Google will reportedly revamp News with video and speed tweaks

Google News is getting a major refresh, pulling in features from YouTube and the Play Newsstand magazine app to modernize the product, according to Ad Age. Google has been in talks with publishers over the update, which is expected to debut at the I/O developer conference next week.

The revamp will consolidate Google’s various news services — Play Newsstand is likely to close as part of the move, with Google News getting a new app. The rework will add YouTube’s news section and incorporate the AMP technology Google uses to load pages faster on mobile.

Google is ringing the changes as it places more focus on news. You can already subscribe to some publications using your Google account and it’s placing your subscriptions higher in search results. The company is also investing $300 million to combat the menace of fake news, taking measures like refusing to show search results for publishers that mask their country of origin.

All of these efforts, along with the News revamp, point towards Google trying to strengthen its relationships with publishers. News organizations are facing drops in traffic after Facebook adjusted the News Feed to prioritize posts from friends, giving Google more of an opportunity to become a stronger partner for publishers. If Google embraces this chance, new features could usher in a better News experience for all users.

Source: Ad Age

How much data is Apple collecting from you? Not that much

Not so long ago, a New York Times journalist took a look at just how much Facebook knew about him, and was horrified by the answer. Of course, this little experiment begged the question — how much do the other popular tech companies know about their users? To answer that, Jefferson Graham of USA Today looked into how much data Apple had collected from him, and was quite  surprised by the answer — not that much.

Like many of us, Graham is quite the avid Apple user, and has an iPhone, iPad, and two Mac computers. As such, it seemed likely that the company could have a veritable treasure trove of key information on someone like Graham. But in a pleasant surprise, this was not the case.

Back in March, Apple made it a bit easier for folks to download their iCloud and Apple ID data in order to comply with European Union rules. Folks also now have the option of correcting personal information, deactivating accounts, or deleting them altogether. But unlike Facebook, these accounts aren’t quite as rife with data as you might expect.

As Graham reported, when Apple finally delivered the requested data (it did take quite a while — eight days, to be exact), it was in a zip file that was only 9 megabytes large. Compare that to Graham’s Google and Facebook files, which were 243 and 881 MB respectively. Part of the reason that Apple’s data package is about 1/100th of the size of Facebook’s is that the majority of your Apple-related information is stored locally on your device, not on Apple’s servers. That means that while Apple has records of your downloads, purchases, and device repairs, it does not have access to your search history either by way of Siri or Safari.

This, Apple says, is a testament to just how seriously the company takes user privacy.

As Graham noted, Apple had time stamps of every time he backed up his iPhone, uploaded photos to iCloud, and his email and physical address. The company also had a copy of every app and song Graham had downloaded over the years. However, Apple did not have the questions Graham had asked smart assistant Siri, even though the company does use user queries to make Siri smarter.

How does this work? Apple says that once you ask Siri a question, Apple uses a “random identifier to mask your identity.” So while Apple knows what questions people are asking, none of those questions can be traced back to a particular user.

While Graham’s data file did include his browsing history from his Macs dating back to July of 2017, Apple claimed to not track that information. That means that Apple doesn’t use this data to send targeted advertisements, again, a very different practice from Google and Facebook. That said, the company does use your data to sell targeted ads based on your activity in the News and App Store apps. You can actually see what information Apple is using here by going to Settings, Privacy, then Advertising. If you tap “View Ad Information,” you’ll see who’s targeting you.

While it’s not quite the case that Apple knows and collects nothing about and from its users, it’s quite clear that in comparison to companies that derive their revenue from advertising (which is to say, Google and Facebook), Apple has relatively little user information. And hopefully, that will help you sleep just a little bit easier.

The best Star Wars toys for the tech-focused fan

Just like March 14 always makes us think of pi (or should that be pie?), May 4 has become synonymous with George Lucas’s iconic sci-fi franchise. Playing off the classic catchphrase “May the Force be with you,” May 4 is officially an international day of appreciation for all things Star Wars. To celebrate the occasion — and the upcoming release of Solo: A Star Wars Story — we rounded up some of our favorite tech-focused Star Wars toys, from X-Wing drones to a pint-sized version of BB-8.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Electronic Chewbacca Mask ($32)

By now, we’re pretty sure everyone has seen the viral Facebook video with the woman wearing this mask. If you haven’t, however, make sure to check it out, because it’s a roaring good time (get it?). The plastic device does look a lot like Chewbacca, but that’s not why we chose to include it on this list. Opening your mouth while wearing the Wookiee mask will cause Chewbacca’s roar to erupt from it — and it’s absolutely hilarious. And we’re not the only ones who think so. At one point, the mask was so popular that Kohl’s completely sold out of it.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Sphero BB-8 ($100)

BB-8 captured the hearts of millions when it was first introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, arguably dethroning R2D2 as the most lovable robot in the entire Star Wars canon. Sphero’s miniature, app-enabled droid is just as cute as the original and can roll around at up to 4.5 mph. The orange-and-white robot also comes equipped with a waterproof shell, an hour of battery life, and a range of up to 100 feet. It can even interact with other Sphero droids and react to the Star Wars films, if you watch them together.

Read our BB-8 hands-on review

Buy it now from:

Amazon

‘Star Wars: Jedi Challenges’ ($183)

Lenovo offers one of the coolest Star Wars experiences of any tech company, if you’re willing to spend a little more. Star Wars: Jedi Challenges is an augmented reality game that allows you to experience what it feels like to hold and fight with a real lightsaber. In order to play, you need to buy the bundle, which comes with an AR headset that is compatible with most Android and iOS devices, a lightsaber controller, and a tracking beacon. You also need to download the free app onto your smartphone, but once you have properly set everything up, you will be able to mow down Stormtroopers and get your Dejarik on.

Read our full Star Wars: Jedi Challenges review

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Luke Skywalker FX Lightsaber ($103)

While there are dozens of different FX lightsabers to chose from, you can’t go wrong with Luke Skywalker’s original, green lightsaber from Return of the Jedi. This collector-grade weapon offers authentic sound effects and realistic lighting. It also features an authentic metal hilt, one designed after the blade Mark Hamill used in the 1983 film. Although you probably don’t want to go on an all-out onslaught with this lightsaber, it is sturdy enough for light to medium dueling and will look awesome on display in your home.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Propel X-Wing Drone ($80)

For anyone who has ever wanted to fly a Star Wars spacecraft, but was unfortunate enough not to be born in a galaxy far, far away, now you can! Propel offers three detailed Star Wars remote-control drones, including an X-Wing, TIE fighter, and a speeder bike. Our favorite of the three is the X-Wing, which uses four miniature motors positioned under the device to keep it afloat. It also has three different speed settings and a T-Mode to accommodate different skills levels. Once you get the hang of the controls, this starfighter can reach speeds of up to 35 mph (yes, really).

Read our full Propel Star Wars Battle Drones review

Buy it now from:

Amazon

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FBI hostage rescue team bamboozled after criminals unleash drone swarm

Griff Aviations Drone concept

As useful as drones may be for delivering your Amazon packages or putting on a killer light show at the Super Bowl, these flying gadgets can also be put to rather nefarious schemes. After all, the machinery is only as good as the person controlling it, and in a recent case with the FBI, it would appear that the machinery was not good at all. In 2017, an FBI  hostage rescue team arranged an “elevated observation post” in order to keep an eye on a developing situation. But suddenly, they were overtaken by a swarm of small drones, who swept in with a series of “high-speed low passes at the agents in the observation post to flush them [out],” according to Joe Mazel, the head of the FBI’s operational technology law unit, speaking at the AUVSI Xponential conference in Colorado.

Needless to say, the fleet of drones presented an enormous problem to the FBI agents. “We were then blind,” Mazel said, “It definitely presented some challenges.”

While the agency has not disclosed any additional details about where this drone attack took place or what situation agents were monitoring, the episode could be indicative of the dangerous applications drones may be involved with in the future. After all, these unmanned flying vehicles are not only effective surveillance devices, but can also run quite a bit of interference. Mazel noted that whoever controlled the drones clearly had an eye on the agents and were keeping other people notified of the FBI’s whereabouts.

“They had people fly their own drones up and put the footage to YouTube so that the guys who had cellular access could go to the YouTube site and pull down the video,” Mazel said.

Apparently, organized criminals are increasingly using drones to run counter operations against law enforcement, Mazel said. In fact, some quadcopters are being used in so-called witness intimidation schemes, constantly monitoring police departments in order to determine “who is going in and out of the facility and who might be cooperating with police,” he noted. And drones are also being to plan robberies and other crimes, as lawbreakers are using the flying devices to surveil target homes, identify security weak spots, and observe patterns of activity.

It’s not just the FBI that is dealing with this issue. As Andrew Scharnweber, associate chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told Defense One,  “In the Border Patrol, we have struggled with scouts, human scouts that come across the border. They’re stationed on various mountaintops near the border and they would scout … to spot law enforcement and radio down to their counterparts to go around us. That activity has effectively been replaced by drones.”

The overwhelming concern, of course, is that drones will continue to be used for illegal purposes and that solutions to this burgeoning problem may take some time either from a legislative or technological perspective.

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These contact lenses use a stunningly simple technique to correct color blindness

University of Birmingham

Color-blindness, also known as color vision deficiency or CVD, affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women around the world. It’s an incurable, inherited condition that makes it difficult to distinguish between certain colors. Fortunately, researchers from the U.K.’s University of Birmingham have come up with a way to help. They’ve developed contact lenses that could be used to correct color-blindness the way that regular contact lenses can improve the vision of individuals who are nearsighted or farsighted.

The lenses contain a special dye that is able block certain wavelengths of light. This solves one of the causes of color-blindness, a genetic deficiency in the cluster of cells in the eye (called “optical cones”) that allow us to perceive light. Each cone picks up a different wavelength of light. Combining multiple cones allows us to see the full spectrum of colors. When the cones are working correctly, that is.

The dye used by the University of Birmingham researchers blocks the band of light between the red and green wavelengths, which is perceived by two sets of corresponding cones at the same time. Removing this band makes it easier for people to differentiate between red and green — the most common form of color-blindness.

“We found dyes which are non-toxic and biocompatible, so won’t cause any harm to living cells in the eye,” Dr. Haider Butt, lead researcher from the University of Birmingham’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute of Healthcare Technologies, told Digital Trends. Butt pointed out that the lenses can even improve the vision of people who don’t have color-blindness, since they increase the contrast between colors.

This project isn’t the first to explore this technique. The company EnChroma already produces sunglasses that function in the same way, although as of yet, no one produces contact lenses that perform this task. “I think a lot of it will come down to personal choice on the part of the patient,” Butt continued, describing the difference between glasses and contacts. “Contact lenses have less of a footprint than glasses. Some patients also don’t want to advertise their disability, which makes contact lenses a good solution because it’s less apparent to others. Contact lenses can additionally be a lot cheaper than glasses.”

Looking forward, Butt said he doesn’t want to commercialize the technology, but rather to “open source” it so that people can potentially create the dyes in the privacy of their own home. This would allow patients to experiment with different concentrations to find a personalized, optimal solution, while keeping the cost down.

A paper describing the project was recently published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

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The Force is strong with Google Assistant on this Star Wars Day

It may just be May 4 to some of the world, but to the rest of us (which is to say, dedicated Star Wars fans), it’s practically the most important day of the year. And here to help us celebrate is Google Assistant, who certainly understands the gravity of this most hallowed day. On Friday, product management director of Google Assistant Lilian Rincon introduced a couple new ideas for how Star Wars devotees can celebrate May the Fourth with a little bit of help from Google Assistant.

“What started as a fun pun — May the Fourth — has now become an official holiday for Star Wars fans,” Rincon wrote. “On this day known around the globe as ‘Star Wars Day,’ fans celebrate the lore of the galaxy far, far away.” But with your nearby Google Assistant, you can really get the party going.

Google Assistant can serve as your official box office guide, helping you find, learn about, and purchase tickets to the movies. While this new action is debuting just in time for the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, which will open on May 25, you can also use this feature to search for plenty of other movies. All you need to do is ask Assistant for “showtimes near me.” If the smart helper returns a title that interests you, ask for more information by asking, “Who stars in it?” or “Show me the trailer.”

Then, if you want to take the plunge, you can now buy movie tickets simply by saying so — thanks to a new partnership with Fandango, Google Assistant will let you make purchases simply by saying “buy tickets” once you’ve decided on a film. And those films don’t have to be in theaters now — you can already buy advance tickets for the latest Star Wars installment by telling Assistant to do so. Fandango will also help you pick your seats before you finish your purchase (if you go to a theater that requires that sort of thing).

Google is also offering discounts and deals on Star Wars apps, games, movies, books, and more on the Google Play store. For more about what you can do with Assistant, check out our handy guide.

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Inside the ambitious plan to decode and digitize the Vatican Secret Archives

Cutting-edge technology that unlocks long-forgotten Vatican secrets? No, it’s not the latest Dan Brown thriller, but a large-scale project in Italy involving smart artificial intelligence, an almost mind-boggling amount of handwritten documents, multiple universities, and 120 high school students.

Called “In Codice Ratio,” the project aims to turn the Vatican Secret Archives’ 53 miles of shelves, dating back 12 centuries, into a searchable digitized database. While the archive includes priceless documents such as the papal bull that excommunicated Martin Luther, currently it is virtually useless to scholars. That needs to change. Unfortunately, while scanning this volume of information to make it readable would be hard under ordinary circumstances, it is particularly difficult in this case. One reason for that is that the decorative, flowing cursive handwriting of some of the documents prove impossibles for modern optical character recognition software to comprehend.

This is where researchers from the University of Rome, La Sapienza University of Rome, and the Vatican Secret Archives enter the frame. They have developed a system involving convolutional neural networks and image-processing algorithms. This system performs a task called jigsaw segmentation, in which documents are broken down into something approximating individual pen strokes and then reconstructed as words.

They’ve also crowdsourced an army of users to help check the results: A large assortment of students from 24 schools, who can judge the system’s accuracy and help train it. Preliminary findings show an accuracy rate of 65 percent. This will no doubt improve as the project progresses.

“Our main goal is to complete the transcription task and to start extracting information from the manuscripts,” Paolo Merialdo, a researcher on the project, told Digital Trends. “Until now, we have been working on a sample of 1,000 digitized pages of the Vatican Registers. Once we have a reliable transcription system, the next step is to ask the Vatican Secret Archives [for] the remaining manuscripts of the Pope Registers. They are digitizing their manuscripts for preservation and to make them available for researchers, under their copyright protection. At the same time, we are currently working in many research directions, including more sophisticated neural networks for the handwritten text recognition step, and advanced natural language processing tools for handling abbreviations.”

Should the project prove successful, its creators believe this system could not just unlock the mysteries of the Vatican Secret Archives, but also be an invaluable solution to help researchers explore enormous historical archives that are similarly inaccessible.

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Watch the SureFly two-person hybrid-electric copter make its maiden hover

While it just missed its goal of making its maiden manned voyage at January’s CES event, Ohio-based company Workhorse’s SureFly hybrid-electric helicopter has finally lifted off for its first untethered flight. Well, it got a few feet off the ground, at least.

“A five-foot hover might not seem like a big deal, but what it does is to answer the question: Will it fly, yes or no?” CEO Steve Burns told Digital Trends.

The answer, as Burns is quick to point out, is a resounding yes. That’s exciting because the SureFly octocopter is a new kind of vehicle. It’s essentially a human-sized vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) drone designed for up to two people. Its creators hope that it will both broaden and corner the market when it comes to personal flying machines.

The futuristic-looking SureFly vehicle is driven by eight separate propellers, and powered by a hybrid system that combines a gas combustion engine with a parallel battery pack. It can carry up to 400 pounds, too, which should make this a useful runaround vehicle for transporting a couple of ordinary-sized folks and their belongings. We can’t wait to turn up to the office in one!

SureFly

“It’s designed to be less expensive, safer, and easier to fly than a helicopter,” Burns said. “The reason that everyone doesn’t currently have a helicopter in their garage is because of those three issues. We think that if you can have something moderately priced, easy enough that anyone can fly, and that people will feel safe in, there are tons of applications. It could be a farmer checking on his cattle; it could be an emergency responder able to get to the scene of an accident faster than a road ambulance; it could be military, an air taxi, or just someone wanting to avoid traffic in the city. There are a lot of uses for a short-hop electric flying machine.”

The all-important liftoff demo takes SureFly one step closer to hitting the market. While there’s still work to be done on both the technical and regulatory side of things (how much training will you need to fly one, for instance?), it’s definitely an exciting milestone. The finished model will retail for around $200,000. That doesn’t make it cheap, by any means, but it’s certainly a whole lot more affordable than the private helicopters that it’s competing with.

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Google News to be revamped with elements from Play Newsstand and YouTube

The new app may be announced at I/O next week.

Amidst all of the Android P talk at Google I/O next week, one topic that’s said to come up is Google News.

Google News works fine in its current state, but Google’s apparently working on a massive overhaul that’ll incorporate parts of YouTube and Play Newsstand.

AdAge says it’s spoken to people familiar with these plans, with one publishing executive who’s aware of the Google News revamp saying –

It’s a consolidation of all the ways you can interact with news on Google. There are a lot of Google services where you find news, and what they’re trying to do is bring it all under one brand.

With the new Google News, Google will feature digital newspapers and magazines like it currently does with Play Newsstand in addition to YouTube’s news feature – incorporating text and video news under one umbrella.

The current Google News & Weather app will reportedly get an all-new look, as will its mobile and desktop sites. Unfortunately, since all things must come to an end, this Google News update will also see Play Newsstand get shut down.

As someone who’s never felt compelled to use Google News or Play Newsstand in their current forms, this seems like a good move for Google to make. AdAge notes that we should hear more about these plans at I/O on Tuesday, so we won’t have to wait too much longer for all the official details.

Google I/O 2018 preview: All of the big announcements you can expect

12 Great Star Wars Gifts in 2018

These are the Star Wars gifts that are actually worth buying.

It’s a glorious time to be a Star Wars fan! We get a new movie every year, new books spanning so many different aspects of the universe, and an actual mountain of themed swag around every corner. So much Star Wars swag. In fact, it’s a little too much if you’re trying to buy something good for the Star Wars fan in your life. You can reach out in just about any direction of every store right now and find something with the Star Wars logo stamped on it — including, weirdly enough, oranges — but if you’re looking for the good stuff it can be a little intimidating.

This list should get you started down the right path. Everything here is stuff I’ve found worthy of the Force-sensitive people in your life, and there’s a little something in here for everyone.

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar

If you’ve got someone younger in your life who enjoys counting down the days until Christmas, you can’t do better than this Lego Star Wars setup. It’s a new Lego Star Wars bit every day, including popular minifigs like BB-8.

It’s a cute way to get kids ready for the holiday, and at $50 you know you’re getting lots of Legos.

See at Amazon

R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set

Who says an Astreomech Droid can’t be helpful around the kitchen? This kit is meant to sit out on the counter and look exactly like everyone’s favorite helper, right until you need a cup of sugar. When that happens, you can disassemble this Droid into a whole bunch of different measuring utensils.

Aside from being a very reasonably priced $18 when you consider how many measuring cups and spoons you get, it’s a practical way to show off your Star Wars love in the kitchen.

Oh, and for those who prefer the shiny newness of BB-8, there’s a kit for you too.

See at Amazon

Jedi Challenges AR

Start your Jedi training virtually! Only, unlike a VR headset, this AR headset lets you see the real world while you interact with a training hologram. This program splits your training up into multiple games, including lightsaber battles with famous Star Wars villains and actually HoloChess!

Check out the Jedi Challenges review to learn more!

This $200 kit comes with an incredibly detailed replica of Rey’s lightsaber as the controller, and is hands down the best Star Wars game you can guy this year.

See at Best Buy

Propel Drones

Remote control toys that look like Star Wars vehicles aren’t a new thing by any stretch, and that includes flying toys that look like popular ships. Drones that can actually engage in combat with one another? That’s new, and Propel brought them to life in spectacular fashion this year.

Check out the review for more details!

For $99 you can choose between Vader’s Tie Advanced or the classic X-Wing, and these ships can actually play laser tag that ends in the loser “crashing” to the ground when it has taken the right number of hits. If you’d rather something a little closer to the ground, you can also grab one that looks like a Speeder Bike.

See at Amazon

Sphero Droids

Sphero took the world be storm last year with its BB-8 droid that could putter around your room on its own when you weren’t remote controlling it. This year, there are several more to choose from and a lot of new features. BB-9E, a droid from The Last Jedi, is available alongside R2-D2 and R2-Q5. Among the new features, all of these droids will sit with you and watch the Star Wars movies, reacting to everything exciting or scary in the movies.

For $130, these droids offer a ton of fun and the designs are just plain great.

See at Amazon

littleBits Inventor Kit

Toys are great, but creating something is an amazing feeling for any age. The littleBits Star Wars kit is designed to teach you how to make your own R2-D2, by helping you understand the tech inside and what it all does. When the kit is all assembed, you can use the littleBits app to teach R2-D2 new skills and send it out on missions.

There’s a lot of tech in here for $99, and it’s a fantastic start into the educational world of littleBits tech.

See at Amazon

Boba Fett Laptop Backpack

There are a ton of Star Wars backpacks out there, and unfortunately a lot of them are not very good at being a durable backpack. This Bioworld backpack has plenty of pockets, includes a nice padded section for keeping a laptop safe, and is rocking an amazing Boba Fett theme.

This is a decent backpack for $50 and looks nice enough to hand one out to each of your Dad’s clones.

See at Amazon

BB-8 Car Charger

If you’re ok with a car charger taking up a cupholder in your front console, this $30 kit will give you two USB ports providing 2.1a each and features an adorably animated BB-8.

The little Droid will twist and turn around as you drive, clearly keeping an eye out for anything that may be in need of repairs. You couldn’t ask for a better co-pilot.

See at Amazon

Lego Death Star

It doesn’t matter what age you are, the Lego Death Star is one of those things every geek covets. This $500 kit is massive, even by Lego standards, and is absolutely the kind of thing you will spend weeks working on.

It’s clearly only for the most hardcore of Lego Star Wars fans, but the grin on their face when they open this gift from you will stretch from ear to ear.

See at Amazon

Star Wars From a Certain Point of View

There are a lot of great Star Wars books out there, but this one is unlike all the others. If you’ve never read any of the From a Certain Point of View books, you should make this the first one. This is a collection of short stories from the Star Wars universe where the main themes we all know and remember are retold from the perspective of someone who is not the main character.

The paperback is only going to set you back $20, and this really should be on every Star Wars fans bookshelf.

See at Amazon

Star Wars Battlefront II PlayStation 4 Pro

You don’t have to be a hardcore Star Wars fan to enjoy the new Battlefront II game, but if you know a fan who has been looking to upgrade their PlayStation 4 you might consider this as a gift. It’s a standard PlayStation 4 Pro on the inside, but the outside includes three beautiful graphics on the top of the console and matching symbols on the included controller.

This $450 bundle is already a decent price for the nice theme, and getting the copy of Battlefront II in the box with it is a nice addition. Just, you know, keep an eye out for loot boxes.

See at Amazon

Millennium Falcon Multi-Tool

While not actually practical as a multi-tool you carry around and use every day — nothing replaces my Leatherman, sorry — this $30 kit will put a smile on the face of any Star Wars fan that is even the least bit handy.

The Falcon comes out the box looking like it has seen better days, and all of the included tools are actually functional. It’s cute, and you’ll probably try to use it a few times, but really this is something you’d rather have sitting on your workbench to bring a little geek into the shop.

See at Amazon

Did we miss something? Shout out in the comments!