Researchers find a new way to convert heat into electricity

When we think about ways to make existing power plants more efficient, we typically look at waste heat. It’s something almost everything generates — coal plants, automobiles and even your refrigerator loses a sizeable amount of energy to lost heat. Capturing and using this heat to generate electricity with can save money and reduce fossil fuel consumption, but capturing power from that heat has always been a challenge. Now, researchers have created a new material that could represent a major step forward in thermoelectric electricity production.

A team of researchers from the University of Houston, Cambridge, Morgan State University and other institutions have created a new thermoelectric material that offers almost more than twice as much power output than the average power conversion compound. The specifics are a little confusing, but it works like this: thermoelectric are measured by either their power efficiency or their power factor. Most materials are considered “good” if they have a power factor of about 40. The group’s new material — a compound made up of nibium, iron, antimony, niobium and titanium — boasts a power factor of 106.

This means the new material can output 22 watts per square centimeter, as oppose to the 5 to 6 watt output that’s typically produced from thermoelectric heat reclamation materials. Ironically, this doesn’t mean it’s more efficient, but it does mean that the new compound could be a better solution for large-scale heat waste sources like coal plants. That could both increase the profitability of a plant and help slow climate change by reducing emissions. Sounds good to us. Check out the group’s full paper at the source link below.

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: PhysOrg, PNAS

Teardown of 13-inch MacBook Pro With Touch Bar Reveals ‘Cosmetic’ Speaker Grilles

iFixit has published a teardown of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and discovered a few interesting differences compared to Apple’s new lower tier MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar. Both 13-inch models have the exact same dimensions, but the Touch Bar machine weighs 20 grams less, which iFixit puts down to the laptop’s smaller battery.

As expected, Apple’s new MacBook Pro is not designed to be user-serviceable, earning an iFixit repairability rating of 1/10. In the course of disassembly, iFixit found that the internal layout of the components has been redesigned to make space for the new Touch Bar, which broke as it was removed from the chassis and was deemed difficult to replace. The flex cable connecting the Touch Bar to the mainboard also wraps underneath it, making removal even more difficult.

Orange boxes show where internal speakers are located.
iFixit also found that the new improved speakers are located in the lower portion of the case, while the external speaker grilles are positioned in the top half of the case and don’t even go clear through to the internals, making them extremely unlikely to provide any outlet for audio. Instead, sound is thought to be projected from air vents on the sides of the case – a design feature not seen on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys.

iFixit also notes that fixing a faulty power switch likely involves replacing the entire logic board, because the button doubles up as a sapphire-topped Touch ID sensor which pairs with the Apple’s soldered down T1 chip. Elsewhere, ten accessible screws hold down the new larger trackpad, which is identical to the one found in the 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys, suggesting a replacement part would be cross-compatible.

Unlike the removable storage drive in the lower tier 13-inch MacBook, the SSD is soldered onto the mainboard, along with the RAM modules and the processor, making upgrades after the fact an impossibility. The 5-cell 49.2Wh battery is also attached with adhesive, making it particularly hard to remove when it comes to replacing.

Check out the full teardown on iFixit’s website.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: iFixit
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Reddit iOS Update Brings Support for iPad

Reddit today updated its official iOS app to version 2.0, fixing a few bugs for Reddit Live as well as introducing full support for the iPad. The first-party app, which launched in April of this year, has been available only for the iPhone and iPod touch until today.

On the iPad, Reddit keeps essentially all of the same features and tabs that users can expect: timeline, subscriptions, inbox, and profile. Each area of the app allows users to browse their subreddits, search for new ones, comment on posts, reply to messages, and more.

Many users have stuck to popular third-party Reddit apps like Narwhal, iAlien, Baconreader, Eggplant, Antenna, and Alien Blue in place of Reddit’s official app. Alien Blue, which was acquired by Reddit in 2014, has since been deleted from the App Store so as to not conflict with the company’s new first-party app.

Reddit: The Official App can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Reddit
Discuss this article in our forums

Watch Dogs 2 contains sexually explicit full frontal nudity, Ubisoft promises patch

Watch Dogs 2 has received great review scores, including our own, and from our own experience gets better and better as you play more. However, it has courted a spot of controversy of late.

Not only has its promised seamless online multiplayer functionality been troublesome, causing crashes and prompting Ubisoft to can it while a fix is found, one player found a rather unsavoury character model in the game. One of the female non-player characters has a graphic representation of lady parts showing for all to see.

Watch Dogs 2 is a PEGI 18 game, but even an adult would be surprised to see this kind of full-frontal nudity in a game. They might even be so shocked that they post the resulting image on their Twitter feed.

@Swizzasaur

That’s exactly what @Swizzasaur did, using the PS4 Share functionality of his console. We’ve posted a censored version above, but you can see the full NSFW version on his Twitter account.

Sadly for him, even though it was posted more in a “what the?” style than anything salubrious, Sony then subsequently suspended him from the PlayStation Network for sharing adult content.

Thankfully, the company eventually saw sense and reinstated his account.

Ubisoft, publisher of Watch Dogs 2, has also responded, admitting that the NPC model is indeed inappropriate and vowing to release a patch to get rid of the nudity. It hasn’t said how the pornographic content got in there in the first place though. Our bet is on late nights and (very) lonely graphics artists.

No, Samsung probably isn’t going to sell refurbished Note 7s in 2017

Resurfaced report claiming Samsung will sell refurbed versions of exploding handset actually dates back to September.

Are you ready for a bizarre footnote in the Galaxy Note 7 saga? First picked up by SamMobile and attributed to Korean outlet The Investor (which has made its name in recent weeks with some questionable Galaxy S8 rumors), the story goes that notoriously fire-prone handset might go on sale again in 2017 — at least in emerging markets like India and Vietnam.

[Samsung] is expected to sell the refurbished products of its handset from next year, according to sources. “Samsung has not made a final decision yet, but it will likely sell the refurbished Note 7 units next year,” an industry source said. The source anticipated the refurbished handsets will be mostly sold in emerging markets such as India and Vietnam where low-end and mid-range smartphones are popular.

Except that probably won’t happen. The story has been picked up by multiple outlets in recent days, however the original source is a report dated September 26, a few weeks before the Note 7 was killed off for good. Back when the original story was published — with supposedly “safe” Note 7s being sent out to consumers under the recall program — it was absolutely realistic that Samsung might want to replace the internals of the old “unsafe” models and sell them on as refurbs. Right now, after a second recall and subsequent cancellation? No way.

As it stands, there’s no such thing as a “safe” Note 7, and a full-page ad run in U.S. newspapers last week suggested the company was still investigating what was making the phones go boom.

So the Note 7 is still dead, and probably isn’t ever going back on sale. All the standard arguments against a return for the product still apply. The Note 7 is a joke, and its brand is terminally damaged. Samsung is surely hoping to just sweep the whole thing under some kind of giant, fire-retardant rug at this point, and instead focus on the Galaxy S8.

Update: Samsung declined to comment on the report, saying it doesn’t comment on rumor or speculation. We’ve also updated this article to clarify that the original source dates back to late September.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 fires, recall and cancellation: Everything you need to know
• Survey results: Samsung users stay loyal after Note 7 recall
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

OnePlus 3T is coming to O2 UK — just weeks after its predecessor

UK carrier partnership to continue with new, upgraded OnePlus 3T model.

OnePlus and O2 made waves with their partnership to bring the OnePlus 3 to British store shelves, including the option to buy on contract. And it looks like the partnership will continue with the OnePlus 3T, as the carrier has confirmed that it’ll range the mid-cycle refresh from OnePlus.

Pre-orders begin November 17 ahead of the November 28 street date.

The OnePlus 3T will be available to pre-order from O2 this Thursday, 17th November – in-store, online or over the phone. We’ll be announcing our tariffs and pricing details soon and I’ll update this thread with more info once pre-orders are live

O2’s pricing has always tracked slightly higher than OnePlus’s, so we can expect a similar pricing pattern when pre-orders go live.

It’s unclear whether the OnePlus 3T will completely replace the OnePlus 3 on O2 store shelves — the timing of the 3T launch has it coming to O2 stores less than two months after its predecessor first went on sale through the network.

The OnePlus 3T brings a few important spec bumps to the table, including a Snapdragon 821 processor, a bigger 3,400mAh battery and a 16-megapixel selfie camera. Bought direct from OnePlus, it sells for £70 more than the regular OnePlus 3, at £399.

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T

• OnePlus 3 review: Finally, all grown up
• The OnePlus 3T is official
• OnePlus 3 specs
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3 in the forums

OnePlus

Want the OnePlus 3T? You’ll have to go to O2

OnePlus has just revealed the much anticipated OnePlus 3T smartphone, with more power and a longer battery life than its OnePlus 3 predecessor. The 3T will go on sale in the UK from Monday 28 November and O2 has signed up to be the exclusive stockist of the device.

• OnePlus 3T is official, complete with beefier battery and processor

You’ll be able to pre-order one from 17 November or head to a pop up event at O2’s 134 Oxford Street London store to pick one up from 3.02pm on Thursday 24 November.

The OnePlus 3T is available in 64GB and 128GB storage options, with the former being available on an O2 Refresh tariff with 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of data for £31/month, or £42/month for unlimited minutes and texts and 5GB of data. You’ll need to pay £9.99 upfront for both tariffs.

Alternatively you can buy a SIM-free 64GB OnePlus 3T from O2 for £417.99.

Tariffs for the 128GB model start at £33/month for 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of data or £44/month for unlimited minutes and texts and 5GB of data, both with no upfront payment. You can also buy the 128GB model SIM-free for £456.

For a full range of tariffs you can head to the dedicated OnePlus 3T page on O2’s website from tomorrow. 

Magnus McDonald, head of devices at O2 said: “As the only operator in the UK to sell the OnePlus 3, we’re proud to be continuing our relationship with OnePlus and to bring our customers the OnePlus 3T.”

“Demand for the OnePlus 3 has exceeded all our expectations and we’re excited tos ee how successful our partnership with OnePlus can be”.

• OnePlus 3T: Release date, price and everything you need to know

The OnePlus 3T features a new 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor and a larger 3400mAh battery. It also packs a new 16-megapixel camera with sapphire glass covering as well as electronic and optical image stabilisation.

Wells Fargo will use ‘robo-advisers’ to dish out investment help

You won’t have to go to a dedicated, tech-focused firm to get investment help from machines instead of humans. Wells Fargo has revealed that it’s using SigFig’s “robo-advisers” to offer guidance to investors. The sometimes troubled bank will launch a pilot program for the AI helpers sometime in the first half of 2017. It’s not certain when you could see it widely available, but that will likely depend on the test’s success.

The concept isn’t completely new. UBS is using SigFig’s service to help its human advisers, and both Bank of America as well as Morgan Stanley are developing rough equivalents. Wells Fargo may be one of the first to take this automated advice into the mainstream, however. It has over 70 million customers worldwide, so courting even a fraction of its base would put robo-advisers in front of many, many eyeballs.

Source: Reuters

Disney Research’s AI system knows what a car sounds like

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sound is just as important to how we experience the world as how we see it — that’s why a team at Disney Research is working on a computer vision system that can not only recognize what an image is, but how it sounds, too. In an initial study presented at the European Conference on Computer Vision, the group’s system successfully managed to pair appropriate audio with images of doors closing, glasses clinking and vehicles driving down the road.

Audio association might be easy for humans, but teaching a computer to do it is actually pretty challenging. Disney researchers trained AI to recognize the sound of images by feeding it a collection of videos demonstrating an object making a specific sound, but background noise, narration or sound made from other objects could easily confuse the system. If the system was fed samples with most of the uncorrelated sounds filtered out, however, it did a pretty good job of suggesting the right sound for each image. Still, the system isn’t perfect: the team reports that it occasional had trouble differentiating the image of a car or a tram, causing it to sometimes suggest the wrong sound for a particular vehicle.

Audio image recognition probably isn’t useful to most of the population, but the team hopes it can be used to create an automatic Foley processing system for video production — making it easier for editors to add-in sound-effects during the production process. The technology may also be able to help the visually impaired by creating an image personification system, enabling them to ‘hear’ objects on a computer screen. Still, Disney Research has a lot of work to do before it gets close to making either of those futures a reality.

Source: Eureka Alert, Disney Research