This is what a 50-qubit quantum computer looks like

From afar, it looks like a steampunk chandelier. Or an intricate collection of tubes and wires that culminate in a small steel cylinder at the bottom. It is, in fact, one of the most sophisticated quantum computers ever built. The processor inside has 50 quantum bits, or qubits, that process tasks in a (potentially) revolutionary way. Normally, information is created and stored as a series of ones and zeroes. Qubits can represent both values at the same time (known as superposition), which means a quantum computer can theoretically test the two simultaneously. Add more qubits and this hard-to-believe computational power increases.

Last November, IBM unveiled the world’s first 50-qubit quantum computer. It lives in a laboratory, inside a giant white case, with pumps to keep it cool and some traditional computers to manage the tasks or algorithms being initiated. At CES this year, the company brought the innards — the wires and tubes required to send signals to the chip and keep the system cool — so reporters and attendees could better understand how it works. The biggest challenge, IBM Research Vice President Jeffrey Welser told me, is isolating the chip from unwanted “noise.” This includes electrical, magnetic and thermal noise — just the temperature of the room renders the whole machine useless.

That’s where the pumps would normally come in. From top to bottom, the system gradually cools from four Kelvin — liquid-helium temperatures — to 800 milliKelvin, 100 milliKelvin and, finally, 10 milliKelvin. Inside the canister, that’s 10 millionths of a degree absolute zero. The wires, meanwhile, carry RF-frequency signals down to the chip. These are then mapped onto the qubits, executing whatever program the research team wishes to run. The wiring is also designed in a way to ensure that no extraneous noise — including heat — is transported to the quantum computer chip at the bottom.

Many in the industry have suggested that a 50-qubit system could achieve “quantum supremacy.” The term refers to the moment when a quantum computer is able to outperform a traditional system or accomplish a task otherwise thought impossible. The problem, though, is that quantum computers are only compatible with certain algorithms. They’re well-suited to quantum chemistry, for instance, and material simulations. But it’s unlikely you’ll ever use a quantum computer to complete a PowerPoint presentation. “The world is not classical, it’s quantum, so if you want to simulate it you need a quantum computer,” Welser said.

Researchers have already conducted experiments with quantum computers. Scientists at IBM were able to simulate beryllium hydride (BeH2) on a seven-qubit quantum processor last September, for example. But critics want to see a quantum computer accomplish something more tangible, which is more meaningful for the everyday consumer. That day, unfortunately, could still be a long way off.

“Somewhere between 50 and 100 qubits, we’ll reach the point where we can at least say very clearly, ‘I’ve just simulated a molecule here in a few minutes time that would have taken this giant system five days to do.’ That level we’ll be at fairly rapidly. When it gets to something that the public will understand in terms of an application they would use themselves, I can’t really speculate at this point,” Welser said.

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

The Invi security bracelet repels assailants with a viscous stink

It’s a dangerous world out there but walking around armed with knifes or firearms isn’t always an option for many people. That’s where the Invi self-defense bracelet comes in. Its silver clasp holds a smelly secret that can stop an attacker in their tracks, nonviolently.

To activate the bracelet, the wearer first unlocks a small safety clasp, then yanks hard on the leather strap. Doing so breaks a concealed canister containing the company’s proprietary stink blend. One whiff of that stuff is enough to give most muggers second thoughts — and you enough time to make an escape or at least call for help.

The company was unwilling to unleash one of these stink bombs on the CES 2018 showfloor (for obvious reasons) but described the scent as a mishmash of terrible smells. It doesn’t smell specifically like rotten eggs, feces or decaying corpses, but is specifically formulated to instigate a revulsion response a company rep said. The Invi bracelet comes in two sizes and went on sale today. It retails for around $70 and ships worldwide from the Netherlands.

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

Ad Firms Hit Hard by Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention Feature in Safari

Internet ad firms are losing out on “hundreds of millions of dollars” following the implementation of anti-tracking features introduced to Safari with iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, reports The Guardian.

One of the largest advertising firms, Criteo, announced in December that Intelligent Tracking Prevention could have a 22 percent net negative impact on its 2018 revenue projections. Other advertising firms could see similar losses, according to Dennis Buchheim of the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

“We expect a range of companies are facing similar negative impacts from Apple’s Safari tracking changes. Moreover, we anticipate that Apple will retain ITP and evolve it over time as they see fit,” Buchheim told the Guardian.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention techniques were introduced in iOS 11 and in Safari 11 in macOS High Sierra 10.13, both of which were released back in September. Intelligent Tracking Prevention is designed to stop companies from invasively tracking customer web browsing habits across websites. Intelligent Tracking Prevention does not block ads — it simply prevents websites from being able to track users’ browsing habits without their permission.

Shortly after the launch of the two new operating systems, advertising groups asked Apple to “rethink” its position and its decision to block cross-site tracking, arguing that Apple would “sabotage the economic model for the internet.”

An open letter signed by the Data and Marketing Association and the Network Advertising Initiative said the collective digital advertising community was “deeply concerned” because Apple’s cross-site tracking prevention is “bad for consumer choice.” “Blocking cookies in this manner will drive a wedge between brands and their customers, and it will make advertising more generic and less timely and useful,” read the letter.

In response, Apple defended cross-site tracking and said its customers “have a right to privacy.” From Apple in September:

Ad tracking technology has become so pervasive that it is possible for ad tracking companies to recreate the majority of a person’s web browsing history. This information is collected without permission and is used for ad re-targeting, which is how ads follow people around the Internet. The new Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature detects and eliminates cookies and other data used for this cross-site tracking, which means it helps keep a person’s browsing private.

There was initially an Intelligent Tracking Prevention workaround that companies like Criteo were using following the launch of iOS 11, but as mentioned in Criteo’s announcement, Apple closed that loophole with the introduction of iOS 11.2.

Ad company Criteo says that it is working to circumvent Intelligent Tracking Prevention with an “alternative sustainable solution for the long term” that will align the interests of Apple users, publishers, and advertisers, but it’s unclear whether Apple and its customers will find any cross-site tracking feature to be acceptable.

Apple customers who are running iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra can double check to make sure Intelligent Tracking Prevention is enabled on their devices.

In iOS 11, the toggle to disable cross-site tracking can be accessed by going to Settings –> Safari –> Prevent Cross-Site Tracking. With macOS High Sierra, the feature can be activated by going to the Preferences section of the Safari app, choosing Privacy, and then checking “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking.”

Tags: Safari, privacy
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CES 2018: Hulu Demos New Live TV Guide and Interface Updates

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Hulu is showing off a redesigned user interface that will be coming to the streaming service in the near future, reports TechCrunch.

A main feature in the revamped interface will include a new Live TV guide designed for subscribers of Hulu’s live TV service. The Live TV guide is meant to help Hulu subscribers find something to watch when they’re not seeking out a specific show.

According to TechCrunch, the new Live TV guide will be accessible through a lightning bolt icon in the main navigation bar. Once clicked, it will take users to an interface that resembles a cable-style TV guide with info on live TV that’s currently airing.

In addition to the Live TV guide, Hulu will introduce a “Stop Suggesting” feature that lets you permanently remove shows you don’t want to watch from your Hulu recommendations, and it will allow you to remove items from your Watch History.

Hulu also plans to implement a tool to allow you to manually mark shows as watched, which can be useful when you watch Hulu shows off of the Hulu service, and specific to the Winter Olympics, Hulu will add a dashboard for watching specific sports.

Hulu’s planned interface changes come as the company hits a new milestone – 17 million subscribers. Hulu today announced that it closed its fiscal 2017 year with over 17 million subscribers across its subscription on demand and live TV plans in the United States, an increase of five million subscribers since 2016.

Hulu’s new features will be introduced in the spring of 2018.

Tags: Hulu, CES 2018
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Hands-on: Lenovo Mirage Solo is the first standalone Daydream headset

Google’s official standalone Daydream View VR headset has yet to make its way to consumers. However, the good news is that partners like Lenovo are stepping in to fill that gap. Here at CES 2018, we take a quick look and go hands-on with the Lenovo Mirage Solo and Camera with Daydream!

The Mirage Solo VR headset takes advantage of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor to power Google Daydream. As the “solo” in the name suggests, this headset doesn’t need a phone to be plugged in, and is a completely standalone device. The Mirage Solo uses the same Daydream controller as the official model to control the virtual world around you.

The Mirage Solo is definitely bigger than a regular VR headset, but is still relatively compact when you consider all that it’s packing inside. Unlike Google’s model, most of the pressure is on your forehead when you wear the Mirage Solo, and it remains comfortable enough even when using it for a longer duration.

The Mirage Solo comes with high quality lenses with a 110-degree field of view, which should keep everything nice and sharp while minimizing the screen-door effect. The field of view isn’t as wide as something like the PIMAX VR headset, but it’s pretty respectable for Daydream.

Since the headset utilizes the Snapdragon 835, you are also going to get “six degrees of freedom” to work with, or what Lenovo is calling “WorldSense.” That means you can duck, jump, and peek around corners to really feel like you are immersed in a new world, without needing additional wires.

Along with the standalone VR headset, Lenovo also unveiled the Mirage Camera. This is a stereoscopic camera that can capture 13 MP photos and videos in a wide, 180-degree field of view. The device itself doesn’t have a screen or viewfinder on it, but it’s easy to see what you are capturing via the available app.

Anything you capture can be used with Google Daydream or shared on YouTube and Google Photos. You can also use the device to run a livestream with just a tap of a button. A tripod thread is built into the bottom, so it is obvious that Lenovo wants you to take this with you wherever you go.

So there you have it for this quick look at the Lenovo Mirage Solo and Camera! The Mirage Solo VR headset is priced at $449, while the Mirage Camera will set you back $229. Both devices are expected to be available later this year in Q2 2018.

Stay tuned to Android Authority for more great coverage from CES 2018!

The PowerDolphin underwater drone is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds

If the gadget-loving James Bond of the 1970s ever attended CES in search of a water-based drone, he’d almost certainly be drawn to the PowerDolphin. OK, so he’d probably make a few quips about its unusual name, but he’d almost certainly appreciate its oddly disparate smorgasbord of features — which include (deep breath) capturing 4K photos and video, delivering life preservers and a tow cable to struggling swimming, using sonar to create topographical maps of the ocean floor, and detecting fish from a distance of 131 feet and then releasing bait to snare them. Heck, he could even control it with his phone or a dedicated remote control from shore, all while sipping a dry martini — shaken, not stirred!

“The PowerDolphin is a new lifestyle robot that is not only suitable for water sports, photography, fishing, and other enthusiasts or rescue and scientific researchers, but also provides a new perspective of life to adventurous people,” explained Wally Zheng, the founder and CEO of manufacture PowerVision, in a statement.

In terms of tech spec, the “water robotic boat” comes equipped with a 215-degree dual joint rotation camera that can be used for both out of the water and underwater photography and video. It supports 4K high-definition video at 30 frames per second, which is recorded on an onboard MicroSD card, and can also be streamed to the user at 1080p. The nose-mounted camera can be easily rotated, so you can easily switch between above and below the wave angles. (There’s an onboard headlight to help deal with the murky depths.)

Meanwhile, the PowerSeeker intelligent fish finder aims to help anglers accurately determine fishing spots, the craft can release bait to lure said fish, and it can additionally troll for them using an attached line and lure. If your idea of a perfect day’s fishing is watching from the sand as a robot catches fish for you, the PowerDolphin promises to be your new best friend.

Its creators claim that, fully charged, the device can provide up to two hours of battery life. It also comes with a Return Home feature to lessen the chances of it being inadvertently lost. PowerDolphin is set to begin selling in April with a retail price of $749. Before you know it, you’ll be asking how you ever managed without a “lifestyle robot.”

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Vital Inc.’s new Moto Mod measures five vital signs in a matter of two minutes

Our phones are getting better and better at helping us keep track of our health, but they’re still not as capable as some might want or need. Vital Inc. is here to try and change that. How? With the launch of a fully featured health-tracking Moto Mod, which was just unveiled at CES 2018.

The Mod, which was built in partnership with Lenovo and Motorola, can work with any Moto Z smartphone. It connects to your device through Bluetooth, and once connected you’ll be able to use the Vital app to track heart rate, respiratory rate, Pulse Ox, core body temperature, and even blood pressure — which Vital Inc. claims is an accurate reading. According to the company, performing all five of those readings takes two to three minutes.

Of course, not everyone will even need to have those metrics read, but for those that do this device could be (literally) a life-saver. Sure, it adds some pretty serious extra bulk to your phone, but you won’t need to keep it connected to your phone all the time unless you’re using it, and it should fit nicely in a bag, if you have one.

The measurement of blood pressure has required a lot of development over the past few years. While there was once a time when measuring blood pressure required an arm band, Vital Inc. claims it can achieve an accurate measurement with a finger cuff, coupled with “advanced sensors” and an inflatable bladder.

Technology companies have slowly but surely been moving into health tracking. Apple arguably kicked off that trend with the original Apple Watch, which offered heart rate tracking, and with HealthKit, which gathers and analyzes health data. That data could be used for simply keeping a good record, or for detecting the presence of more dangerous diseases.

Android manufacturers haven’t really caught up to Apple’s HealthKit in terms of scope just yet, but the tracking of more data is certainly a step in the right direction. That’s not to say Android manufacturers don’t track data — plenty of Android Wear watches have heart rate monitoring and other health tracking. But Apple’s HealthKit is largely seen as revolutionary.

Lenovo first launched the Moto Mod ecosystem in 2015 with the release of the original Moto Z. At launch, there were only a handful of Mods — including an external battery Mod, a mobile projector Mod, and a JBL speaker Mod. Since then, we’ve seen the launch of a slew of extra mods — including an Amazon speaker with Alexa and a 360-degree camera.

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Lenovo’s Mirage Solo, two compact 180-degree video capture cameras coming soon

After finally appearing on the Federal Communications Commission’s website in late December, Lenovo’s stand-alone Mirage Solo virtual reality headset made its official debut at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It’s based on Google’s Daydream platform for Android, and provides full-motion VR experiences without the need for external sensors or a tethered PC.

Stand-alone finally arrives in Q2 2018

Lenovo’s Mirage Solo is the first stand-alone VR headset supporting Google’s Daydream platform for Android. Up until now, Android device owners could experience VR content using Google Cardboard and their phones, or they could purchase a “premium” headset to experience Daydream-based content on select phones. Google’s Daydream initiative is similar to Samsung’s Gear VR.

Google revealed during its developer conference in 2017 that stand-alone Daydream devices would arrive by the end of the year. HTC jumped off the Daydream bandwagon to produce a stand-alone headset based on Qualcomm’s reference design in China. Thus, Lenovo is now the only other manufacturer producing a Daydream stand-alone headset for now, but it won’t hit the market until the second quarter.

180-degree captures in your pocket

In addition to Lenovo’s stand-alone VR headset, the company revealed a new compact camera for capturing 180-degree videos and images. Called the Mirage Camera with Daydream, it joins one other camera slated to arrive in the next several months manufactured by YI Technology called the YI Horizon VR180 Camera. LG is also on the list, but doesn’t plan to release a product until later this year.

All three mainstream products will support the new VR180 format. Google introduced the format in June of 2017 as a result of a collaboration between the YouTube and Daydream teams so that anyone — whether they’re a video novice or a professional — can create and upload 3D videos supporting a 180-degree field of view.

“Creators only have to worry about recording what’s in front of them while viewers get an awesome, immersive experience with a VR headset, or a video that looks just as great on a phone as any other video,” said YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki.

The VR180 format stems from a request made by content creators and viewers who simply want to sit and experience video without having to turn a full 360-degrees. Content is easier to create, and the resulting cameras can be pocket-sized because all you need are two lenses. Content can be high-resolution too and work on any device, but the real magic happens inside VR headsets like the upcoming Mirage Solo from Lenovo.

According to Google, the new format is invading professional cameras too. Panasonic is stuffing VR180 format support in its GH5 cameras while the just launched Z Cam K1 Pro already supports this format.

That all said, let’s start the 2018 Daydream rollout with Lenovo’s highly-anticipated stand-alone VR headset!

Lenovo’s Mirage Solo, two compact 180-degree video capture cameras coming soon

After finally appearing on the Federal Communications Commission’s website in late December, Lenovo’s stand-alone Mirage Solo virtual reality headset made its official debut at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It’s based on Google’s Daydream platform for Android, and provides full-motion VR experiences without the need for external sensors or a tethered PC.

Stand-alone finally arrives in Q2 2018

Lenovo’s Mirage Solo is the first stand-alone VR headset supporting Google’s Daydream platform for Android. Up until now, Android device owners could experience VR content using Google Cardboard and their phones, or they could purchase a “premium” headset to experience Daydream-based content on select phones. Google’s Daydream initiative is similar to Samsung’s Gear VR.

Google revealed during its developer conference in 2017 that stand-alone Daydream devices would arrive by the end of the year. HTC jumped off the Daydream bandwagon to produce a stand-alone headset based on Qualcomm’s reference design in China. Thus, Lenovo is now the only other manufacturer producing a Daydream stand-alone headset for now, but it won’t hit the market until the second quarter.

180-degree captures in your pocket

In addition to Lenovo’s stand-alone VR headset, the company revealed a new compact camera for capturing 180-degree videos and images. Called the Mirage Camera with Daydream, it joins one other camera slated to arrive in the next several months manufactured by YI Technology called the YI Horizon VR180 Camera. LG is also on the list, but doesn’t plan to release a product until later this year.

All three mainstream products will support the new VR180 format. Google introduced the format in June of 2017 as a result of a collaboration between the YouTube and Daydream teams so that anyone — whether they’re a video novice or a professional — can create and upload 3D videos supporting a 180-degree field of view.

“Creators only have to worry about recording what’s in front of them while viewers get an awesome, immersive experience with a VR headset, or a video that looks just as great on a phone as any other video,” said YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki.

The VR180 format stems from a request made by content creators and viewers who simply want to sit and experience video without having to turn a full 360-degrees. Content is easier to create, and the resulting cameras can be pocket-sized because all you need are two lenses. Content can be high-resolution too and work on any device, but the real magic happens inside VR headsets like the upcoming Mirage Solo from Lenovo.

According to Google, the new format is invading professional cameras too. Panasonic is stuffing VR180 format support in its GH5 cameras while the just launched Z Cam K1 Pro already supports this format.

That all said, let’s start the 2018 Daydream rollout with Lenovo’s highly-anticipated stand-alone VR headset!

Prototype Insta360 light field camera lets viewers move through the scene

When 360 and 3D video technologies are combined, we tend to call that virtual reality. But there’s a key limitation of current VR cameras: The point of view is fixed in space. What if the viewer could move through the scene, as if controlling the camera in real time? That’s the goal of Insta360’s new “6DOF” light field camera, one of two new cameras unveiled by the company on Tuesday, January 9, at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Looking more like an LED light panel than any traditional video camera, the prototype is actually 128 individual cameras arranged in a grid. Working together, those cameras record information on both the intensity and the direction of incoming light, compiling it all into a single image. This is the same basic idea behind the shoot first, focus later Lytro Illum, but the Insta360 camera uses its multi-perspective data to allow for six degrees of freedom (6DOF) of movement. Viewers can freely change their viewing angle by taking a step closer, back, or to either side. High and low viewing angles are also allowed, and the scene in front of them will have parallax and depth just like a real environment.

It sounds like magic, but there are a couple of limitations. In its current configuration, the camera only produces a 180-degree field of view — not a full 360 — so it’s a not yet true VR. But this is just a prototype, and Insta360 says the technology can easily scale up to 360. However, what may be the higher hurdle is that freedom of movement is limited to 1.5 feet in any direction, enough to let viewers examine an object relatively close to them, but hardly sufficient for a fully immersive experience. Still, it’s an intriguing technology that demonstrates how camera manufacturers may one day completely break through the final barrier to achieving true virtual reality.

Insta360 has said nothing about what such a 6DOF camera might cost, but did mention that information on “products incorporating [its] light field technology” will come at a later date. This leads us to believe the current prototype is likely not to become a marketable product.

The other camera Insta360 showed off today was an eight-lens professional stereoscopic 360 camera. It looks quite a bit similar to the existing Insta360 Pro, a $3,499 8K VR camera. This new model, however, is decidedly higher-end, making use of larger 4/3-inch image sensors for improved dynamic range and reduced noise in low light scenes (this is the same sensor format used by Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras). While details remain scarce, Insta360 says it will be priced “at roughly $12,000.”

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