 million drivers across 110 cities in India. Expansion was on the cards following the firm’s $2 billion funding round in October, which included investment from China’s Tencent and the University of California’s investment arm, among others.

Despite the expansion, Uber and Ola’s primary battleground remains India, where the former counts 450,000 drivers among its ranks. Ola recently announced plans to take on its rival with a fleet of electric vehicles, including cars and auto-rickshaws.

Source: Ola

Snap’s Bitmoji Deluxe adds more avatar personalization options

If you’re an avid user of the Bitmoji keyboard, this is your lucky day. Snap announced Bitmoji Deluxe, which includes hundreds of new customizations for your Bitmoji. These include skin tone options, hair styles, hair colors, facial features, accessories and more.

To ensure your Bitmoji looks as much like you as possible, Snap has added the option to use a selfie to inspire the look of your Bitmoji. Additionally, when you’re deep into customization, a new feature allows you to preview your facial feature selection directly onto your Bitmoji, so you’ll know exactly what the finished product will look like.

If you’re ready to change up your Bitmoji, visit “Settings” in the Bitmoji app and hit “Change Avatar Style.” If you like your Bitmoji the way it is, though, then you don’t have to change a thing.

Source: Snap

Scientists explore using astronaut poop to make space food

Astronauts aboard the ISS drink recycled pee for a reason: we can only bring so much food and water to to space. Imagine how much more we need to take for that year-long journey to Mars. Since bringing more resources means higher costs — the heavier a spacecraft is, the more fuel it needs, after all — scientists are looking to find ways to make self-sustaining vehicles. A team of researchers from Penn State University, for instance, have developed a method to make space food with astronaut poop.

Disgusting? Well, the team’s technique doesn’t exactly turn the feces itself into food. Instead, it uses microbes to break down solid and liquid human waste with anaerobic digestion, a process that doesn’t consume precious oxygen, similar to what happens inside our stomach when we eat. During digestion, the fecal material produces methane, which is then fed to bacteria (Methylococcus capsulatus) naturally found in soil and already used to make animal pellets using a microbial reactor.

When the researchers tested their technique using artificial poop, the end result was biomass that’s 52 percent protein and 36 percent fats. That’s what future spacefarers would eat — and what Mark Watney probably would’ve used as dip for his potatoes if he just had the equipment. Team leader and Penn State professor Christopher House admits that “[i]t’s a little strange,” but it’s like “Marmite or Vegemite where you’re eating a smear of ‘microbial goo.’” We’ll bet space-poop goo is also an acquired taste.

In addition to being packed with nutrients, the goo is also relatively fast to make: researchers said they managed to remove 49 to 59 percent of the solids in the waste material within 13 hours during their tests. That’s much faster than current waste management treatment methods, and as House said, it’s “faster than growing tomatoes or potatoes.”

The researchers also found potential food sources other than Methylococcus capsulatus during their tests. When they tried growing microbes in either an alkaline or a high-heat environment to prevent the growth of pathogens, they discovered that a bacterium called Halomonas desiderata (15 percent protein and 7 percent fats) can thrive in the harsh conditions. Another species of bacteria called Thermus aquaticus can live in environments reaching 158 degrees Fahrenheit, as well. With a nutritional value that’s 61 percent protein and 16 percent fats, it’s yet another possible source of microbial goo grub for future astronauts.

Source: PennState, ScienceAlert

Nuro’s self-driving vehicle carries packages, not passengers

As Toyota proved by winning Engadget’s Best of CES 2018 award for its e-Palette, robotic cars that can deliver things other than humans are coming at us fast. A new startup called Nuro is capitalizing on that idea, but taking a different angle with its self-driving electric van. Rather than carrying things over long distances, the narrow, lightweight vehicles are designed to carry packages, and only packages, on “the last mile” to buyers.

The Nuro vehicles are around the same size as a normal crossover vehicle, but only 3.5 feet wide and just 1,500 pounds, with a 250 pound maximum payload. There’s a “windshield” so as not to alarm other drivers, but only space for food, boxes and other things — not drivers. The interior can be customized for dry-cleaners, florists and other types of businesses. On top is a typical self-driving sensor array with LiDAR, cameras and radar that can guide the vehicle through traffic to its destination.

Nuro seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was started by two former engineers from Google’s Waymo self-driving division, Robert Ferguson and Ziajun Zhu. The company has already rounded up $92 million in capital and some of the Bay Area’s best engineers.

The fact that Nuro’s cars are relatively slow, take up little lane space, and carry no passengers gives the company a competitive leg-up, its founders believe. “For us, there are just some things we don’t need to worry about [like passengers],” Ferguson told Bloomberg. “Most of these things sort of drive like my grandma.”

Nuro’s system is pretty unique, but it has some formidable competition. Automakers like Ford and GM are working on their own self-driving cars for passengers and delivery, and a firm called Starship Technologies is experimenting with sidewalk robotic deliveries. On the same day Nuro launched, another startup called Udelv did the first demonstration of its own delivery vehicle, carrying groceries from a Silicon Valley store to a pair of customers, the Financial Times reports.

Nuro has a permit from the California DMV to test its technology, but still needs a US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) signoff. Once it has that, it will test its technology using six self-driving cars, then apply what it’s learned to the prototype vehicles.

Indian iPhone Users Discuss Apple’s Poor Services Performance: ‘Apple Maps is a Joke’

Apple’s ongoing struggles in India have been highlighted this week in a report by CNBC, which interviewed locals to ask about their experiences with the cost of Apple devices and the company’s services. Indian users were favorable of Apple Music over rival services — thanks to an improved catalog and affordable subscription price — but Apple Maps and Siri received much lower marks.

Echoing some complaints about the two services heard in other countries, including from United States users, Indian customers said that Apple Maps has sparse data for a number of cities and towns, misses landmarks, and lacks basic turn-by-turn directions. One user in Bangalore, Mihir Sharma, summed it up by stating, “Apple Maps is a joke in India.”

Other mapping complaints in India included the lack of similar navigation features within CarPlay. CNBC’s report on the topic comes nearly two years after Apple announced the opening of a new Hyderabad-based development center focused on improving Apple Maps in India.

Otherwise, many of the issues users had with Apple in the country focused on Siri, which is said to not understand “many words of Indian origination” and “often struggles” to make sense and correctly respond to Indian accents. Apple added Hindi dictation in iOS 11 last fall, including support for 11 local languages, but those locals asked said it still “isn’t good enough.” Rival AI assistants from Google and Amazon are both reported as performing better in India.

The poor performance of Apple’s services in India carries into the low sale volumes of its hardware, and analyst Faisal Kawoosa explained that the “Apple ecosystem isn’t aligned much to the usage and value of Indian users.” Data gathered by research firm Counterpoint said that Apple represented a total of 2.5 percent of India’s smartphone market as of the quarter that ended in December 2017.

“There is no denial that Apple ecosystem isn’t aligned much to the usage and value of Indian users. So, the services offered don’t have flavors that would entice the Indian users,” Faisal Kawoosa, an analyst with research firm CMR India said. “At the same time, the typical segment buying Apple products isn’t that typical Indian user. But, no brand can afford to underserve a segment — big or small,” he added.

In addition to the issues with Apple services, iPhones are more expensive in India due to the country’s charge on imported electronics, further lowering sales volume in the country. Apple has begun to manufacture the iPhone SE locally in India to sell it cheaper, as well as allow retailers to reduce the price of older iPhones, but all other models remain expensive. The cheapest iPhone 8 costs Rs 66,120 ($1,040) and the cheapest iPhone X costs Rs 92,430 ($1,450).

Even as Apple attempted to gain market share with older and cheaper iPhone models, the company increased the prices of most of its newer iPhones sold in India following the Indian government’s decision to raise taxes on imported smartphones. In the wake of this, Apple appointed Michel Coulomb as lead of sales operations in India, with the aim to help Apple in its attempts to gain a bigger share of the country’s smartphone market and boost local manufacturing.

During Apple’s Q4 2017 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook likened the company’s current struggle in India to “the many years” it put into fostering growth in China. Cook said it’ll take time to see India meet up with China in this regard, and will come with building stores, building the developer ecosystem, and more. He finished by stating, “I feel like we’re making good progress there and are gaining understanding of the market. But we still have a long way to go, which I sort of see as an opportunity, instead of a problem.”

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Mercedes’ EV future will rely on factories in three continents

Last year Mercedes-Benz announced electric versions of all its models by 2022, and now it’s detailed how it intends to reach that goal. The auto-maker has unveiled plans to pump 11 billion Euros ($13.6 billion) into building EVs at six factories on three continents and a global battery production network.

Going beyond concepts, the first all-electric car from its EQ sub-brand (the EQC SUV) will jump off the production line in Bramen, Germany, in 2019, followed by more EQ models from its plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The global battery production network will support Mercedes’ grand ambitions, and currently comprises five battery factories on three continents.

We’ve seen other manufacturers spout similar EV deadlines, but laying down production plans (for both a battery supply chain and the cars themselves) suggests Mercedes means business. But, there is one small hitch: It seems the auto-maker’s plants are for battery packs, not cells, which they get from suppliers (as pointed out by Electrek).

Via: Electrek

Source: Daimler

Mazda says future gasoline engine as clean as an EV, well to wheels

Mazda is already working on the successor to its efficient Skyactiv-X motors, and thinks it could make cars as clean as EVs, if you take into account CO2 from electricity production. The automaker believes it can increase the efficiency of the Skyactiv-3 to 56 percent, close to the maximum theoretical thermal efficiency of an “Otto” cycle gas engine, Mazda’s Mitsuo Hitomi told Automotive News. If it can achieve that mark, it would reduce CO2 pollution by a quarter, making Skyactiv-3 motors as efficient as EVs on a well-to-wheels basis.

As a reminder, the Skyactiv-X motor combines the fuel-efficiency of diesel motors with gasoline’s lower pollution levels. It compresses the gasoline-air mixture much more than a regular motor, and then ignites it with “spark controlled compression ignition (SCCI)” tech. That allows more of the gases to be burned, providing 30 percent more power to the wheels for the same amount fuel.

Hitomi didn’t provide any details about how it can possibly build such a high-efficiency motor, and 56 percent thermal efficiency sounds like a nearly impossible mark. Also, his EV comparison claims don’t stand up in nations like France, which gets 90 percent of its power from non-CO2 sources.

Furthermore, Mazda’s Skyactiv-X motors aren’t due on the market until 2019, so the new Skyactive-3 tech won’t likely be coming until the early to mid 2020s. By the time it arrives, the mix of power plants will favor renewable energy to a higher degree, and EVs are bound to have much better range and lower prices.

Nevertheless, gasoline engines are still going to be around for a long time, and Mazda is one of the few automakers trying to improve them. If it manages to get to just half its goal, the Skyactiv-3 engines will still be far and away the most efficient available.

Source: Automotive News