Google’s undersea cable connecting US and Japan is now live
The $300 million trans-Pacific undersea cable backed by six companies, including Google, that connects Japan and the US is now online. It connects Oregon with the Chiba and Mie prefectures in Japan with 9,000 km (5,600 miles) of wires. However, those aren’t the only places that will benefit from its capacity to deliver speeds that can reach a whopping 60 terabits per second. The “FASTER cable,” as it’s called, has connections across the West Coast that cover Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Portland and Seattle, among other locations. It can also improve internet connections in Japan’s major cities and even in other Asian metropolises.
According to Google SVP Urs Hölzle, its 60Tbps total capacity is “more than any active subsea cable, and 10 million times faster than your cable modem.” Japanese company NEC Corporation began building FASTER back in 2014. Besides Google, the project was also backed by China Mobile International, China Telecom Global, Global Transit, KDDI and Singtel. The big G completely owns one part of FASTER, though, particularly the cables connecting Japan and Taiwan, which have a smaller, but still impressive, capacity of 20 Tbps.
Source: Urs Hölzle (Google+), NEC
A digital music box for the nostalgic remix artist
Ye olde music boxes were the first way for folks to play songs in their home by using a mass-produced cylinders, each loaded with a unique tune. As the player rotated the tube, irregular pegs jutting from it would strike a comb of tines on the box — and voila, audio for the people. We’ve come a ways since then, but the revolving player was too tempting a mechanism, it seems. The XOXX Composer is a modern take that’s more beat pad redux than revolution, but it’s far more charming and tactile than a field of buttons.
The digital music box uses magnetic marbles that stick to one of 16 clearly-marked spots on each wheel, triggering sounds when they spin over the sensor on the base plate. Users assign different instruments or tones to each wheel, which have their own sliders for pitch and volume. Connect the XOXX to a computer over a MIDI connection and let the good mixing times roll.
Sadly, the digital music box is not yet for sale. Inventor Axel Bluhme built early prototypes while studying at the Royal College of Art in London, but he has yet to develop it into a full commercial product, he tells The Verge. But since each magnetic node clearly corresponds to 1/16 of a beat, it could become a great visual alternative to the traditional flat beat pad for the novice digital mixer.
Via: The Verge
Google Keep auto-creates topics for your notes
Google Keep’s new feature will help you find notes old and new even if you never even bothered slapping a label on them. The free app now organizes your notes based on automatically created topics, such as food, places and travel. Even better, you can look for entries simply by clicking on the search bar to bring up topic shortcuts you can access. Google didn’t exactly explain how it works, but Keep likely takes cues from the words you use. If you write down “pack for trip to Paris,” the app will automatically associate that entry with travel. Useful, especially if you’re too lazy to organize your to-do lists and “notes to self” manually. The new feature is now live on Android and iOS, as well as for Keep on the web.
#GoogleKeep organized. Search automagically created topics like books, food and quotes for @Android, iPhones and web pic.twitter.com/wccSbThYpQ
— Google Docs (@googledocs) June 29, 2016
Source: Google Docs (Twitter)
Global internet speeds are on the rise again
Yes, South Korea still has the fastest internet in the world. But, according to content delivery network Akamai, average global speeds are up overall from late last year, jumping to 6.3 Mbps. More than that, we’re seeing increases in increases in IPv6 adoption with Belgium leading the way and the older IPv4 slowly dropping off on a global scale. And if you were wondering what mobile speeds are looking like lately, guess no more: average connections were at 27.9 Mbps in the UK and dipped to 2.2 Mbps in Algeria.
Further on that note, Android’s stock browser and Chrome Mobile make up 58 percent of smart device traffic, with Safari on iOS lagging behind at 33 percent. A likely cause of that is just how widespread Android devices are versus those running Apple’s mobile OS, especially in developing countries where the price of admission for an iPhone is so high.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Akamai
Experience virtual reality for just $19 with the VR Box Headset
After years of hype, Virtual Reality is finally taking the world by storm. And while there are some great ultra-expensive headset devices on the market, you can take a dazzling leap into the world of VR with a simple, cost-effective contraption which uses the screen on your smartphone.
The Virtual Reality Box Headset has expanded on Google’s ‘Cardboard’ technology to produce a VR headset to deliver an incredible immersive experience. For a limited time, you can pick up your own for just £13.88 ($18.99) on Pocket-lint Deals.
This premium headset is made from high quality ABS plastic, with 42mm spherical resin lenses to deliver seamless and gorgeous 3D effects to the wearer. Simply fire up the accompanying app, insert your phone into the sliding tray, adjust the one-size-fits-all design to your liking, and you’re ready to go. Stereoscopic images are presented as a single 3-dimensional picture to your eyes, delivering the VR experience you’ve been craving.
Your Virtual Reality Box Headset is compatible with phone models running up to and including iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note series. When you’re ready to take the leap, the list of available VR apps is as extensive as they are exciting, with dozens of options in both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store to give you a deep-dive experience in an exciting new realm.
Play VR games in an immersive and exhilarating setting, watch movies in a virtual cinema, or explore dedicated VR demo apps with the wide range of accessibility as you take your first leap into a whole new world of adventure and entertainment.
Your Virtual Reality Box Headset ships internationally, and is offered at a highly appealing 36 per cent off for a limited time from Pocket-lint Deals.
This intelligent tape measure may be the world’s smartest
Regular tape measures are so last year. Forward-thinking creators (and anyone who needs to measure anything) should turn to Bagel, the “smart” tape measure. It also looks vaguely like a bagel. Sort of.
Bagel is up on Kickstarter looking to raise $30,000 to bring you a digital tape measure that offers three different measuring modes, the ability to save measurements, record voice memos and even sync data with its companion mobile app.
You can utilize Bagel’s string mode to obtain measurements more akin to analog tools up to 10 feet with strong Dyneema string that can withstand up to 112 lbs. Alternatively, you can use Bagel’s wheel mode to roll it on its side and measure curved distances with one hand. You can also use the remote mode, which features a laser pointer and allows you to measure horizontal and vertical distances.
If you’re interested in backing the Bagel, which is poised to offer several features that should absolutely make measuring a much easier process, you can pledge $59 to snag one unit with a micro USB cable at 45% off its estimated price while it’s still being Kickstarted.
Source: Kickstarter
AI lawyer shoots down 160,000 parking tickets
Who said that chat bots were gimmicks? Certainly not DoNotPay’s Joshua Browder. He recently noted to VentureBeat that his service’s AI-driven virtual lawyer has successfully contested 160,000 parking tickets in London and New York City in nearly 2 years of service, saving drivers millions in the process. It’s not the most complicated bot, as it’s really just asking simple questions about the circumstances of the ticket and walking you through the appeal. However, it’s both effective (it successfully challenged 64 percent of tickets) and, importantly, free — you don’t have to pay a real lawyer to dish out advice.
Browder plans to make a habit out of cutting red tape with his technology. He has bots in progress that would get travelers compensation for long flight delays, explain legal rights to people with HIV and even help refugees apply for asylum. The DoNotPay service should expand to other cities, too, starting with Seattle in the fall. This won’t completely eliminate paperwork, court dates or lengthy phone calls, but it might help you minimize or even avoid that drudgery when it really isn’t necessary.
Via: The Guardian
Source: VentureBeat
Drawing App ‘Procreate Pocket’ Available for Free Through Apple Store App
Popular drawing and sketching app Procreate Pocket for the iPhone can be downloaded for free this week through Apple’s Apple Store app. Procreate Pocket has a wide range of painting, sketching, and drawing tools for making art on the iPhone.
On the iPhone 6s, it features 3D Touch pressure sensitivity, and it can be used with an Apple Watch for quick color selection. There’s a full layering system, 18 layer blend modes, tools for adjusting hue, saturation, brightness, and curves, and more.
To get the app, make sure to follow these instructions:
Open the Apple Store app.
Tap “Stores” on the tab bar at the bottom of the app.
Scroll down to “iPhone Upgrade Program.”
Swipe left three times until you see the Procreate icon.
Tap the icon.
Choose “Download now for free.”
When taken to the App Store, enter your password and then click “Redeem.” The app will start downloading automatically.Apple has offered several free apps through its own Apple Store app in the past, including Day One 2. The deal only pertains to the iPhone version of Procreate, normally priced at $2.99. [Direct Link]
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Night mode shows that Twitter’s finally serious about its Android app
A smart transition takes things from white to black, but still keeps the app easy to read.
For a long time — OK, a long time insofar as Twitter is concerned — the conventional wisdom was that the powers that be cared only about you tweeting from Twitter’s website, and apps be damned. The official app was long outpaced by third-party offerings, at least until Twitter began to choke out those apps by limiting the number of users they could top out at.
Things are different now. And that’s no more apparent than with the recent addition of a dark “night mode” in the official Twitter app.
It’s still rolling out gradually, and presumably not beyond the beta channel yet. (This can be more than a little confusing because Twitter tends to do a number of things server-side, and not with a mere app update.) But open the drawer and flip the toggle. It’s not an immediate turning off of the lights, but a gradual setting of the sun. OK, that’s a little too poetic. But the transition itself shows that someone is paying more attention to the app these days.
It’s not a none-more-black sort of design. It’s not that harsh, with plenty of white text and blue links and buttons to balance out the gray. But it’s definitely a well-done option for those who prefer a deeper shade of Twitter.
If you’re not seeing this snazzy new night mode yet, you’re not alone. But if you are, welcome to the club. We’re having jackets made.
OnePlus says it’s considering hiking the price of OnePlus 3 due to Brexit
You can now be angry at those who voted to “leave” the European Union (EU) for yet another reason: a more expensive OnePlus 3.
The OnePlus 3 smartphone currently costs £309 in the UK, making it one of the most affordable, premium smartphones on the market, but that might soon change, as OnePlus has just warned customers about a potential price hike. In a notice sent to the media and posted to the company’s forums, OnePlus said it might have to increase pricing due to a recent drop in value of the British pound.
As you’re probably aware, the UK held a vote recently to either leave or remain in the EU. The “leave” side ended up winning, causing the GBP to drop to $1.33, it’s lowest level against the US dollar in 31 years. Although the Pound has done slightly better since then, OnePlus apparently felt it had to acknowledge Brexit and the subsequent downward trend of the GBP, as well as admit that its pricing in the UK will likely change as a result.
“Our margins have always been thin, and our expenses are mainly in USD. This being the case, sudden drops such as the one that the Pound has recently experienced could have a direct impact on our prices,” OnePlus explained. “We’re telling you this now because we don’t want you to be blindsided. If you’re thinking of buying, we recommend doing so sooner rather than later.”
After reading that last part of OnePlus’ statement, we wondered if the company was taking advantage of the situation in order to instantly boost sales. That said, OnePlus claimed it won’t take the decision to change pricing lightly: “We have only had to increase prices once before, when the Euro hit a nine-year low against the dollar at the beginning of 2015, and we did so reluctantly,” it said.
OnePlus emphasised that it can’t sell at a loss, as that obviously means OnePlus won’t have a future. As noted by AndroidPolice, OnePlus currently earns around $40 less from a OnePlus 3 sold than it did a week ago. So, it makes sense that the company is considering a price hike, but it also means you might now feel pressured to make that OnePlus phone purchase you’ve been mulling for awhile.
