Airbus flew its Zephyr solar aircraft straight into the record books

Airbus

A solar-powered aircraft built by Airbus recently broke the record for the longest continuous flight.

On its first outing, the unmanned Zephyr S stayed aloft for 25 days, 23 hours, and 57 minutes after taking off from Arizona on July 11.

The achievement smashes the previous record — set by an earlier Zephyr prototype several years ago — by 11 days.

The Zephyr S harnesses the sun’s rays to power motors that drive its two propellers, a system that allows it to operate entirely on solar power. At night, the vehicle relies on power stored by its onboard batteries during daylight hours.

The Airbus creation flies at an altitude of 70,000 feet, way above weather systems and conventional air traffic. “The only civil aircraft that used to fly at this altitude was Concorde, and only the famous military U2 and SR-71 Blackbird could operate at similar levels,” the aerospace giant said in a release.

Sporting a 25-meter (82-foot) wingspan and tipping the scales at just 75 kilos (165 pounds), the flimsy looking aircraft was built at a facility in Farnborough, England.

The ability of the Zephyr S to stay in the sky for such a long period of time — the goal is to keep it aloft for months at a time — has prompted Airbus to describe it as “not quite an aircraft and not quite a satellite,” preferring instead to call it a “pseudo-satellite.”

Indeed, the plan is to offer companies satellite services that are cheaper to launch and maintain than space-based options. The first customer for the aircraft has been confirmed as the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence.

Airbus says its solar-powered aircraft has the potential to provide a wide range of applications, including reconnaissance missions, maritime surveillance, border patrol missions, communications, and also disaster management, helping, for example, to monitor the spread of wildfires or oil spills.

‘Significant milestone’

“This very successful maiden flight represents a new significant milestone in the Zephyr program,” said Jana Rosenmann, head of unmanned aerial systems at Airbus.

Rosenmann added that the team will shortly begin preparations for further Zephyr S flights later this year from its new operating site at the Wyndham airfield in Western Australia. There are also plans to introduce a more powerful Zephyr T aircraft.

Building a machine of this nature is clearly no mean feat. Facebook, for example, recently ended development of a similar vehicle following four years of development. The aim had been to use the solar-powered “Aquila” aircraft to bring internet connectivity to communities in remote parts of the world, but numerous engineering challenges, as well as a crash during a test flight, prompted the company to abandon its program and instead seek partnerships for the project.

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Just when you thought spam was dead, it’s back and worse than ever

(in)Secure is a weekly column that dives into the rapidly escalating topic of cybersecurity.

Emails promising millions of dollars from a Nigerian prince, to malicious attachments, and nefarious links. All of it falls under the banner of spam. An incredible 40 years have passed since the first email spam was sent out over the progenitor of the internet, the ARPANET, but it remains a threat today. In fact, 2018 is becoming the year of spam.

When all else fails, spam

Spam is making a comeback because other attack vectors aren’t working like they used to. Throughout the history of malware, hackers have discovered many methods of attacking end users and businesses, but a new attack is usually met with a response. Methods that were effective a few years ago, like drive-by downloads, aren’t getting the job done any more.

As cyber-security company F-Secure pointed out in its recent blog post, killing off the Adobe Flash plugin support in browsers has clamped down on many browser-based attacks. By removing that potential attack vector, exploit kits have become far less effective and therefore far less common. Combined with the ever evolving abilities of anti-malware software utilizing machine learning and behavioral tracking, spam’s relative success rate is creeping back up.

“We’ve reduced criminals to spam, one of the least effective methods of infection.”

“We’ve reduced criminals to spam, one of the least effective methods of infection,” F-Secure’s security advisor, Sean Sullivan said. “Anti-malware is containing nearly all commoditized, bulk threats. And honestly, I don’t see anything coming over the horizon that could lead to another gold rush, so criminals are stuck with spam.”

That’s despite the fact modern email clients are better equipped than ever to identify and quarantine spam to prevent its malicious intent from being realized.

Fighting with filters

Just last year Google announced brand new features for its Gmail service that helped it detect 99 percent of spam emails and swiftly dump them into the junk folder. It still faces the odd issue though, like users finding spam emails in their sent folder just a few months ago.

Other companies offer similar services with their email clients. Outlook has a “Junk” folder that automatically scans messages and provides manual controls for blocking or whitelisting certain email addresses and top-level-domains. Thunderbird puts the power in the hands of the users by offering a junk filter that it asks you to “train” by showing it what you consider to be junk mail. Popular free email services like EM Client use open source platforms like Apache SpamAssassin.

There’re also several third-party services that can be used to augment existing anti-spam efforts. Mailwasher and SpamSieve are two of the most popular, and though the best versions of them aren’t free, they provide intelligent filtering systems which do a great job of blocking most spam emails.

Despite all of these built-in and add-on options for filtering out junk emails, some are still slipping through. That, combined with the ease of sending spam, is helping it proliferate, and as more malware authors and distributors resort to spamming to make their nefarious gains, they invented new ways to trick both spam filters and people who think they know better.

New spam for a new age

Spam was originally named after the luncheon meat of the same name due to a Monty Python sketch where the word was chanted in an annoying, incessant fashion. But the comparison of a heavily processed product is just as apt today. Modern spam is often smarter and more convincing than you’d expect.

“Spam is becoming an increasingly successful attack vector, with click rates rising from 13.4% in the second half of 2017 to 14.2% in 2018,” said Adam Sheehan, Behavioral Science Lead at MWR InfoSecurity, told The Economic Times.

Spammers personalizing emails to make them seem to come from a legitimate source, or someone known to the recipient, is the most effective tactic, raising the chance of a click on a link or email attachment by 12 percent.

Other methods to increase spam’s efficacy include having a subject line that’s free from errors. That ups the chances of a successful attack by 4.5 percent. Phishing emails can be more successful if an emergency is implied, rather than explicitly stated.

“They are using links that are these crazy redirect loops, that are redirecting you from page to page.”

The requisite steps that the recipient must take to infect themselves with the content of spam emails are changing, too. Malicious email attachments now account for 23 percent of spam emails, as per F-Secure’s Päivi Tynninen. But a new wrinkle to that old attack vector is adding a password to the file which is provided in a second attachment. That means that automated detection tools may not be able to analyze the malicious file, as they can’t access it directly.

Modern spam emails frequently use malicious links. They make up 31 percent of spam emails according, to F-Secure. Those links will eventually lead the clicker to a malicious file download, often executing through some form of macro embedded in a document for Word, Powerpoint, or Excel. Even those links are changing. Where once the original link would send you straight to the malicious software, now your browser will jump through a few hoops first.

“Attackers are adding additional layers to avoid automatic analysis and researchers trying to intercept their potentially good infections and creating detections for those,” Tynninen said during a recent episode of the Security Sauna podcast. “They are using these links that are these crazy redirect loops that they are redirecting you from page to page, and after a couple to maybe seven different page redirections you get the final payload, which is only the downloader document with macros. ”

That number of redirects might seem excessive, but if researchers try to retrace the steps to provide better detection for such attacks, the attackers can take down just one of the redirect websites. That breaks the chain and makes investigation more difficult.

The biggest spam attack vector of them all? Tugging at the heart strings of email users. A full 46 percent of spam emails focus on some form of dating scam. These trick recipients into thinking someone has found their profile on a dating site and wants to chat or meet up.

Old advice still stands

While new methods of attack from spammers and scammers are always a little scary, spam remains as easy to avoid as it is to send.

Unless you specifically requested to receive a certain email attachment from a specific person – don’t open it. Better yet, don’t open anything and have your friend or work colleague send you the file in a more secure platform like a cloud storage service. Don’t click links in emails, either. Always go to the source. If you do have to click a link for whatever reason, check where it’s sending you first by hovering over the link. Chrome, Firefox, and Edge all showcase the raw link in the bottom-left of your screen when you do so. Make sure it’s not sending you somewhere unexpected.

Don’t click links in emails, either. Always go to the source.

F-Secure also highlights a number of brands that are commonly spoofed in spam emails. UPS, Amazon, FedEx, Apple, and Paypal are the companies most often faked, so be wary when receiving emails from those companies.

Above all else, take heart that the effort you put into digital security is paying off. Spam isn’t an effective foodstuff, and it’s not a great way to spread malware either — but when it’s all scammers have to work with, they’ll gladly scoop out another gelatinous spoonful. Don’t join them at the table.

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Galaxy Note 9 to cost ₹67,900 in India as Samsung kicks off pre-orders

Samsung is rolling out a series of attractive offers for those buying the Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy Note 9 in India in the coming weeks, and the South Korean manufacturer has kicked off pre-bookings for the device in the country. Like the Galaxy S9 — which debuted at the same price point as the Galaxy S8 — the Note 9 is set to retail for ₹67,900 ($985) — the same price as the Note 8. The key difference is that the Note 9 offers 128GB of storage as standard, and Samsung is also rolling out a 512GB model, which will be available for ₹84,900 ($1,230).

That’s a lot of money to spend on a phone, even one as impressive as the Note 9. To incentivize the purchase, Samsung is rolling out a range of offers for those interested in picking up its latest phone. First up is a ₹6,000 cashback for HDFC credit and debit card holders; and if you don’t have a card from the bank, you’ll be able to avail the same cashback by purchasing the Note 9 from Paytm Mall at retail outlets. Those buying the Note 9 will also be able to pick up the Gear Sport for just ₹4,999 ($70), a massive ₹18,000 discount.

Here’s @Asim_Warsi- SVP Samsung India, telling you why you should get your hands on the new super powerful #GalaxyNote9 along with the best offers. https://t.co/lFq8j46vNr pic.twitter.com/mTcIOHiyoY

— Samsung Mobile India (@SamsungMobileIN) August 10, 2018

There’s also no-cost EMI schemes from leading banks as well as lenders like Bajaj Finance and Capital First, and the Note 9 will be available in three color options at launch: Ocean Blue (with a yellow S Pen), Midnight Black, and Metallic Copper.

Samsung didn’t specify a date for the Note 9 launch in India, but if the Galaxy S9’s pre-order window is any indication, the Note 9 should make its way to India in under two weeks.

See at Samsung India

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

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• Is the Note 8 still a good buy?
• Join our Galaxy Note 9 forums

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Xiaomi is creating a new sub-brand to take on OnePlus

Xiaomi is turning to the Poco sub-brand to effectively target the premium category.

Xiaomi is now firmly entrenched in India’s handset market, but the brand is primarily associated with being a budget player. While the Chinese manufacturer launched the Mi Mix 2 in India last year, reception was lukewarm as best as customers were unwilling to shell out over ₹30,000 ($435) for a Xiaomi phone.

Xiaomi is now looking to break the mold with a new sub-brand called Poco, which is being led by Jai Mani. Mani joined Xiaomi from Google back in 2014 as Lead Product Manager, and subsequently became a key figure in the company’s product launches in India. The exec tweeted a manifesto for Poco on Twitter, starting that the project was born out of a need to make a phone with technologies “that truly matter:”

Thanks for all the love! Many friends asked me questions about this new project I mentioned yesterday, here’s my answer: @IndiaPOCO @GlobalPOCOPHONE pic.twitter.com/MK9MZUz0Zy

— Jai Mani (@jaimani) August 10, 2018

Mani didn’t go into details on the upcoming Pocophone, but numerous leaks over the last two weeks give us a better idea of what’s in store. The first Poco phone will be called the Pocophone F1, and it will be powered by the Snapdragon 845. Interestingly, the phone also sports liquid cooling, and a 4000mAh battery, IR blaster — a mainstay on Xiaomi phones — along with a 20MP front camera that has face unlock, 3.5mm jack, and USB-C. And like most Android phones in the market today, the F1 will have a notch.

The Pocophone F1 is set to be sold in two variants: a 6GB/64GB model that is rumored to cost in the vicinity of $480 and a 6GB/128GB version for $540. Poco will bring the devices to global markets as well as India, and current rumors indicate a launch sometime next month or early October.

Xiaomi launching a sub-brand to target the mid-range segment is a smart move, as it allows the company to go up against the likes of OnePlus more effectively. That said, how Pocophone fares will come down to the software, as one of the main reasons for the OnePlus 6’s success in India is OxygenOS. We should be hearing more about the company in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, what do you want to see from the Pocophone F1?

Will a leftover Galaxy Note 8 screen protector work on the Galaxy Note 9?

Have a spare Note 8 screen protector lying around? Don’t throw it away quite yet!

Although the Galaxy Note 8 from last year is a more than powerful Android phone in 2018, the all-new Note 9 is still worth the upgrade thanks to its Bluetooth-equipped S Pen, AI camera features, and ginormous battery.

The Note 9 should feel like a very familiar phone for Note 8 owners, and while a radical new design would have been fun to have, the similarities between the two devices might actually work out in your favor — specifically when it comes to screen protectors.

If you bought a screen protector for your Note 8, chances are you still have one lying around somewhere as they usually come in packs of two or three. While a protector designed specifically for the Note 9 will work the best, a Note 8 one should still be just fine on your new phone.

The Note 9 has a slightly larger display than the Note 8 at 6.4-inches compared to 6.3, and while that means your Note 8 screen protector won’t fit the Note 9 like a glove, it’ll still cover the vast majority of your display and offer considerably more protection as opposed to using the phone totally naked.

So, while a Note 9 screen protector is ideal if you’re using a Note 9, one that’s made for the Note 8 will work just fine in a pinch.

Best Screen Protectors for the Galaxy Note 8 in 2018

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 hands-on preview
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• Where to buy the Galaxy Note 9
• Galaxy Note 9 specifications
• Is the Note 8 still a good buy?
• Join our Galaxy Note 9 forums

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UK Deal: Get Alexa for less with a £30 refurb Echo Dot or £60 Echo 2nd-gen

Looks and works like it is brand new and comes with a 12-month warranty.

Right now, Amazon is offering refurbished versions of its Echo Dot for just £29.99. Amazon backs these with a full 12-month warranty and they are all tested to look and perform like new, so why now save a few extra quid on the hardware purchase by going with a refurbished unit?

The hands-free, voice-controlled Dot is Amazon’s entry-level Echo, offering the ability to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, answer queries, read the news, set alarms or timers, among other things.

It features 7 in-built mics to help it pick up your commands, even when playing music, and has a built-in speaker for output (and can even be paired to other speakers via Bluetooth or 3.5mm stereo cable for added oomph).

There’s also a discount on the refurb second-gen Amazon Echo. It’s down to £59.99 from it’s usual £79.99 asking price.

These discounted prices make it a perfect time to finally give in and see what Amazon’s Alexa is all about or a good excuse to add more Echo hardware throughout your home.

For more UK deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter UK, sign up for the UK newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

See at Amazon UK

Madden NFL 19 is available now!

See you on the gridiron.

Madden is back, and EA has made a lot of changes this year to make the annual purchase worth considering. We’re here to tell you everything that’s new in Madden NFL 19, with big changes to gameplay, franchise mode, broadcast graphics, and an all-new Longshot story mode to spend your time with. This is everything you need to know.

August 7th, 2018 — It’s Madden season!

Madden 19 is now available for those who pre-ordered the Hall of Fame edition. For $79.99, you’ll not only get early access to the game, but additional packs to use in the game’s Ultimate Team mode. You can buy the game on Amazon right now and still get access ahead of Friday’s general release.

See at Amazon

Stay tuned to Android Central as we provide additional coverage on Madden NFL 19, including guides on how to get started on Madden’s Ultimate Team mode, as well as some gameplay tips to help you win more games.

July 19th, 2018 — Madden NFL 19 cover star revealed

“The battle of getting better is never ending” -@AB84 Pre-Order 👉🏽: https://t.co/BkLnz185gQ #Madden19 pic.twitter.com/6dsoW5Zfgv

— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) July 18, 2018

EA has announced the cover star for the standard version of Madden NFL 19. It’s Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who is making believers out of everyone with his consistency and rare skillset week in and week out. Here’s what he had ot say about the pick:

To be on the cover is a real honor I’ve wanted to always have because I have so much connection with the game. Growing up as a kid I played Madden all the time, was being inspired by the players in the game. And now to be on the cover, it’s a special feeling.

Terrell Owens remains the cover star for those who pre-order the $80 Hall of Fame Edition.

What’s Madden NFL 19?

Madden is the annual NFL football franchise and the only game of its kind on the market. It features all 32 NFL teams, their players, and even some Hall of Famers and legends in some modes. The game aims to deliver a deep, satisfying gameplay experience for casual and serious football fans alike.

Longshot story mode returns

Let’s begin with Longshot, the story mode of Madden that was introduced in last year’s version of the game. Longshot followed Devin Wade (Quarterback) and Colt Cruise (Wide Receiver), two college players who find themselves on the road to the NFL draft.

You help guide the two to the promised land by helping them land on a show called The Longshot. While football ability was a big part of getting them to the big leagues, it was also your decisions off the field which determined your success. The two eventually get drafted to their respective teams, and it’s happily ever after.

Except, that story mode is back for Madden 19, and it matures with the continuance of their stories. They’re no longer prospects, but actual NFL players, and that comes with a whole new set of challenges.

While we don’t know the specifics of the story just yet (except for the fact that Devin Wade starts his career with the Dallas Cowboys and Colt Cruise is in the wind), EA has mentioned that this year’s Longshot will have a bigger emphasis on actual football gameplay. This means that player skill will be even more important. And both on-field and off-field happenings have been heavily influenced by actual NFL goings-on.

Once the story mode wraps up, you’ll be able to use Wade and Cruise in modes like Franchise and Madden Ultimate Team. The previous game also had other celebrity characters such as Dan Marino, Chad Johnson (Chad Ochocinco), and Mahershala Ali, all of whom could also be played. We don’t know if this year’s game will have more guest appearances.

New gameplay features

Madden 19 is getting a wealth of new gameplay changes this year. The bulk of the changes deal with player motion. EA has added all new animations and a more realistic physics engine to make player movement feel as real as possible.

One of the biggest things working toward that goal is managing your player’s Acceleration Burst, as it will determine the kind of running you can do. The faster you move, the less drastic your directional changes can be. You’ll need to slow down if you want to make wide, sweeping turns and cuts. That doesn’t mean you can’t fake out a defender while going full speed – you’ll still have your special ball carrier moves to help with that – but it’s going to be harder. It adds a nice risk vs. reward element to the core gameplay experience.

This system lends itself to several subsystems, too. A new one-cut move for running backs allows you to take a sharp cut into a new direction as long as you time the new Acceleration Burst mechanic right. Defenders can gain access to the same ability to help shut that move down.

There are other many cool gameplay changes, too. You can now branch special moves together in fluid motion, so the ability to juke into a spin back into a juke is a thing. It’ll likely be difficult to pull off, and it’s probably mostly dependent on the attributes your player has.

A new hit-the-hole mechanic allows you to find your way through the clogged up line of scrimmage with the flick of an analog stick. Hit the wrong hole and you’re just as likely to be tackled where you stand.

You can even push the pile as the running back, giving you the ability to let your big linemen up front do the dirty work to pick up a tough extra few yards when you can’t find your way through the line.

In the passing game, defenders and receivers will enjoy a more realistic suite of animations, reactions, and moves for reacting to the ball. The goal here is to give players more control over the outcome of a catch. EA admitted in the past that the jump ball situation can be a bit pre-determined, so this is something fans should be happy to hear.

On the defensive side of the ball, you’ll see fine tuning to AI and logic for several formations, including Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4, Tampa 2, and more. An entirely new formation that features three safeties out of its five defensive backs is also being added, and it comes with a whole new suite of plays of its own.

And on the fun side of things, touchdown celebrations are coming back! It’s not that we haven’t had celebrations before, but they weren’t emphasized due to Madden’s need to adhere to the NFL’s strict public image. But the NFL famously loosened restrictions on player and team touchdown celebrations last year, so Madden 19 will allow you to take part in interactive celebrations using your right analog stick.

There will be generic moves such as a spike or a dance, but you can also pull off a Player Signature move, if available. If you’re feeling especially competitive, you can even steal the signature move from a player of the opposing team to rub it in real good. EA is planning on updating the game with new celebrations as the year goes on, too, so you’ll have a chance to see some of the new moves that are sure to pop up each and every Sunday.

With all these great additions comes the need for updated controls. Thankfully, EA has already given us the layout of what to expect so you can start adjusting your muscle memory.

Franchise mode revamped

Many Madden fans have been complaining lately that the game’s franchise mode has largely gone untouched for quite some time. The minor adjustments year-to-year end with Madden 19, apparently. Franchise mode was a big focus for EA this time around, with a nice mix of both cosmetic and functional improvements to make it feel fresh.

For starters, team and coaching schemes actually mean something now. While players had specific archetypes they could fit into before – such as being a strong-arm quarterback vs. a mobile one – the designation never translated into anything meaningful. In Madden 19, that trend is bucked thanks to an archetype-based progression system.

Instead of using experience on individual player attributes and stats, you now gain skill points that can be used to improve your character’s rating for any given archetype. Each skill point jumps the player up an entire level in their overall rating, and their underlying ratings – such as short throw accuracy or play-action pass for a quarterback – improves as well. You can choose to upgrade a player at any one of his possible archetypes.

You’ll want to focus in on a specific archetype, though, because coaching schemes now play a part in just how successful your players can be. Players who fit into your coach’s scheme will earn even more experience, so it’ll be easier to get them playing to their fullest potential.

You can change your scheme whenever you want, so if you notice you’ve been acquiring a lot of players that can play well into a particular scheme then you can make a change to maximize your team’s effectiveness. Players who fit into your scheme will have a purple puzzle icon on their player card, so it’ll be easy to spot the perfect fits for your team at a glance.

Keeping with improvements to roster management, the addition of new specialist positions is sure to delight. You can now place players into roster spots for positions like 3rd-down running back, slot receiver, or nickel corner. These positions are used in several formations and require players with specific skill sets, typically increased speed or strength.

In previous Madden games, these adjustments required in-game substitutions, but you can now call plays and rest easy knowing the game will automatically substitute the right player in for the play you called. To support all of this deeper player scheme stuff, there are as many as 11 new attributes that’ll help differentiate players on the field even more.

Player development is also getting a facelift. There are now four different levels of progression speeds: normal, quick, star, and superstar. These ratings change more frequently than in the past, but the superstar rating is now reserved for the most elite players at each position. Expect just a few players in the league per position to be able to hold that classification.

Those players also regress in skill more slowly than lesser ones, so getting a superstar at a core position on your team figures to be a solid ongoing goal. There’s a chance to draft a player with any of these development traits from the beginning of their career, but finding a superstar is going to be extremely rare. It’ll reward players who do their homework to find the best player available in the annual draft.

Speaking of that draft, you can always get by just fine with the draft classes generated by the game. That said, Madden 19 now gives you the ability to edit or import custom draft classes when scouting begins in week 3. This is a huge boon for players who want realistic NFL draft classes, or for those who just want to have a little fun editing the player names and attributes.

You can reward your best players with Team Captain patches, a nice way to recognize your team’s most influential talent. It won’t do anything from a gameplay standpoint, but it’s cool that this recognition system is finally represented in Madden.

As you do your daily bidding, you’ll see several new 3D environments based on your current task. If you’re talking to players, you’ll see them getting ready for gameday in the locker room. If you’re going over the game plan, you’ll see your coach typing away at his desk. And if you’ve won a Super Bowl, you’ll also see that trophy sitting somewhere in his office.

The love extends all the way to draft day, with the banquet hall showing each team’s picks up on the big viewing board. Drafted players will be shown in the uniform of the teams which drafted them as their stats are revealed. It should help franchise mode feel a lot more alive than the static 2D menus of old.

Upgraded presentation

Gameday presentation is getting some nice touches this year. EA is continuing the rollout of their highly detailed stadium exteriors. They scan these exteriors with a technology that lets them easily recreate the stadium and surrounding areas in high detail. This year, there are scans of the stadiums for the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, and Tennessee Titans.

Pre-game, halftime, and post-game broadcast graphics are being given the 3D treatment, too. The halftime show, in particular, is interesting, as it will feature more “around the league” talk to help you keep up with the rest of the league.

For commentary, a new story development feature will allow Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis to talk about stories about things happening in your game and season. They’ll do things like refer back to a time when your running back had a 1,000-yard season, and when they note that 100 yards should be doable for him in a game they’ll make comments about whether he can reach that goal according to what’s going on in the game. This should make commentary feel less canned, a common complaint from Madden fans over the years.

Madden Ultimate Team changes

Madden’s bread-winning mode, affectionately known as MUT, is getting some changes to make the game mode more accessible for everyone. This card-collecting mode lets you acquire and upgrade players for use in real competitive games. A big part of the mode is upgrading your cards and finding better players either through packs, solo challenges, or the auction house.

This year, player upgrades are getting easier. Instead of moving cards in and out of collections, you upgrade a player by applying “Training,” a new currency type that exists for the sole purpose of upgrading. You can apply those upgrades by looking at the cards themselves, making it a far less painful experience compared to the menu hopping that we used to have.

Another issue MUT fans have dealt with over the years is having to build their teams according to player chemistry, a mechanic that gives you boosts for having players with the same chemistry rating. The problem is that players had to forego using their favorite players in order to get these bonuses. Power is being given back to us in this regard, as one of the features of player upgrades is a chemistry slot that you can use to slot in any applicable chemistry rating you want.

Other MUT changes include weekly solo battles and daily challenges that will give you nice coin, experience, and training bonuses for defeating CPU-controlled teams, the ability to play three-versus-three mode against the CPU, and streamlined player lineups to ensure everyone on your team contributes to your overall chemistry.

Pre-order bonuses

Ready to pre-order Madden 19? You can get the standard edition for $60, but there are no bonuses to be had.

See at Amazon

The $80 Hall of Fame Edition features Terrell Owens on the cover and grants you access to one of five Hall of Fame players for your MUT squad, including Terrell Owens, Brian Urlacher, Rod Woodson, Dan Marino, or Terrell Davis. You’ll also get 12 Gold Team Fantasy Packs, an elite version of the standard Madden 19 cover athlete (not yet announced) and two All-Madden uniforms. There’s also the added benefit of getting the game three days early, on August 7th.

See at Amazon

When can you play it?

Madden 19 launches August 10th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Buying the Hall of Fame Edition will let you play three days earlier, on August 7th.

Updated August 2018: Madden is now available! Find out how you can play early.

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Former Tesla Lead Engineer Doug Field Returns to Apple to Work on Project Titan

Apple’s former VP of Mac hardware engineering Doug Field has returned to the tech giant’s ranks after five years working at Tesla, where he oversaw production of the Model 3.

Daring Fireball writer John Gruber broke the news on Thursday after speaking to an Apple spokesperson who confirmed only that Field had returned to the company that he left in 2013.

However Gruber’s contacts within Apple informed him that Field will link up with former colleague Bob Mansfield to work on Apple’s self-driving car program, Project Titan.

Field began his career at Ford as a development engineer, before moving on to Segway and then to Apple, and his return is already fueling speculation that Apple’s self-driving ambitions have been rejuvenated under the leadership of Mansfield.

Rather than solely developing autonomous systems for existing car manufacturers, Apple’s rehiring of Field could indicate that the company still retains an interest in building its own vehicles.

When Apple began working on Project Titan in 2014, upwards of 1,000 employees were said to have been working on developing an electric vehicle at a secret location near its Cupertino headquarters.

However, internal strife and leadership issues reportedly caused Apple to transition its focus to an autonomous driving system and pursue partnerships with existing carmakers instead of building a full car. Hundreds of employees were said to have been laid off as a result.

Little is known about the inner workings of Apple’s Project Titan group, but court documents filed in July indicate that as many as 5,000 people are authorized at Apple to access information about the project.

Apple has also been significantly ramping up its fleet of vehicles running self-driving sensor equipment. As of May 2018, the company has 62 vehicles out on the road using its autonomous driving software.

Apple is also working on a self-driving shuttle service called “PAIL” (an acronym for “Palo Alto to Infinite Loop”). The shuttle program will transport employees between Apple’s office in Silicon Valley.

Related Roundup: Apple Car
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Watch this giant ‘Lego’ helicopter drone take to the skies

It’s the kind of toy that most kids would no doubt pester their parents endlessly for — a Lego helicopter that actually flies.

Inspired by the flying machine in Lego’s 6396 International Jetport set, Adam Woodworth recently set about building a version 10 times larger than the original, which you can see perched on the tail of his creation in the video above.

Take a closer look, though, and you’ll notice that it’s not the helicopter’s rotors that get it airborne. Rather, it’s the small quadcopter on which it rests.

“This one took a little longer than anticipated, but came out flying great,” the creator wrote in a message accompanying his YouTube video.

To tell the truth, it’s not really made out of Lego, either. Instead, the contraption was constructed using polystyrene foam to keep the weight to a minimum so it could get airborne.

Clearly a man with an eye for detail, Woodworth also created the Lego pilot for his helicopter. “Really enjoyed carving this little guy, now I really can’t crash this thing,” he wrote in one of several Instagram posts detailing his progress with the build.

The final result is a wonderful testament to Woodworth’s effort and skill, with the demonstration video showing the helicopter enjoying a stable and controlled flight lasting several minutes.

Describing himself on Instagram as an “airplane stuff doer and aspiring foam whisperer,” Woodworth has said in the past how much he enjoys “having some strange project on the workbench.” Take a quick look at his YouTube channel and you’ll see a myriad of flying-machine designs, with Star Wars clearly one of his big inspirations. Check out his awesome Speeder Bike for starters.

A couple of years back Woodworth also came up with this brilliant model of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Just like the real thing, this miniature version can also land itself, though admittedly it requires a little remote control to achieve the feat. And just like many of his other designs, the “rocket” also has a small quadcopter attached to help it stay airborne.

The creator says he builds his aircraft purely for fun, and invites suggestions via his YouTube channel for ideas on “anything you’d love to see fly.” He’s also happy to offer help to anyone interesting in making their own flying machine.

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Smelly shoes? Panasonic’s deodorizer kit promises to waste the whiff

Panasonic

If your sneakers reek after a run in the park, how do you get rid of the whiff?

Throwing them in the freezer for 24 hours apparently kills off the odor-causing bacteria, but maybe you’re worried about trying to cook them as a midnight snack at the end of a boozy night out. So bang goes that option.

Other solutions involve stuffing them with lemon peel or wood chips, or throwing them in water fizzing with denture cleanser. Hardly ideal, eh.

Spotting an apparent gap in the market for an effective shoe deodorizer, Panasonic has come up with a high-tech solution to get your shoes smelling as fresh as the day you bought them.

Launching with a name that’s drier than an acute case of athlete’s foot, the “MS-DS100” uses nano-sized electrostatic atomized water particles, or “nanoe X” as Panasonic calls its system, to dissolve and eliminate unpleasant smells inside your shoes.

To begin the process, you place the mains-powered MS-DS100 device on your shoes and hit the “on” button, whereupon your funky footwear is blasted with ion particles from six outlets “to every corner of the shoes … from the heel to the toe.”

Panasonic

Downsides? Well, you’d better not be in any hurry to get the shoes back on your feet because the two available deodorizing modes take longer than you might think.

“Normal” mode needs no less than five hours to get your shoes smelling of roses, while the “long” mode — presumably for shoes with an odor so pungent it’s close to breaking some kind of international environmental law — takes a whopping seven hours to get the job done. Best leave it on overnight, then.

If you think the MS-DS100 sounds like the device your smelly shoes have been waiting for, then you’ll have to come to Japan to get it, or find it online, as it’ll only be sold on Panasonic’s home turf when it launches next month. The price of the device is yet to be announced.

This isn’t Panasonic’s first foray into the world of odor-busting kit. Last year the company launched a high-tech hanger that deodorizes clothes using the same technology as the MS-DS100.

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