Samsung phones will have functioning FM chips from now on

Samsung is the latest company to team up with NextRadio to bring FM service to its new phones. The company will unlock FM chips in all its upcoming smartphones in the US and Canada. The bulk of smartphones around the world are manufactured with an FM chip, but hardware makers often do not unlock them.

Radio might seem outdated, but it has its uses. First of all, it’s free. Additionally, the NextRadio app, which connects to local FM stations, uses significantly fewer resources than traditional streaming services — to the tune of 20 percent less data and three times less battery. And finally, in an emergency, FM radio is much more reliable to send and receive information than other services.

Samsung isn’t the first company to unlock FM chips on its smartphones. LG partnered with NextRadio back in August, and Sprint did it back in 2013. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asked Apple to activate onboard FM chips in iPhones, given the devastation from last year’s hurricane season, but Apple has since clarified its most recent iPhones don’t even have FM capability.

Update: This article was updated for clarification.

Via: The Verge

Source: PR Newswire

Uber will pay New York drivers $3 million in class-action settlement

It’s hard to keep track of all of the lawsuits Uber’s juggling these days, but there’s about to be one less. The company has settled a suit brought against it by 2,421 New York drivers who claimed Uber paid them less than was contractually obligated and falsely advertised how much drivers could make by working for the company. Uber will pay $3 million as per the settlement agreement while the drivers will agree to being classified as independent contractors — a stipulation of two other settlements Uber has made with drivers in the past.

The New York case was brought against Uber in 2015 and last year, Uber admitted to underpaying New York drivers for years. Uber said it would pay what was owed to each of the affected drivers — an average of $900 to each of the tens of thousands of drivers that were shortchanged.

Uber denied all wrongdoing in the settlement, which still has to be approved by the judge hearing the case.

Via: CNET

Sennheiser packed its Ambeo 3D audio tech in a soundbar

Sennheiser has been touting the merits of its Ambeo 3D audio for a few years now at CES, but in 2018, the company plans to make that spacial soundscape more accessible. The first speaker product to feature the tech will be the Ambeo 3D Soundbar and the company is showing it off here in Vegas. Sennheiser has been working on 3D audio since 2010, when it was recording classical performances in 9.1 surround sound. Until now, you needed a 9.1 speaker setup to really appreciate that level of detail, but later this year, all you’ll need is a soundbar.

The device Sennheiser is showing off at CES this year is a prototype, but the company says the audio is final. The Ambeo 3D Soundbar packs 13 speakers total with nine across the front, two angled out from the sides and two angled on the top. While there will be a subwoofer option, you really don’t need it because the soundbar has a low-end range of 30Hz — and it’s pretty damn impressive coming from a device like this. Usually you need a separate sub to complement a soundbar for a solid dose of bass. In terms of connectivity, the company says the device will have a trio of HDMI inputs, one HDMI output and inputs for both analog and optical. It’s also fully wireless with Bluetooth and WiFi, and there will be voice control onboard. The prototype was also quite large, especially when compared to other soundbars, thanks to its 4-inch speakers. Chances are the final version will be pretty large as well. Not a deal breaker, but it’s certainly something to consider.

Of course, not everyone has access to 3D audio recordings, but that won’t be a huge issue for a few reasons. One of those is that the soundbar is compatible with Dolby Atmos, so there’s a library of compatible content you can tap into there. Sennheiser says it will also upscale, or as the company calls it, “upmix,” non-3D audio to sound better on the speaker. As you might expect, it won’t sound as good as a recording captured in true 9.1, but it beats having to re-buy your music collection. The company says it is working with music labels on content and other audio companies are enlisting its help for 3D audio capture at live sporting events and more. You can also opt to use the Ambeo soundbar in normal stereo mode as well, in which case you won’t have to worry about any tweaks. I didn’t get a demo of that mode though, so I can’t speak to whether or not it’s equally as stunning.

Sennheiser’s Ambeo 3D microphone

During a 15-minute demo, I heard audio samples ranging from a Mad Max clip to a performance from Imogen Heap captured in true 9.1. I’m not going to mince words here: To say this thing is impressive is an understatement. I’ve heard Ambeo recordings before, so I know the level of detail and clarity they offer, but to put all of that inside a soundbar is a feat. This piece of gear takes spatial audio like Dolby Atmos to a whole other level, and it’s miles above what Sony and others offer as part of their home theater lineup. I have a Sonos Playbar and sub in my living room, and this Sennheiser speaker blows that out of the water, too.

Perhaps the most impressive audio sample during the demo came from a German Bundesliga soccer match. During the clip, you could hear the roar of the crowd change as the players moved from end to end. It very much sounded like I was sitting inside Niedersachsenstadion watching Hanover 96 in person. The music stuff is great, but as a sports fan, this might be more exciting. Of course, the effectiveness relies on a 3D audio capture, but Sennheiser says a number of broadcasters have already started doing so. And thanks to MPEG-H support, you can focus in on the home-supporters section, decrease the volume of the commentary or apply other tweaks to the audio stream to enhance the viewing experience.

During that same demo, Sennheiser switched back and forth between the Ambeo soundbar and a true 9.1 setup. While you could notice the difference, there wasn’t a huge change when flipping from one to the other. Again, it’s another piece of engineering skill on display when a massive surround sound setup is packed in a single speaker and the difference isn’t night and day. The company says the unit on display here isn’t the final design, but it has the audio dialed in. And that’s great news considering how impressive what I heard was.

As is the case with a lot of things announced at CES, Sennheiser isn’t talking price or availability yet. However, it did tell me that this isn’t some far-in-the-future concept; it plans to bring the device to market this year. The company shied away from divulging a ballpark price tag, it did say that you can expect to pay more than you would for a soundbar from the like of Sony or LG. That’s not a huge surprise based on the audio prowess on display here. Sennheiser caters to audiophiles and everyday users alike with its range of headphone options, so let’s hope it appeals to both with the price tag on this soundbar.

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

Electrameccanica’s Solo is a single-seat EV commuter car

If you’re looking for an electric vehicle but don’t need the extra seats (or long delivery times) that a full-sized Tesla Model 3 demands, you could always take a shot with the Solo. This electric vehicle from Canadian startup ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp, boasts a 100 mile range and a $15,500 price tag.

The Solo is designed specifically for the urban commuting crowd. In addition to the 100-mile range, the Solo cna hit 85 MPH, making it legal to drive on highways. What’s more, since its fully-electric, the car qualifies for HOV lane access in number of states.

The lithium ion battery pack requires a 6-hour charge on 110V to hit full capacity — half that with 220V. It’s modest interior offers basic amenities like a heated seat and radio, though it does boast a surprising amount of cargo space with a storage nook behind the driver and a carry-on luggage size compartment in the vehicle’s front boot.

ElectraMeccanica is asking $15,500 for the Solo, though qualifying state tax credits can drop the MSRP by up to $5,000. Interested buyers can put down a refundable $250 deposit and the company expects to begin shipping Solos out to those reservations by the end of 2018.

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

Samsung talks PC strategy and its vision for a connected world at CES

This week, Samsung showed off everything from new laptops to a massive microLED wall to a chattier kind of refrigerator. The message couldn’t be any clearer: Samsung would like nothing more than to be the center of your digital world. To dig deeper into this week’s big news, we invited Shoneel Kolhatkar, Samsung’s senior director for product marketing to our CES stage for some wide-ranging conversation. We touch on Samsung’s new Notebook 9 Pen, the growing role of wearables and (most important) how Samsung plans to weave its products into together in a single intelligent ecosystem.

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

Intel pledges transparency after Spectre, Meltdown vulnerability

The last week or so has seen a lot of activity around Meltdown and Spectre, two CPU flaws in modern chips from the likes of AMD and Intel. Apple, Microsoft and Google have provided interim fixes for their respective hardware, but it will take much more than simple patches (that can cause more harm than good) to truly eradicate the issue. Just a few hours after Intel revealed that there may be more slowdowns from its Meltdown processor fix, the company’s CEO Brian Krzanich has written an open letter to further detail the steps Intel is taking to deal with the issues.

Krzanich promises that by January 15th, 90 percent of Intel CPUs made in the last five years will be updated, with the remaining 10 percent patched by the end of the month. The company will then start working on updates for older chips “as prioritized by (its) customers.”

The Intel CEO also notes that the impact of Meltdown and Spectre patches on performance can vary widely, but that Intel will provide progress reports on the patches its working on. “To accelerate the security of the entire industry, we commit to publicly identify significant security vulnerabilities following rules of responsible disclosure and, further, we commit to working with the industry to share hardware innovations that will accelerate industry-level progress in dealing with side-channel attacks,” wrote Krzanich in his statement. He also committed to help fund academic and independent research into possible security issues in the future.

Via: The Verge

Source: Intel

The Moto Z’s keyboard mod feels like an imperfect blast from the past

Motorola’s first great Android phone had a physical keyboard, and when I stuck Livermorium’s keyboard Moto Mod onto a Moto Z2 Play, waves of nostalgia started washing over me. After I started using the keyboard, though, I suddenly remembered why the smartphone world had moved on from these designs. You’ll be able to pick up one of these Mods for $99 before the winter ends, but it’s going to be a hard sell for anyone who didn’t grow up pounding out texts on actual buttons.

To be clear, the version Livermorium and Lenovo showed off in Vegas isn’t the final version that customers will be able to buy. That’s a very good thing, too. The sliding mechanism in the model I played with didn’t feel all that smooth, and because the combined package is top-heavy, you’re liable to push the phone right off the weak magnets connecting it to the keyboard. And while the buttons are nice and clicky, they don’t offer a particularly satisfying level of key travel. And if you’re the sort who’d like to use a Moto Z as a very, very tiny laptop, you can — just be aware that it’ll tip over unless you get the hinge positioned just right.

The keyboard does have some nice flourishes, though. When closed, the Mod covers the camera entirely. Once you slide it open, however, the camera is revealed, and you can snap some photos by mashing the enter key. A bright-blue LED confirms that the keyboard is connected and drawing power, and next to that is a caps-lock light. A caps-lock light! There are discrete buttons for the question mark and the single quote, too, which actually made me slightly giddy upon discovery.

Livermorium deserves the benefit of the doubt — it may well fix most of the issues I mentioned above before the final units start reaching its Indiegogo backers. For me, the keyboard’s biggest drawback is more fundamental: There’s a limit to how fast you can type on a keyboard this wide with two thumbs. That’s why I was more than happy to give up my OG Droid in 2010, and it wasn’t long before the rest of the industry moved on too from these designs, too. Still, who knows? BlackBerry is also bullish on the idea of physical keyboards, so maybe Livermorium is making something more valuable than we realize.

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

You can’t talk about accessibility without talking about diversity

Over the past few years, we’ve been seeing more and more products at CES meant to assist the elderly and disabled. In fact, last year was the first year we added an accessibility category to the official Best of CES awards — and the finalists in that category were indeed some of our favorite things we saw at the show. This year was no exception, with four finalists in the accessibility category, and a whole bunch of other products that we didn’t have room for on our shortlist.

When and how did accessibility tech come to be so prominent at the world’s biggest consumer tech show? And where is the technology headed from here? To help make sense of the bigger picture, I sat down with KR Liu, who was diagnosed with severe hearing loss at age three and later went on to head up sales and marketing with audio pioneer Doppler Labs. Most recently, she teamed up with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Grassley on the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, which passed with almost unanimous bipartisan support.

In our all-too-brief talk, we delved into the technological advancements, of course, but also the social ones — the issue of accessibility tech ultimately isn’t just a question of what’s technically possible, but about diversity: Who is allowed in the drawing room? And for whom are we creating tech in the first place?

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

OnePlus weighs in on smartphone strategy and the value of trust

OnePlus released two great smartphones in 2017, but the smartphone startup is facing more and better competition than ever before. That’s great for you and me, but much trickier for a startup still trying to carve out a notable niche for itself. What’s a small company to do?

In this case, OnePlus’ answer is to keep making the best products it can and avoid looking at competitors simply as rivals to be crushed over time. Kyle Kiang, head of global marketing for OnePlus, joined us on our CES stage to discuss the team’s strategy for building a successful mobile brand and the difficulties of developing a foundation of trust in through hardware.

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

The challenge of showcasing weed tech at CES

There was, as expected, a thin scent of weed in Roger Volodarsky’s 28th-floor Mirage hotel suite as the Puffco CEO and founder demonstrated his latest product.

It was 11:30 PM the night before CES opened, and seven attendees gathered in the living room overlooking the Vegas strip. A welcoming, tattooed man with a groomed beard and shaved head, Volodarsky was showing off the Puffco Peak, a smart dabbing rig for consuming cannabis concentrates that he’d presented at the Pepcom media event just hours earlier. Away from the mainstream events around CES, he could show how it truly works.

After all, this is the first CES since marijuana was legalized in the state of Nevada last year, and it’s available for purchase all over Las Vegas. The irony is that in Sin City, you are prohibited from consuming cannabis products anywhere but in a private residence, including hotels, parks and even dispensaries.

In practice, vaporized cannabis and edibles are easy to find and easier to consume with little residual smell (there was no hint of weed vapor in the Mirage’s hallway on Monday). But technically, a combination of state law and hotel policy means that Vegas’ visitors — of which there were 42.2 million in 2017 — lack almost anywhere to take advantage of legal cannabis.

It also means that the few cannabusinesses at this year’s CES are also hamstrung in their ability to demonstrate their products, even as there’s a gold rush of demand that led to cannabis startups receiving more than $600 million in equity funding last year. Hence Puffco’s after-hours session at the Mirage.

“We think that if you want to make an omelet you’ve got to crack a few eggs, and so that’s why we did this in here,” said the Brooklyn-based Volodarsky, on using his suite for demos. “For us it’s just the risk we take, and if they want to kick us out for it I’m OK with that.”

In contrast, Vapium, another vape company, presented at CES with a different angle: as a strictly medical company. Located in CES’ smart home section around companies hawking gas sensors and smart pet doors, its booth was a clean green and white with representatives wearing white lab coats.

Under the brand Vapium Medical, the company launched a smart vape that tells you precisely how much THC or CBD you consume with every inhalation. It achieves this by cross-referencing the airflow through the vape and the exact strain and strength of the cannabis capsules inside it. Pinpointing effective dosages of medical cannabis can allow doctors to prescribe it more accurately and monitor a patient’s use, all while creating a database about how certain strains and quantities of marijuana use affect certain medical conditions.

“Even for doctors who are convinced that cannabis is effective, there’s not really good dosing guidelines,” said Barry Fogarty, Vapium Medical’s COO. “Because it’s been a prohibited substance in most places, there hasn’t been the research that there needs to be, and so that’s exactly what we’re trying to plug into.”

Due to release in the second half of 2018, Vapium Medical is presenting the prototype purely as a medical device. “We’ll only sell products in those states where medical cannabis is legal,” said Fogarty.

There would not be any demos at the trade show either. “Especially as a medical company, we will adhere to all of the bylaws,” said CMO Lisa Harun.

For Puffco, the decision to come to Vegas was only made four days in advance.

“We thought, why not show this off at CES? It seems like a place where maybe new eyes that have a respect for great design and strides in industry, maybe they’ll respect us there,” said Volodarsky. “It’s easy to be a marketing company in cannabis. It’s much more difficult to be an innovator. And the risk is high just like in any other side of consumer electronics.”

That risk extends to its off-site presentation. “It is what it is,” said Volodarsky. “This is the unfortunate risk we take as leaders of the industry; it’s what we have to do.”

The showcase ended when Puffco’s spokesman got hungry (“He’s done a few demos,” Voladarsky said) and they headed out for pancakes. Before leaving, Volodarsky grabbed the rig for one more hit.

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