First-person-view drone flying is the closest thing to being a bird

Just moments ago, I was flying like a hawk. It wasn’t a dream, or even virtual reality. It was a real, immersive experience fully under my control. Moments later, I’m very much on the ground, poking at some dense, tangled shrubbery with a stick. I had been operating a tiny camera-equipped mini quadcopter, via video goggles that beam the drone’s eye-view right into your peepers. It’s known as “first person view” (FPV) flying, and it’s an incredibly fun out-of-body experience. Imagine being shrunk to the size of an ant and sitting in a virtual cockpit and you’ll have an idea of where I’m going here.

Why the stick, though? Today I went too high, got caught by a gust of wind and landed on a canopy of vegetation. I’m prodding at the knotted vines in the vain hope I might dislodge it. I’ve become so fond of my zen-time in the goggles that my stomach sinks at the thought of all that coming to an end. I’m not leaving until I find this thing.

FPV flying isn’t new, but historically it’s either been complicated or expensive, not to mention it requires both space and skill. At $150, the Blade Nano QX2 drone I was flying is relatively affordable, suitable for new or experienced pilots and can be flown indoors — though you’ll need to pay about the same for optional goggles. The benefit of flying inside is a practical one: You don’t have to waste time finding somewhere you can legally operate the device. You can practice as much as you want in the comfort of your own home. There’s usually no tangled shrubbery either.

I’ve experimented with FPV flying before, but with bigger drones like the DJI Phantom. These require you to keep an eye on them, so I only ever managed a quick second in the goggles to check my shot, or else I wore them while someone else controlled the device. This passive viewing is enjoyable, but nowhere near as fun as when you’re at the helm. The QX2 is lightweight, but robust enough to take a few knocks (of which there will be many). Importantly, it’s small enough that it can’t do much harm, though it will nip you if the motors catch you.

My first few FPV flights with the QX2 and optional goggles were mostly spent doing the “walk of shame” — i.e., retrieving it after a crash. It’s easy to bang into walls at first as the tiny drone is surprisingly responsive. Bigger, outdoor craft like DJI’s Phantom series, or Yuneec’s Typhoon are much more stable; with the QX2 you’re constantly making minor adjustments. It’s not difficult to pick it up, though, and before long I was taking corners at speed and zipping around my apartment, much to the annoyance of my cat.

What makes the QX2 interesting is that it transmits video right out of the box. There are myriad cheap, tiny quadcopters with cameras on them, but not so many at this price that have the wireless video link built in. The QX2 transmits at 5.8GHz, on what are often known as “Fat Shark frequencies” — a reference to their compatibility with the popular brand of video goggles. Typically there are eight channels (sometimes more), so you and seven friends can fly together without interfering with each other. Anyone in range with compatible goggles can “tune in” to your camera. This is what lets the audience to get a “front row seat” at drone racing events.

The YouTube videos from these “nano” quadcopters are mostly tours around their owner’s condos. Like a weird version of “Cribs” for middle-aged goggle-wearing hobby enthusiasts. The grainy clips are equal parts product review, and voyeuristic snooping around someone’s house. The QX2’s onboard camera isn’t high quality; it’s just for FPV, not recording video (though you can do that with some models of Fat Shark).

It took a few weeks before I was good enough at flying that I could sit in my front room darting around the house until the battery gave out (it lasts about six minutes). It was during one of these flights that my conscious control of the QX2 gave way to something else: I really felt like I was flying. While I was learning, I would stay low, or at waist height. With more confidence, I started going higher and faster. Flying high meddles with my internal sense of balance, and feels like floating. It was this feeling that I started crave.

The difference between being the pilot rather than passive viewer is the direct connection between visual input and your manual control of the quadcopter. If you’re about to bang into a wall, but micro-adjust to avoid it, it feels real and comes with a spike of adrenaline. Just watching a video of the same maneuver doesn’t engage the brain in the same way. While passively viewing I can remain still. When I’m darting around objects, my head moves left and right. I feel the proximity as I narrowly miss a tree.

An unexpected side effect of flying FPV is that I start to dream about flying. This is one the more common themes I have in my unconscious state, even if I can only remember a few flying dreams a year. Pro drone racer Chris Haskins tells me that it’s not just newcomers either. Flying with the goggles still feels like an out-of-body experience to him — and that it often permeates his dreams. And, just like regular dreams, they can contain a message. “I often dream about a troublesome part of the track and how to clean up my flying.”

The good thing about the QX2 is that while it’s ideal for beginners, it’s fast and acrobatic enough to teach you lots about flying techniques. The fact the FPV is ready to go without needing any modifications is a real bonus as well. You will, however, need to buy an RC transmitter (controller), but any standard one will do, in case you have one already.

If you have maker chops, then you could instead build your own FPV drone for less money, but for the rest of us, the QX2 is a great place to start. As for goggles, there are many options, but Fat Shark’s Teleporter model (around $160 with 320 x 240 resolution) is a good entry point, though you’ll soon want to upgrade to those with a bigger resolution. I promise.

As with all vices, you’ll quickly feel a desire to increase the dosage. I upgraded to Fat Shark’s Dominator HD goggles, which have a bigger (800 x 600) display, and it’s a much more immersive experience. (And at over $500, it’s more expensive too.) I’ve also been keen to try out the Avegant Glyph, which offers a much clearer, 720p image. The Glyph doesn’t receive the wireless signal, though; instead it requires an HDMI input. That said, many consumer drones now come with HDMI ports on the controller/transmitter that will feed video right into the Glyph.

For now, though, the QX2 and Fat Shark combo is a solid, affordable introduction into FPV. Which is just as well, as it looks like I’m going to have to buy another one.

Apple Appoints Bob Mansfield to Oversee Electric Vehicle Team

Apple has appointed former longtime executive Bob Mansfield, who last served as Senior Vice President of Technologies at the company, to oversee development of its widely rumored electric vehicle, according to The Wall Street Journal. All senior managers on the project now report to him.

Apple announced that Mansfield was retiring in June 2012, but a few months later said he would remain with the company as an advisor. He last worked on Apple’s “Special Projects” team, reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook, and has made regular appearances on campus despite stepping down from day-to-day work four years ago.

Until recently, Mr. Mansfield—who, along with design chief Jony Ive, was one of the few executives to appear in Apple’s carefully-crafted product announcement videos—had all but retreated from the company aside from the occasional visit, these people said. Earlier this month, employees at Apple noticed in the company directory that all the senior managers on the car project were now reporting to Mr. Mansfield, they said.

Apple has reportedly recruited hundreds of engineers from the likes of Tesla, Ford, GM, and elsewhere to work on the so-called Apple Car, codenamed “Project Titan” internally. The electric vehicle could be street-ready between 2019 and 2021 according to various reports, with R&D based in Sunnyvale, California. Many question marks remain about the extent of the vehicle’s design, autonomous capabilities, and other features.

Mansfield joined Apple in 1999 and has been instrumental in the company’s recent success, overseeing the development of past MacBook Air, iPhone, and iPad designs. Under the Special Projects team, he also played a role behind the Apple Watch. His decision to remain at Apple in 2012 was influenced by both a generous compensation package and former iOS chief Scott Forstall’s departure.

Project Titan as a whole was previously under Dan Riccio, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, according to Rene Ritchie. Steve Zadesky, who held a senior role at Apple related to the electric vehicle project since 2014, left the company earlier this year for personal reasons. Zadesky reported to Riccio until his departure, as the leader of one of multiple teams working on the electric vehicle.

Related Roundup: Apple Car
Tag: Bob Mansfield
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iPhone Rumored to Include Iris Scanning Capabilities Starting in 2018

Apple is working on iPhones with iris scanning capabilities that could debut in 2018, reports DigiTimes in a wider piece about increasing interest in advanced biometric functionality in smartphones.

Iris scanning would potentially be used in place of Touch ID as a way to verify a user’s identity, performing functions like making payments and unlocking an iOS device. Each person’s iris, or the circular colored muscle of the eye, contains a complex and random pattern that is unique to each individual, much like a fingerprint.

An iris recognition machine at the Schiphzl Airport
Apple has been rumored to be looking into iris scanning in the past and it is a technology that is gaining interest in the smartphone arena. Samsung is said to be planning to debut its iris recognition technology as soon as next month with the introduction of the Galaxy Note 7.

Current iris scanning implementations have some notable benefits over Touch ID, including no need for direct contact to unlock a device and faster unlock speeds, but there are also drawbacks such as poor functionality in low lighting and issues with performance following alcohol consumption and eye surgery.

DigiTimes is not always a reliable source of information, so the rumor should be viewed with some skepticism until confirmed, but KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also believes Apple is planning on introducing new biometric features in a future iPhone, which could include either facial or iris scanning. Kuo’s rumor pertained to the 2017 iPhone, but it’s always possible such an advanced feature won’t be ready to debut until a later date.

There are no rumors about the 2018 iPhone as of yet, but it will follow the 2017 iPhone, which is rumored to feature radical design changes in the form of an edge-to-edge OLED display with no home button and a camera and Touch ID sensor that are integrated into the screen. Wireless charging, a faster A11 processor, and a fully glass body like the iPhone 4 are also possibilities for the device and will likely also be seen in the follow-up 2018 iPhone.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
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Apple Maps Expands Transit Data to San Diego and British Columbia

Apple recently updated its Maps app to include transit information in San Diego, California and British Columbia, Canada allowing iOS users in those locations to incorporate public transportation options when seeking directions through the Apple Maps app.

In San Diego, Apple Maps will now offer up routes that include transportation by the city’s Trolley, which connects the east and south counties with the Downtown area. The Trolley is San Diego’s light rail system and sole public transportation option besides buses.

In Vancouver, Victoria, and other cities in British Columbia, Canada, Apple Maps directions now incorporate the SkyTrain and other rail lines. Transit directions should be a welcome addition in Vancouver, which is Canada’s third-largest metropolitan area.

Transit directions were first added to Apple Maps in 2015 as part of iOS 9. At launch, transit information was only available in a handful of cities, but Apple has been working hard to expand the feature to additional locations.

Transit data is now available in more than 20 cities around the world, along with dozens of cities in China.

Tag: Apple Maps
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Share your Prisma pics on the Android Central forums!

Join the discussion and share your best Prisma creations!

With artistic photo filtering app Prisma now available on Android, there’s a massive new user base for the app’s AI-enhanced artwork. Android owners have been sharing pics across all the usual social places, and over on the Android Central forums, readers have been sharing a few of their creations.

So if you’ve been experimenting with Prisma today, be sure to drop by the forums and share your pics with everyone. Be sure to mention which filters you used, and any other tricks for getting the most out of this unique new app.

MORE: Prisma pics on the Android Central forums!

Sprint reports higher post-paid subscriber additions but still hit with net loss

Sprint has reported its latest financial numbers for the first quarter of fiscal year 2016. While the wireless carrier stated it had the highest post-paid subscriber additions for the quarter in nine years, it still had a net loss of $302 million, which was bigger than the $20 million it lost from the same period a year ago. The company recorded operating revenues of $8 billion during the quarter.

Sprint stated that its first quarter post-paid subscriber additions of 173,000 represented the fourth consecutive quarter it had seen positive net additions. It also saw a postpaid phone churn of 1.39%, which it said was the best in the company history. Sprint had a total of 377,000 net additions to its service during the quarter.

Press release

Sprint Reports Highest First Quarter Postpaid Phone Net Additions in Nine Years, Lowest Ever Postpaid Phone Churn, and Postpaid Net Port Positive Against All Three National Carriers with First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2016 Results

Postpaid phone net additions of 173,000 are the fourth consecutive quarter of positive net additions

Postpaid phone churn of 1.39 percent is the best in company history and improved year-over-year for the sixth consecutive quarter

Postpaid net port positive against all three national carriers for the first time in over five years

Net loss of $302 million, Operating income of $361 million and Adjusted EBITDA* of $2.5 billion

Over $550 million of year-over-year reduction in cost of service and selling, general, and administrative expenses

Net cash provided by operating activities of $542 million improved by more than $400 million year-over-year; Adjusted free cash flow* of $466 million grew by $2.7 billion year-over-year

Delivering financial flexibility with nearly $11 billion of liquidity, including $5.1 billion of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments

Successfully raised $5.8 billion of liquidity in the quarter, including $2.2 billion of network-related financing, $1.1 billion from the second transaction with Mobile Leasing Solutions, LLC (MLS), and $2.5 billion under a new unsecured financing facility

LTE Plus Network now available in 237 markets

2.5GHz spectrum now carries more of Sprint’s LTE traffic than any other spectrum band

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 25, 2016 – Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) today reported operating results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, including the lowest postpaid phone churn in company history at 1.39 percent and a total liquidity position of nearly $11 billion. The company also reported total net operating revenues of $8 billion, net loss of $302 million, operating income of $361 million, and Adjusted EBITDA* of $2.5 billion.

“We had another quarter of solid progress in our turnaround with the highest first quarter postpaid phone net additions in nine years1, the lowest postpaid phone churn in company history, and finally being postpaid net port positive against all three national carriers after five years” said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. “We also grew wireless net operating revenue year-over-year while aggressively reducing the cash operating expenses of the business and our network is performing better than ever.”

Highest Fiscal First Quarter Postpaid Phone Net Additions in Nine Years1

Sprint’s focus on delivering the best value proposition in wireless resulted in the highest fiscal first quarter postpaid phone net additions in nine years and the fourth consecutive quarter of positive net additions with 173,000 in the quarter compared to net losses of 12,000 in the prior year quarter. The 185,000 year-over-year improvement was driven by both better acquisition and retention, as postpaid phone gross additions were up 10 percent year-over-year and postpaid phone churn of 1.39 percent improved 10 basis points to reach the lowest level in company history. Postpaid phone churn has improved year-over-year for six consecutive quarters.

The company recently launched an advertising campaign featuring Paul Marcarelli, the actor who used to ask if you “could hear me now” for Verizon, to highlight the fact that networks today aren’t that different so why should customers pay more. The campaign has been one of the most successful in company history. The ad has been viewed over 8 million times on YouTube and the company became postpaid net port positive against all three national carriers for the first time in over five years. Can you hear that?

The company also reported the following Sprint platform results:

Total net additions were 377,000 in the quarter, including postpaid net additions of 180,000, prepaid net losses of 331,000, and wholesale and affiliate net additions of 528,000.
Total postpaid churn of 1.56 percent in the quarter was flat year-over-year.
Top Line Stabilizes as Cost Reductions Continue

With trends improving in its postpaid phone business, Sprint reported total net operating revenues that were flat to the prior year quarter for the first time in over two years. In addition, wireless net operating revenues grew 1 percent year-over-year and postpaid wireless service revenues have remained at $4.8 billion for the last three quarters.

Sprint also made considerable progress in its ongoing effort to transform the cost structure of the business, as the company realized over $550 million year-over-year reduction in cost of services and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses. The company remains on track to achieve its goal of a sustainable reduction of $2 billion or more of run rate operating expenses exiting fiscal year 2016.

The company also reported the following financial results:

Net loss of $302 million, or $0.08 per share, in the quarter compared to a net loss of $20 million, or $0.01 per share in the year-ago period. The current quarter included $113 million of non-recurring contract termination charges primarily related to the termination of the pre-existing wholesale arrangement with Ntelos Holding Corp.
Operating income of $361 million in the quarter compared to operating income of $501 million in the year-ago quarter. Adjusting for the aforementioned contract termination charges related to the pre-existing wholesale arrangement with Ntelos Holding Corp. in the current quarter, operating income would have been relatively flat year-over-year.
Adjusted EBITDA* of $2.5 billion in the quarter grew 18 percent from the prior year period, primarily because of expense reductions, including over $550 million in cost of services and SG&A expenses.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $542 million in the quarter compared to $128 million in the prior year. The $414 million year-over-year improvement was driven by expense reductions and favorable changes to working capital.
Adjusted free cash flow* was positive $466 million in the quarter compared to negative $2.2 billion in the prior year. The $2.7 billion year-over-year improvement was due to expense reductions, lower capital spending, and net proceeds from our second transaction with MLS.
Liquidity Position Grows to Nearly $11 Billion

Sprint took several actions during the quarter to improve its financial flexibility, including successfully raising $2.2 billion of network-related financing, $1.1 billion from a second transaction with MLS, and $2.5 billion under a new unsecured financing facility, which was increased from its original $2 billion amount within the quarter. These transactions helped increase the company’s liquidity position to nearly $11 billion at the end of the quarter, including $5.1 billion of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. Additionally, the company has $1.1 billion of availability under vendor financing agreements that can be used toward the purchase of 2.5GHz network equipment.

The company continues to pursue additional financing initiatives, including additional handset and receivables financing transactions and a securitization involving a small portion of its spectrum assets.

LTE Plus Network Expansion Contributes to Speed and Reliability Performance

Sprint aims to unlock the value of the U.S.’s largest spectrum holding by densifying and optimizing its network to provide customers the best experience. The Sprint LTE Plus Network, which combines a rich tri-band spectrum portfolio with the LTE Advanced features of carrier aggregation and antenna beamforming, launched in 33 additional markets, increasing the total to 237 markets across the country.

Sprint’s LTE Plus Network expansion and its densification and optimization strategy have driven significant improvements in both data speeds and network reliability as noted by several third party sources.

Sprint’s LTE Plus Network continued to outperform Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile by delivering the fastest LTE download speeds based on recent crowd-sourced data from Nielsen.2 Additionally, Sprint’s reliability beat T-Mobile and performed within 1 percent of AT&T and Verizon.3
Independent mobile analytics firm RootMetrics® awarded Sprint 75 percent more first place Network Reliability RootScore® Awards (from 24 to 42) in the 125 markets measured in the first half of 2016 compared to the prior testing period, including wins in Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta.4
Sprint’s reliability beat Verizon and its average download speeds beat AT&T and T-Mobile, according to PC Magazine’s Fastest Mobile Networks 2016 report.
Sprint’s deployment of 2.5GHz spectrum has become an integral part of how the company meets the growing data usage and speed demands of its customers, as that spectrum band now carries the highest percentage of Sprint’s LTE data traffic.

Fiscal Year 2016 Outlook

The company continues to expect:

Operating income of $1 billion to $1.5 billion
Adjusted EBITDA* of $9.5 billion to $10 billion
Cash capital expenditures, excluding devices leased through indirect channels, of approximately $3 billion
Adjusted free cash flow* around break-even

Scientists map human brain in more detail than ever before

Scientists are still using a 100 year-old map to identify 83 known regions of the brain, but that’s about to change. A team from Washington University in St. Louis, working with the Human Connectome Project, has plotted 97 new areas of our gray matter, bringing the total to 180. The updated map will help researchers better explore the brain and may lead to breakthroughs in autism, schizophrenia and other neurological disorders. “If you want to find out what the brain can do, you have to understand how it is organized and wired,” says study leader Dr. David Van Essen.

Scientists scanned 1,200 test subjects with customized MRI machines packing three teslas of magnetic field strength. The patients were given simple tasks like listening to stories and doing math to see which regions lit up. They found that certain brain areas are clearly involved with, say, listening to a story, while others map a person’s field of view or control movement. The team not only developed a precise, well-defined map, but also released an “alignment algorithm” so that other researchers can repeat the tests.

The researchers defined 180 regions per hemisphere, but each of those can likely be subdivided further by future researchers. And while different regions of the brain perform specific functions, they also provide assistance and pass signals to other parts of the brain. In fact, the Human Connectome Project previously determined that strong connectivity between regions of the brain was a good marker for intelligence.

Using the algorithm, researchers and doctors can map a new subject’s brain in an hour or so with nearly 97 percent accuracy, even if the regions are irregular. The study should help doctors find areas affected by diseases like dementia to better see how treatments are working. Down the road, it will serve as a blueprint for further development and help us discover more about how our brain’s tick, and therefore, what makes us human.

Via: The New York Times

Source: Nature, WUSTL

Super-fast magnetic motor keeps tiny satellites on track

Satellites often rely on reaction wheels, or constantly spinning flywheels, to tweak their attitudes without using precious fuel. However, they tend to be very delicate — since they use ball bearings, they spin relatively slowly (under 6,000RPM), take up a lot of space, need tightly controlled environments and aren’t very precise. Thankfully, researchers at Celeroton have a better way. They’ve created a magnetically levitated motor that achieves the effect of a regular reaction wheel with virtually none of the drawbacks. Since its rotor floats in a magnetic field, it can spin much faster (up to 150,000RPM) without wearing out, creating vibrations or requiring a special, lubricated environment. And given that it produces the same angular momentum as a much larger reaction wheel, it’s perfect for CubeSats and any other tiny satellite where internal space is at a premium.

The motor is only a prototype at the moment, and it’ll take a while before there’s something commercially viable. However, multiple potential partners (including the European Space Agency) are reportedly interested. You may well see production satellites that can always adjust their positions, which might keep them useful well after conventional orbiters break down and become space junk.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: ETH Zurich

Apple Stock Forecasted to Rise as Lifetime iPhone Sales Reach 1 Billion

Apple will report its fiscal third quarter earnings results tomorrow, and both the company and analysts project a year-over-year decline in iPhone sales and overall revenue for a second consecutive quarter.

Apple expects third quarter revenue of between $41 billion and $43 billion, which would be up to 18 percent lower than the $49.6 billion in revenue it posted in the year-ago quarter. The consensus among analysts is around $42.1 billion in revenue, which is essentially the midpoint of Apple’s guidance.

Analysts estimate that Apple sold at least another 40 million iPhones during the June quarter, raising lifetime sales of the smartphone to some 987 million. Applying that sales rate to July — just over 13 million iPhones per month — it is likely that Apple will have sold its billionth iPhone between now and the end of this month.

The milestone comes at a time when iPhone sales are on the decline for the first time since the smartphone launched in 2007, an arguably inevitable lull following the smash-hit success of the larger-screened iPhone 6 series. The decline has affected Apple shares, which are down around 21 percent from a 52-week high of $123.91.

Nevertheless, many Wall Street firms expect iPhone growth to resume in 2017. The good news could extend to Apple’s stock, as The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that its “shares have been punished more than enough” and are due for a rally. It said the decline in iPhone sales “appears priced in.”

Still, Apple has been punished more than enough. The iPhone slump appears priced in. And while the next iPhone, expected later this year, likely won’t be a significant upgrade, there is optimism that sales growth will soon bounce back. Analysts forecast iPhone unit sales will rise 5% for fiscal 2017, which ends next September.

After briefly touching the $100 mark last week for the first time since early June, Apple shares are currently trading around the $98 mark, a price that some analysts feel undervalues the company.

Apple analyst Brian White of Drexel Hamilton reiterated his “buy” rating for AAPL today, based on a projected price target of $185. UBS analyst Steven Milunovich also issued a “buy” rating today with a 12-month price target of $115.

Apple is expected to introduce a wide range of new products in the second half of 2016 that could further raise its stock price, including the iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2, and long-awaited 2016 MacBook Pro.

Apple’s third quarter earnings results will be released at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time, followed by a conference call with CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the news.

Tag: AAPL
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