Facebook is just crazy enough to make its own processors

Facebook is forming a team to build its own semiconductors, according to job listings and sources that spoke to Bloomberg. The social media company would be joining other tech titans that have recently invested in building their own chips, from Google poaching an Apple processor designer to reports of Amazon making custom hardware to improve Alexa-equipped devices. And, reportedly, Apple.

According to one Facebook job listing, the company is looking to bring on a manager to create an “end-to-end SoC/ASIC, firmware and driver development organization.” (SoC, or system-on-a-chip, is a processor typically designed for use in mobile devices; ASIC, or application-specific integrated circuit, is a chip designed for a particular purpose.) That role could oversee a team building chips for hardware, AI software or servers, Bloomberg noted. Facebook AI researcher Yann LeCun tweeted about a seemingly different role creating chips for AI, and pointed to another job listing.

By building its own processors, Facebook could be looking to gain some edge in its hardware, whether in the recently-delayed smart speaker it’s been cooking up or the next Oculus headset after the just-released Go. But without knowing more, it’s hard to say where the social media company wants to deploy the chips it designs in-house. When reached, Facebook declined to comment.

Source: Bloomberg

Microsoft’s AI-powered offline translation now runs on any phone

Like many translation apps, Microsoft Translator has only used AI to decipher phrases while you have an internet connection. That’s not much help if you’re on a vacation in a place where mobile data is just a distant memory. Well, you won’t have to sacrifice quality for much longer — Microsoft has released offline language packs for Translator (currently on Android, iOS and Amazon Fire devices) that use AI for translation when you’re offline regardless of your hardware. The move not only provides higher quality translations, but shrinks the size of the language packs by half. If you’re a jetsetter, you might not have to shuffle language packs whenever you visit a new country.

The feature was available on a handful of Android phones with AI chips before, but Microsoft has optimized the algorithms to run on most any modern phone’s processor.

The AI-capable offline packs are available in Translator’s “most popular” languages, with more on the way. Windows device support is also in the cards. This certainly isn’t the first use of offline AI, but it hints at what you can expect down the road. Now that many phones have processing power to spare, you might only need cloud-based AI for the most demanding tasks.

Source: Microsoft, App Store, Google Play, Amazon

Russia’s Telegram ban is causing problems for Twitch

According to multiple reports on Reddit and Twitter, Twitch has been blocked in Russia to some extent. This comes a day after the country’s state communications regulator finally managed to silence the secure messaging app Telegram. To do so, the nation blocked IP addresses owned by Google and Amazon — the latter of which owns Twitch.

In a post on the Twitch subreddit, self-described streamer Angry_Roleplayer claimed that regulators ended up blocking over 20 million IP and IP gates, and the livestreaming service was an unwitting casualty: When they try to stream, they get a ‘2000: Network Error’. The user noted they had to use a VPN and TOR to write a message on Twitch — a workaround that likely re-routes traffic too much to stream.

The Russia-based Team Empire tweeted out its own issues yesterday, but assured followers today that the Twitch blockage stemmed from the country’s efforts to stamp out Telegram.

Twitch won’t be banned in Russia (for now). It’s just consequences of russian government in attempt to block Telegram

They already blocked 10-16M IPs alongside Amazons and Googles. No worries yall have our views

— Team Empire (@team_empire) April 18, 2018

It’s unclear how widespread the Twitch outage is, or whether other AWS and Google services have been affected by the IP blocks. We’ve reached out to Twitchfor comment and will include it when we hear back.

Via: Polygon

Source: Reddit

SpaceX launches NASA’s planet-finding spacecraft TESS

NASA’s new planet-hunting Kepler successor TESS is on its way to orbit. SpaceX has successfully launched the spacecraft after scrubbing its first attempt on Monday to review and analyze its guidance, navigation and control systems. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying TESS took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, and its first stage will attempt to land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” barge in the Atlantic Ocean after its done with its job.

NASA’s TESS spacecraft will remain in an elongated orbit of the Earth, 67,000 miles away at the very least to keep it well outside of the Van Allen radiation belts. While it can keep an eye on an area 400 times greater than Kepler’s field of view, it will focus on finding planets from nearby systems, collecting data on their mass, size, density and orbit. NASA’s goal is to use TESS to look for more rocky, Earth-like habitable worlds in Goldilocks zones, after all, that are relatively close to our own.

Update: SpaceX has also successfully landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship. It’s the company’s 24th successful landing on a barge in the middle of the ocean.

Microsoft’s Chrome extension fights phishing attacks

Due to the dominance of Google’s Chrome browser, even if you’re on Windows you’re probably not using Microsoft Edge. You can still enjoy some of its technology, however, since Microsoft has plugged its Windows Defender browser protections into Chrome via a just-released extension. It cites third-party testing that claims Microsoft Edge protects against 99 percent of phishing attacks with its constantly updated list of malicious URLs, while Google’s built-in feature manages to stop only 87 percent.

If you’re concerned you might cross an ill-meaning link in an email or message and need some additional peace of mind, then install and enable Microsoft’s extension from the Chrome store. It will get the job done without requiring a browser switch — unless you’re on Chrome OS since users report it doesn’t work there.

Windows Defender Browser Protection for Chrome ? https://t.co/mwAYoQ2hha

— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) April 18, 2018

Source: Chrome Web Store, Microsoft

Apple May Offer Two 6.1-Inch iPhone Models in 2018 With Price Tag as Low as $550

Apple’s upcoming lower-cost 6.1-inch iPhone could be available in two models, one that includes a single SIM and a second that offers dual-SIM dual standby (DSDS) functionality, aka two physical SIM card slots, according to an investor’s note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo believes that the 6.1-inch dual-SIM iPhone could be priced at $650 to $750, while a single SIM model could potentially be less expensive at $550 to $650. Prospective prices for the two OLED iPhones Apple plans to introduce in 2018 were not mentioned in today’s note, but those two devices are expected to be significantly more expensive.

6.1″ LCD iPhone may have model that supports DSDS. If the 6.1″ LCD iPhone comes with DSDS and single-SIM models, we believe it will result in two benefits: (1) more price segments would be created, significantly boosting shipments via the low-price single-SIM model. For instance, if the DSDS model sells for US$650-750, the single-SIM model may sell for US$550-650; and (2) the DSDS model will help increase market share in China and commercial markets.

Kuo has mentioned dual-SIM dual standby functionality in prior notes, where he said at least one of the three new iPhones expected in 2018 would offer the feature. In this note, Kuo clarifies that both the 6.1-inch and 6.5-inch devices will support DSDS, while the 5.8-inch iPhone will not.

Kuo also previously said that Apple will use Intel’s XMM 7560 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X20 modems for faster LTE speeds, and that the DSDS devices will support LTE+LTE connections to allow two SIM cards to be active simultaneously using one set of chips. A dual-SIM feature would make it easier for people to switch carriers when traveling by allowing and Kuo believes it would be highly popular in China.

Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce three iPhones in 2018, the 6.1-inch LCD model outlined here, a 5.8-inch OLED model positioned as a sort of second-generation iPhone X, and a 6.5-inch OLED model that can be thought of as an “iPhone X Plus.”

Kuo believes that mass production on the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will start three to five weeks later than the two OLED models because of the recent decision to add a DSDS model. Apple’s supply chain will see strong growth in 4Q18-2Q19F, says Kuo, with the 6.1-inch iPhone’s low price and DSDS feature to “significantly boost shipment momentum.”

Kuo predicts the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone and the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone will be Apple’s most popular devices next year, with consumers less interested in the 5.8-inch model due to its smaller screen, higher price tag, and lack of DSDS functionality compared to the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone.

The 6.1-inch LCD model in particular could account for 65 to 75 percent of total iPhone shipments from 3Q 2018 to 3Q 2019.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhones
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Amazon has 100 million Prime members

Amazon has just released its annual shareholder letter and it’s major one. For the first time since it launched Prime 13 years ago, the company has revealed how many paid subscribers it has: 100 million globally.

Developing…

Source: Amazon (SEC)

Tips on how to take jaw-dropping monochrome pictures with the Huawei P20 Pro

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Black-and-white photographs have a very distinctive style, and can add a completely different look or considerable visual drama to an everyday scene, as well as help unclutter busy scenes and focus attention. Once you start experimenting with black-and-white photos, it’s easy to get addicted.

The Huawei P20 Pro, along with the Mate 10 Pro, the Huawei P10, and the Huawei P9, have a dedicated monochrome lens in the camera setup. Co-engineered by Leica, it produces glorious, true black-and-white photos. They are the only smartphones to offer this feature, but a black-and-white filter can be added to photos during or after taking them on most other phones.

What can you do with your monochrome pictures to make them look even more striking? We received some great tips from photographer Bobby Anwar on exactly this topic, using the P20 Pro. In particular, he showed us a technique that can make your monochrome shots even more striking, using both visual techniques while taking the shot, as well as some clever editing afterwards.

Anwar demonstrated these tips on the P20 Pro, but if you don’t have this or any other Huawei phone with a monochrome lens, you can achieve similar effects on any other device with an aforementioned filter.

Find your monochrome mode

Before taking black-and-white photos, you need to find the right mode. On the Huawei P20 Pro, open the camera app and swipe left on the mode selector above the shutter release until you find More. Tap this, and look for the Monochrome setting.

On the Apple iPhone, open the camera app and then tap the Filters option in the top right while in portrait orientation. A selection of filters appears above the shutter release. Scroll through them until you reach Mono, which re-creates a monochrome look.

If your phone doesn’t have Live Filters — where the filter effect is shown as you take the photo — try a third-party camera app, such as VSCO, Camera+, or even Instagram’s own camera feature. Alternatively, take the photo in color, and then alter the look using an editing app. We like Snapseed, a Google app, which we’ll also use later on for editing.

Taking your photo

Anwar is a monochrome photo advocate, so he uses a very specific technique for making some of his black=and-white photos look incredible. First, you’ve got to go out and find your subject. We shot a combination of street scenes, landscapes, portraits, and night shots. This technique really works well at night, with stark lighting.

If you’ve lined up your shot against a bright background, reduce the exposure value (EV) a little more, effectively darkening the shot. On the Huawei P20 Pro, this is done by tapping and dragging the little sun icon down, when it appears next to the area on which the camera is focused. On the iPhone, use the same method. On the Pixel 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S9, the EV slider appears at the bottom of the viewfinder.

Don’t worry if your photo looks dark, we’re going to fix that. Additionally, we recommend taking several photos with different EV values. It’s not always certain how the editing will go, and different photos will react differently. Plus, if it doesn’t work out for your shot, you won’t have missed the opportunity for a photo with an automatic exposure value.

To the editing suite

Now it’s time to craft your final image, and to do this you’ll need a photo-editing app. We’re going to explain how it’s done on the Huawei P20 Pro, which includes an excellent photo-editing suite as standard, and with Snapseed, an app available for Android and iOS.

Open the Gallery app on the Huawei P20 Pro and find the photo you’ve just taken. Hit the pencil icon along the bottom of the screen to enter the edit mode, and then choose the filter icon. From here, select the Impact filter. This gives the picture a very specific look, and you may not use it that often outside of creating the effect we’re demonstrating here.

Impact strips the light out even further, but by tweaking the Brightness and the Contrast sliders, it’s possible to adjust the photo in order to bring out incredible detail, while stripping away extraneous shades of gray and white, leaving a stark but effective black-and-white image. The key is to reveal enough detail to keep the image looking good, while balancing the black-and-white colors perfectly. It takes practice to do this, and to find the right shots that work in the first place. Anwar recommends looking for photo opportunities where the background is bright, so objects in front of it turn into silhouettes during the editing process.

The editing doesn’t stop there. Sometimes a photo can be further enhanced by changing Shadows and Highlights, which is done through the same editing platform on the P20 Pro. Once you’re happy with the look, it’s time to crop the image. Remove all the areas you don’t want using the free crop mode, before choosing a more standard format. This way, the photo will be usable in all situations, including as wallpaper on your phone, or for easy printing.

We experimented with this process many times, and managed to produce pictures we really liked that definitely stood out, and were usually more evocative and exciting to look at than the standard monochrome original. You can see examples of the before and after pictures throughout this article.

Editing in Snapseed

Snapseed doesn’t contain the same Impact filter as found in the P20 Pro’s editing app. Instead, we achieved similar results using the Contrast filter found under the Black and White collection. Open Snapseed and choose your photo. Next, tap Tools and find Black and White, then select Contrast. With a swipe upor down you can choose to adjust brightness and contrast, along with grain.

Once you’ve achieved the look you want, exit back to Snapseed’s menu and find Crop. From here, follow the process described above to change the photo’s size. Finally, don’t forget to save the photo using Export, and Save a Copy.

The photos above show the effect you can get with Snapseed.

Android iOS

Have more creative fun with your photos

While Anwar’s technique won’t be suitable for every photo you take, — and it shouldn’t be used on every photo you take — when it’s used effectively, the end result has the potential to be jaw-dropping. The takeaway here is to have fun, experiment, look for new photo opportunities, and play with the amazing cameras most modern flagship phones come with.

We’re huge fans of the Huawei P20 Pro and its fantastic monochrome mode, which undeniably produces the best results in this kind of situation. But no matter the phone in your pocket, go out, enjoy taking photos, and create something exciting.

Yahoo Mail is about to make RSVPing to an event a whole lot easier

Yahoo Mail is only getting better. A few months ago Mail made it a little easier for those that like to shop online to keep track of the latest deals and to keep a tab on their receipts. Now, Yahoo Mail is not only getting a little faster, but it’s also adding a few more features that should make the experience a little smoother.

First, the stability improvements. Yahoo says that it has been able to reduce latencies and improve overall performance for a number of different operations — including checking for new emails, reading messages, and more. Without getting into technicalities, the result is that Yahoo Mail should be faster, and you should get fewer error messages. In fact, Yahoo says that there should be a 10 percent improvement in page load performance.

Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that Yahoo Mail has also added a few new features — which the company says have been highly requested. For starters, Yahoo Mail now offers Photo Themes, which basically allow you to personalize your inbox’s theme with a new selection of custom-designed themes. These themes are in line with Yahoo’s recent redesign, which emphasizes vibrant colors and a simple look — and the custom photo themes should help make things even more customizable.

Next up are RSVP cards, which allow you to see calendar details and RSVP directly to events straight from an email. In other words, you will be able to accept or reject going to an event without hassle — simply hit the appropriate button to tell the event organizer whether you’re going or not.

Last but not least, you will be able to use much richer formatting for automatic responses. Now, if you’re going on vacation and need to set up an automatic response, you will be able to add things like GIFs or custom stationary to the email — making for a much more personalized response.

In general, these new features should help make Yahoo Mail stand out from the rest — which might be important for the company. It’s one of the few consumer-facing Yahoo products that are still widely used and it is features like this that could ensure that continues to happen.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Yahoo Mail makes it easier for online shoppers to find the best deals
• Yahoo Mail’s latest feature makes it easy to keep up with the Winter Olympics
• SwiftKey’s latest update includes a new toolbar and stickers
• Gmail to get much-needed visual updates and advanced security features
• Google’s Files Go app finally gets a search bar, Google Photos integration

Amazon’s Internet is a new lightweight browser app for emerging markets

Mobile users in developing nations with slower internet connections don’t need to download Chrome or go onto Safari — instead, they can simply get on Internet. The aptly named app is the latest product to emerge from Amazon, and it’s an Android web browser meant specifically for emerging markets. On Google Play, the full name of the app is “Internet: Fast, lite and private,” and it promises to be “lighter than the competition.”

Currently, it’s available exclusively in India, and requires devices to be running Android 5.0 or later. Like many other “lite” apps (think Facebook Lite, YouTube Go, and others), Internet takes up very little space — less than 2MB. Compare that to Chrome, which takes up 21MB of space, or Firefox, which requires 19.9MB, according to a report from appFigures. The extremely pared down nature of the app gives users plenty of extra space to complete downloads, which might otherwise be costly and extremely time consuming.

Moreover, Internet claims to be private, which means that it doesn’t request additional permissions while you’re browsing, nor does it collect data like many other browsers do. Additionally, Internet allows users to open Private tabs, even further indicating its focus on user privacy (a good move, considering recent developments regarding Facebook and Cambridge Analytica).

While it’s no surprise that Amazon is offering a lighter version of a browser, it is rather curious that it opted to create a brand new browser instead of adapting its existing Silk browser to data-strapped markets. That said, Amazon has been extremely quiet about the launch of the app, so it could be the case that there is more to come in the near future.

It also remains to be seen whether Amazon will expand Internet to markets outside of India — as it stands, the browser is highly targeted to its audience. For example, the homepage not only shows general headlines, but also news about cricket, which is especially popular in the southeast Asian nation.

Amazon has not commented on reports of the new app, and will likely be staying mum on the subject awhile longer. All the same, we’ll update you as we learn more about what to expect from Internet moving forward.