Hulu won’t adapt horror comic ‘Locke & Key’ after all

The second attempt to turn Joe Hill’s comic Locke & Key into a television series has foundered after Hulu opted not to pick it up as a series. According to Deadline Hollywood, the streaming service produced a pilot, had staffed a writer’s room and had even built sets. But, the show was victim to a management shift at the company, with a new content head and CEO coming in after the pilot was greenlit.

It may just be that executive egos may have caused the series to fail, or it could mark a new strategy in the way Hulu runs itself. The report claims that the platform is working to simply order shows straight to series, only paying for pilot episodes in specific circumstances. As for Locke & Key, which was previously adapted back in 2010 for Fox and similarly foundered, the new version is being “shopped around.”

The hope is that an Amazon, Netflix or even Apple will take a chance on the show given how far along the proceedings already are. Unfortunately, as yet no broadcaster has decided to open their heart (and wallet) to give Locke & Key a home. Until then, it’s probably worth checking out Audible’s full-cast audio version which starred Tatiana Maslany, Haley Joel Osment and Hill himself.

Source: Deadline Hollywood

Lincoln attempts to reinvent itself again with the Aviator SUV

Lincoln has unveiled its newest vehicle, and with it, a glimpse into the company’s future. The three-row Aviator is a clear improvement on the company’s last attempt to reinvent its line-up, with the MKT. The model boasts lean, tapered lines, for a start, and a roomy interior with Perfect Position seats and elegant furnishings.

While specs such as exact engine details and dimensions are yet to be confirmed, we do know it’ll feature a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine with a plug-in hybrid option. It’s safe to say its transmission will be the company’s 10-speed automatic, and the company has hinted at it being rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Tech-wise, the Aviator uses a feature imaginatively titled “Phone as a Key”, which is exactly what it sounds like. You’ll be able to use your phone to lock and unlock the vehicle, open the trunk and start the engine, all without a keyfob (there’s a backup passcode function in the event of a dead battery).

The car also boasts Suspension Preview Technology to adjust to changing road surfaces, the latest version of Sync, wireless phone charging and a bunch of active safety features in the form of Lincoln Co-Pilot360. There’s no word on price, either, although Lincoln is billing the Aviator as a luxury SUV designed for millennials starting families. A production model is slated to go on sale next year.

Via: Autoblog

Source: Lincoln

Apple Maps Now Supports Transit in St. Louis and Virginia Areas

Apple Maps transit directions are now available in St. Louis, Missouri and several metropolitan areas in Virginia, including Richmond and the Hampton Roads region of Virginia Beach—Norfolk—Newport News.

By selecting the Transit tab in Apple Maps on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, users can now access MetroBus bus routes and MetroLink train routes in the St. Louis area, GRTC bus routes in the Richmond area, and HRT bus, train, and trolley routes in the Virginia Beach—Norfolk—Newport News area, including arrival and departure times.

Apple Maps has aggressively expanded its transit-supported cities over the past two months to include Tucson, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Orlando, Florida; and Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville in South Carolina.

When the feature launched in 2015, it was initially limited to Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, and around 300 cities in China. Since then, Apple has expanded the feature to dozens of additional cities around the world.

A list of cities with transit support in Apple Maps can be found on the iOS Feature Availability page on Apple’s website, although it has yet to be updated to reflect these latest additions in Missouri and Virginia.

(Thanks, Bernd and Ram!)

Tag: Apple Maps
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Facebook Details Revamped Privacy Tools to Put Users ‘More in Control’ of Their Data

Following revelations that emerged last week about Facebook’s misuse of user data, the company today said it has “heard loud and clear” that it needs to make it easier for users to know how to control their own privacy settings and data. These updates to Facebook mobile and on the web “have been in the works for some time,” according to Facebook chief privacy officer Erin Egan, “but the events of the past several days underscore their importance.”

The first update is found in a redesigned settings menu on mobile devices, so instead of settings that are spread across “nearly 20 different screens,” they’re all in one place. This area is also now cleaned up so outdated menus are gone and it’s more clear what user information can and can’t be shared with apps.

The old settings menu (left) and new settings menu (right)
A new Privacy Shortcuts menu launches users into an area where they can look at information regarding privacy, security, and ads “in just a few taps.” This menu is also now clearer, has more visuals, and provides simple explanations for how each control option works. Below you’ll find a breakdown of everything you can do when jumping into Privacy Shortcuts:

Make your account more secure: You can add more layers of protection to your account, like two-factor authentication. If you turn this on and someone tries to log into your account from a device we don’t recognize, you’ll be asked to confirm whether it was you.

Control your personal information: You can review what you’ve shared and delete it if you want to. This includes posts you’ve shared or reacted to, friend requests you’ve sent, and things you’ve searched for on Facebook.

Control the ads you see: You can manage the information we use to show you ads. Ad preferences explains how ads work and the options you have.

Manage who sees your posts and profile information: You own what you share on Facebook, and you can manage things like who sees your posts and the information you choose to include on your profile.

In a new area called Access Your Information, users can access and manage data — like posts, timeline memories, items on a profile, reactions, comments, and items searched for — so that it can be easily deleted. Facebook said it’s also making it easier to download the data shared on the site. Users can download a secure copy of photos uploaded, contacts, timeline posts, and more, “and even move it to another service.”

Next, the company said that it plans to update its terms of service with the inclusion of “commitments to people,” as well as update its data policy to “better spell out” what data is collected and how it’s used. In total, Facebook said that all of these updates are about transparency, and “not about gaining new rights to collect, use, or share data.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook this past weekend described the Facebook scandal as “dire,” calling for stronger privacy regulations in the wake of news that data firm Cambridge Analytica amassed data on 50 million Facebook users without their consent and targeted messages to voters during the 2016 presidential election. Facebook has now delayed the launch of its own entry into the smart speaker market, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify in front of Congress on privacy in the coming weeks.

Tag: Facebook
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Google Acquires Tenor for ‘More Effective’ GIF Searches in Google Images and Gboard

Google this week announced that it has acquired popular GIF search platform Tenor for an undisclosed sum. In the announcement post, Google said that web and mobile searches have “evolved” over the years and Google Image searches pertaining to GIFs have seen an increased amount of traffic — “we see millions of searches for GIFs every day.”

Following a recent update to the iOS and Android Google app that introduced more context around images, Google said it will now “bring GIFs more closely into the fold” through the Tenor acquisition. No specifics have been given yet, but the company said that Tenor will help Google surface GIFs “more effectively” in Google Images and, particularly, in the mobile Gboard app.

We’ve continued to evolve Google Images to meet both of these needs, and today we’re bringing GIFs more closely into the fold by acquiring Tenor, a GIF platform for Android, iOS and desktop.

With their deep library of content, Tenor surfaces the right GIFs in the moment so you can find the one that matches your mood. Tenor will help us do this more effectively in Google Images as well as other products that use GIFs, like Gboard.

Tenor is available as its own app on a variety of devices, including iOS and macOS, but Google promised that the GIF service will “continue to operate as a separate brand” so these apps won’t be affected by the acquisition. Google will also help Tenor through investing in the service’s technology, as well as in relationships with content and API partners.

Tenor has a long list of brand partners including movie studios, TV networks, video game publishers, and more that it partners with to propagate its service with the latest and most relevant GIFs. The company also fuels the GIF searches of other apps, including Facebook and WhatsApp in certain regions. About a year ago, Tenor rebranded and updated its Mac app to become the first app to place GIFs within the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.

Tags: Google, Gboard, Tenor
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Sony cuts PSVR bundle prices worldwide

Sony has announced that it is knocking a massive chunk from the price of its console-powered VR headsets. The new starting price for PlayStation VR will be $299 in the US, €299 in Europe, £259 in the UK and 34,980 Yen in Japan. That’s down from $399, €399, £349 and 44,980 Yen, respectively, with bundles also falling by a similar figure. For instance, the Doom VFR package that was $400 in the US and $500 CAD in Canada is now $400 and $380 CAD but comes with the same accessories.

The base model will come with the headset and camera, as well as a download code for VR Worlds that will be included in the box. Apparently, those folks in Australia and New Zealand who are also in the market for a Sony headset will have to learn to delay their gratification a little longer. On that side of the globe, the price cuts don’t take effect until April 2nd. Now, Sony hasn’t said that the cuts are permanent, but it certainly looks as if the changes, which are similar to temporary cuts we saw in February, are a forever-type-of-deal.

At the same time, Sony has announced that the WipEout Omega Collection’s PSVR update is rolling out today. The free update will enable the Omega Collection to be played entirely in VR, letting you tun the whole thing from inside the headset. Players will also get three VR-exclusive ships to pilot, as well as a 3D audio soundscape and a new remix of Shake It thrown in for good measure.

VR has yet to be the smash hit its backers need it to be, and one of the biggest obstacles to mass adoption is price. HTC has struggled to get the price of its high-end Vive down to a more affordable level, a problem for several other companies in the space. Oculus, however, is hoping that its $200 Oculus Go headset, that doesn’t require a smartphone or connection to PC, will change things.

Go isn’t even out yet, but a good defensive move on Sony’s part is to make sure that people aren’t holding out for rival hardware. Given the ubiquity of the PS4, it’s a no-brainer that the company would do its best to make PSVR as affordable as possible. Although even after this cut, you’ll still be forking out a pretty penny if you’ve yet to dip a toe into the virtual waters and need to get all the gear.

Source: Sony, (2), (3), (4)

Facebook to Delay Smart Speaker Unveiling Amid User Data Scandal

Facebook has chosen not to unveil its latest smart connected devices at the company’s F8 developer conference in May, in part because of the ongoing data-privacy scandal that has engulfed the social network, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bloomberg reports that Facebook’s new home products, which include a video-capable smart speaker featuring the company’s own digital assistant, are now being held back from public view, pending a deeper review into the devices’ processing of user data. Although the hardware wasn’t expected to launch until the fall, Facebook had planned to preview the devices at its annual developer summit, according to the paper’s sources.

The devices are part of Facebook’s plan to become more intimately involved with users’ everyday social lives, using artificial intelligence — following a path forged by Amazon.com Inc. and its Echo in-home smart speakers. As concerns escalate about Facebook’s collection and use of personal data, now may be the wrong time to ask consumers to trust it with even more information by placing a connected device in their homes. A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment.

In the last few weeks, Facebook has come under increasing scrutiny over its user data practices, after reports emerged that political advertising firm Cambridge Analytica procured information on 50 million social network users without seeking permission.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify in front of Congress on privacy in the coming weeks, but the chief executive has so far refused a British request to appear before a parliamentary committee and answer questions about the social network’s involvement in data misuse.

Tag: Facebook
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Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS: Everything you want at triple the price

You might think that the Huawei P20 Pro is the nicest phone that Huawei announced, but you may change your mind after taking a look at the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS. With its sleek looks, forward-thinking features, and massive price tag, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS is certain to turn a lot of heads.

The big to-do of the P20 Pro is the fact that it has three cameras. Well, guess what? The Mate RS has three cameras, too; the exact same setup in fact. It also has an under-glass fingerprint sensor, the option for 512GB of storage (the first of its kind), and wireless charging — three features that the P20 Pro doesn’t have. In fact, the Mate RS is essentially a P20 Pro, but better.

That sleek Porsche feel

First, let’s talk about the Porsche Design moniker of the device. The Porsche branding is all over the phone, just like on the previous Huawei-Porsche collaboration, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10.

The Porsche Design logo adorns the back, and the words “Porsche Design” are printed not-too-subtly on the front. But hey, just like with fancy cars, you want everyone to know what brand your flaunting, right?

The phone comes in a pretty cherry red and also a more traditional black, both of which were chosen by Porsche’s fussy design team.

The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 got some scathing reviews (including here at Android Authority) mostly because it was simply a Huawei Mate 10 Pro with a little more storage, a new coat of paint, and a crazy-high price tag. Huawei must have taken those reviews to heart, because the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS (which stands for “racing sport,” for whatever reason) is not just a fancy sibling to the Huawei P20 Plus. There are features in this phone that even that new flagship device doesn’t have.

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Huawei P20 and P20 Pro hands-on: Holding nothing back

Editor’s note: We’ll update our Huawei P20 and P20 Pro hands-on and related coverage with more details in the coming hours, so stay tuned!
They say the best revenge is massive success, and Huawei seems poised …

The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 is a comical cash grab

The appearance of any limited edition version of a smartphone usually implies one of three things; it’s geared towards those with more taste— and money— than the mainstream consumer; there’s more to the company’s creative …

That being said, the devices are incredibly similar. The specs are listed in a table below, but the display, processor, camera setup, and battery size are all the same. However, you will notice that the Mate RS doesn’t have the P20 Pro’s notch. And there are some other differences, too.

Better than the P20 Pro?

First up is the under-glass fingerprint sensor, probably the most talked-about new feature appearing in modern smartphones. Up until this device, Vivo was the only company with an under-glass fingerprint sensor phone for sale. But now, this Mate RS joins the fold by giving you the option to use the hardware sensor on the back or the under-glass sensor on the front. You can navigate to the device’s settings to choose which you’d like to use. But keep in mind: a fingerprint that’s set up with the back sensor can’t be used on the front, and vice versa.

Next up, we have the option for a whopping 512GB of built-in storage. The Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS is now the first phone to hit the market with that much storage as an option. You’ll pay a hefty premium for that much storage (more on that in a minute), but the fact that that’s even an option is incredible.

Finally, the phone also features wireless charging. However, we haven’t had a chance to test it out yet, so we’re not sure how effective it is or what kind of charging docks are supported.

Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS specs

Hopefully you’ve been saving up

Now, the bad news: this phone is really, really expensive. Sure, it may not be as much as a new Porsche, but it’s up there. The version with 256GB of storage (the lowest amount the device offers) will set you back €1,695 (~$2,103), and the version with 512GB of storage goes for a whopping €2,095 (~$2,599). That’s a lot of cash to have the most advanced smartphone available today.

If you are like us and can’t afford to blow two months’ rent on a new smartphone, you’re probably pretty sad right now. But hey, today’s superphone is tomorrow’s normal phone. The very fact that a phone exists on the market with three cameras, an under-glass fingerprint sensor, 512GB of storage, and wireless charging, all in one, means that those features are coming soon to a more affordable device.

Want to learn more about the not-so-expensive Huawei P20? Find out more below:

• Huawei P20 Pro hands on: Holding nothing back
• Exclusive: An afternoon with the Huawei P20 Pro camera
• Huawei P20 Pro: World’s first triple camera explained
• Huawei P20 and P20 Pro: Price, availability, and release date
• Huawei P20, P20 Pro, and Porsche Design Mate RS specs: Triple cameras and notched displays
• Huawei P20 color comparison: Buy the twilight one

Nvidia hits the brakes on public autonomous tests after fatal Uber crash

Nvidia is now halting all tests regarding autonomous vehicle driving on public roads. The company formerly tested its driver-free technology in California, New Jersey, Japan, and Germany. But the fatal crash in Arizona involving one of Uber’s self-driving cars pushed Nvidia into re-thinking its strategy. Just one error can be devastating.

“The accident was tragic. It’s a reminder of how difficult self-driving car technology is and that it needs to be approached with extreme caution and the best safety technologies,” a Nvidia spokesperson said. “This tragedy is exactly why we’ve committed ourselves to perfecting this life-saving technology.” 

A driver-free Uber vehicle struck a pedestrian late Sunday night in Tempe, Arizona. Elaine Herzberg, 49, was walking outside of the crosswalk when she was struck by the vehicle. She was rushed off to a hospital but died later from the injuries. Uber has since halted all autonomous vehicle testing on public roads. 

A big chunk of Nvidia’s keynote during its GPU Technology Conference opening focused on autonomous vehicles. Nvidia founder Jen-Hsun Huang admitted that safety is the hardest computing problem. Because so much is at stake, it needs to be addressed “step by step” to prevent future accidents similar to what happened in Tempe and Uber’s vehicle. 

“This is the ultimate deep-learning, A.I. problem,” he said. “We have to manage faults even when we detect them. The bar for functional safety is really, really high. We’ve dedicated our last five to seven years to understanding this system. We are trying to understand this from end to end.” 

He believes that autonomous vehicles will drive better than humans. They will be the staple of society as humans move away from cites due to overcrowding. Humans are also becoming more dependent on Amazon-like services where products are shipped to their doorsteps rather than customers venturing out to the store. Another 1 billion vehicles will come into society over the next 12 years, he predicted. 

For now, until Nvidia understands why the Uber vehicle struck a pedestrian, the company will depend on simulations and private lots to train its autonomous vehicle technology. As for its “fleet” of manually driven data collection vehicles, they will continue to roll across America’s highways. 

One topic discussed during Tuesday’s keynote focused on perception: The ability for the car to understand its surroundings. That includes the perception of space, distance, objects of any shape, scenes, paths, the weather and more totaling 10 “networks.” Nvidia plans to assign ten high-powered DGX-2 systems to each network. 

Huang also introduced the company’s next-generation supercomputer for self-driving cars called Drive Orin. The successor to the current Drive Pegasus model, it combines multiple Pegasus computers into one Orin package, providing more computing power in the same physical space. The company set out to require less power from the battery too, increasing the vehicle’s overall mileage. 

Also during the keynote, Nvidia showcased means for remotely taking control of a real-world autonomous vehicle using a virtual reality headset.  

Editors’ Recommendations

• Video of deadly Uber autonomous car crash raises more questions than it answers
• Google’s Waymo vs. Uber: Everything you need to know
• Toyota halts autonomous car tests on public roads following Uber crash
• Volkswagen enlists Nvidia’s powerful Xavier chip for autonomous cars
• Selfless move? Uber may be selling its self-driving technology to Toyota

Nvidia’s GTC keynote was big on business, but ignored gamers and miners

This morning was the opening keynote of the annual GPU Technology Conference (GTC), Nvidia’s big annual show. CEO Jansen Huang took to the stage and made a number of interesting announcements, including the unveiling of the world’s largest GPU — the GDX-2 — and some impressive deep learning demos powered by Nvidia’s move into AI.

However, two important groups of people were left virtually unmentioned by Huang. Gamers, and cryptocurrency miners.

Both groups have been eagerly awaiting the release of the next generation of graphics cards, specifically the announcement of a GPU made solely for mining cryptocurrency. Miners want more hashing power, while gamers want the skyrocketing prices of GPUs to get back to normal levels. A new generation of GPUs would accomplish both of those tasks.

The future for #GPU #cryptocurrency miners will be laid out this morning at #GTC18. Here’s how to watch the keynote. https://t.co/u13Y2trJFY #bitcoin

— Jake Rossman (@ptownjake) March 27, 2018

Outside of the possibility of interest in the GDX-2 as a powerhouse mining rig, gamers and miners are as in the dark as they were yesterday.

This “GPU crisis,” as it’s been referred to, has been left nearly unaddressed by the company. Of course, for Nvidia, it’s hardly a crisis. It’s given lip-service to the problem, but has no doubt enjoyed the profits of the new use case for its products. The lack of any mention of it at the keynote is a hard pill to swallow.

GTC isn’t a gaming-focused event — I get that. But it also would have been a great time to give even just a hint or tease at what’s to come. There’s lots of rumors and conspiracies floating around the internet, all of which could have been squelched with a mention by Huang from the stage. It also would have shown that they’re aware of how gamers feel, and given them a light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, I’m left to wonder if and when Nvidia will fix the issue.

“The more you buy, the more you save,” Huang repeated over and over throughout the keynote.

For the people Nvidia ignored, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Buy? Buy what? For many, affordable GPUs aren’t even available.