Kodak slaps its name on a sketchy bitcoin-mining business

Kodak’s attempt to ride the cryptocurrency wave isn’t limited to offering its own virtual coins. CES attendees have learned that Kodak has attached its name to a Spotlite-run bitcoin-mining business that will lease you a Kodak KashMiner computer for a two-year contract. It’ll cost you $3,400 plus half of the value the machines earn, but Spotlite argues that it’s effectively a license to print money. If you believe the company’s math, you’d be paid $375 per month if bitcoin maintains an average price of $14,000. However, there’s just one problem: The math ignores the very nature of how bitcoin works.

Bitcoin becomes progressively more difficult to mine over time, reducing the amount of coins a computer can generate without upgrades. Kodak and Spotlite, however, pretend this mounting difficulty doesn’t exist: They incorrectly assume that you’ll generate the same amounts forever. Economics Professor Saifedean Ammous noted to BuzzFeed that the price would actually need to hover around $28,000 to offset the increased challenge — in other words, you’re unlikely to come anywhere close to the promised earnings.

Kodak has so far declined to comment on the calculations behind the claims. However, the dodgy math casts doubt on not only the bitcoin-mining strategy but also its own KodakCoin currency, launching later in January. The two launches suggest that Kodak is treating cryptocurrency as a short-term revenue boost to shore up its struggling finances rather than a sustainable, trustworthy business. And that’s a big problem for both investors and KashMiner customers, as they may be expecting returns that might never materialize.

Here’s a photo of Kodak’s magic money making machine. pic.twitter.com/wjWeJqMUBF

— Chris Hoffman (@chrisbhoffman) Jan. 9th, 2018

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

Via: Gizmodo

Source: BuzzFeed, Business Insider

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo is almost ready for powered tests

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo might be best known for its horrific crash in 2014, which killed one of its pilots, but the company has slowly been coming back from that setback. Now, the company announced that the reusable craft, called the VSS Unity, has successfully completed its eleventh glide test. The company used used water as a ballast to replicate the conditions of a rocket-powered flight.

It’s still not clear when Virgin Galactic will conduct powered tests, but it seems to be close. Initial projections estimated that the craft would need between eight and 15 glide tests before the company was ready to progress to the next stage. The company has also been tight lipped on when commercial operations would begin, but it already has customers lined up. The Italian Space Agency has signed up to do suborbital science research on an upcoming SpaceShipTwo flight. Just how soon that will happen, however, is unclear.

Source: Twitter

Sony’s plan for Xperia phones in 2018 includes dual cameras

It took Sony until 2018 to finally add fingerprint sensors to its Xperia phones, which is beyond fashionably late to the party. Now that that overdue feature is (thankfully) out of the way, the company needs to focus on how else it can catch up to its competitors. We chatted with Don Mesa, Sony Mobile’s vice president of marketing for North America, to see what’s coming next and why it took the company so long to get here. Oh, and we got a closer look at the latest version of the quirky Xperia Ear Open Style concept wireless earbuds too. Check out the video to see it all.

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

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 a range of 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 currently 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 lets 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 more clear: 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 importantly) 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

Former Apple Intern Looks Back at Designing First Apple Emoji in 2008

Back in 2008, Angela Guzman was a graphic design student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and an intern at Apple, where she joined the iPhone team and worked alongside another Apple designer, Raymond, to come up with the first 500 emoji characters that were available on the iPhone.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her internship, Guzman has taken a look back at her time at Apple and her work on emoji in an interesting retrospective shared on Medium.

Image via Angela Guzman
When Guzman was handed the emoji project at Apple, it came at a time when emoji were unfamiliar in the English speaking world. Guzman received a crash course in Apple design and then started designing emoji, which featured incredible detail even right from the start. Then Apple CEO Steve Jobs reviewed each batch of emoji before it was approved for launch.

Regardless of how fast I could crank one out, I constantly checked the details: the direction of the woodgrain, how freckles appeared on apples and eggplants, how leaf veins ran on a hibiscus, how leather was stitched on a football, the details were neverending. I tried really hard to capture all this in every pixel, zooming in and zooming out, because every detail mattered.

Some emoji, says Guzman, have interesting back stories. The happy poop swirl, for example, was reused as the top of the ice cream cone. Harder, more detailed emoji were left last, such as the now-iconic dancer with the red dress.

Guzman’s emoji were first launched in Japan in November of 2008, and in the time since then, emoji have changed the way we communicate. Emoji have become an important part of the iOS and macOS ecosystem, and Apple has continued refining and improving its emoji offerings with each Unicode update.

As with the first Apple emoji designed by Guzman and her partner Raymond, emoji today feature incredible detail thanks to the talented artists at Apple who take the time to make sure each and every pixel is perfect.

iOS 11.1 was the last iOS update that introduced new emoji, bringing Unicode 10 characters like crazy face, pie, pretzel, t-rex, vampire, exploding head, face vomiting, shushing face, love you gesture, brain, scarf, zebra, giraffe, fortune cookie, pie, hedgehog, and more.

The next emoji update will come with the release of Unicode 11 in 2018, and emoji proposals for that update include smiling face with three hearts, blue face with icicles, smiling face with cape, mango, cupcake, kangaroo, llama, peacock, and red hair options for existing emoji.

Tag: emoji
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