Recharging your electric car could be as simple as parking

WiTricity, one of the leaders in contactless, wireless charging is working with General Motors. The new partnership will, you guessed it, involve wirelessly charging electric vehicles. WiTricity’s prototype Drive 11 park and charge system works at both 7.7 kW and 11 kW systems and could even be installed under a substrate to offer cord-free power for public parking spaces.

More than that, this could potentially recharge any vehicle regardless of manufacturer, according to a press release. “The system design works across all plug-in electric vehicle platforms and can be deployed as a ‘floor pad’ in a consumer’s garage,” the statement says. Specifically, Toyota and Delphi (a major GM supplier) are already onboard with licensing agreements.

This could be a key step into making electric vehicles easier to own for consumers. Rather than having to plug in when you pull into your garage, all you’d have to do is drive over a mat or parking space to start refilling your ride’s batteries — no extra steps, or snakes, needed.

Peter Thiel pushes for commercial space flight in Trump’s NASA

Peter Thiel is using his position in Trump’s transition team to make sure commercial space grows even further under the new administration. A few weeks ago, the President-Elect named the first members of NASA’s “landing team,” who all seemed to favor a space agency that builds its own spacecraft and rockets with legacy government contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. According to The Wall Street Journal, though, Thiel “argued forcefully” for private space companies’ place in Trump’s NASA, essentially acting as the spokesperson for SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos who share his concerns.

Thiel’s efforts (with help from Newt Gingrich and former Republican Congressman Robert Walker) didn’t go to waste: ex-NASA official Charles Miller, a proponent of commercial space, has just been given a seat in Trump’s landing team. WSJ says the incoming administration is also expected to bring in other pro-private space personnel. The names floating around include Alan Lindenmoyer, the former chief of NASA’s commercial space taxi program, and Alan Stern, head of the New Horizons mission and chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

That said, not everyone’s happy with this development. The government’s legacy contractors are reportedly accusing Thiel and Musk of pushing for commercial space for their own financial gain. Thiel, one of Musk’s PayPal co-founders, was one of SpaceX’s earliest investors. WSJ clarifies that this landing team won’t exactly be in charge of running NASA under the Trump administration, so it could still go either way. However, they can exert their influence, help recruit like-minded personnel and even stay on to make decisions for the space agency.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

UK government is considering a drone pilot test

The UK government is considering a “knowledge or situational awareness test” for all British drone owners, similar to a driving theory examination. The proposed quiz could be voluntary, according to the Department for Transport, or mandatory as part of a new drone registration system. It was referenced in a new consultation drawn up to keep casual pilots in check, while encouraging drone research by the private sector. “The safety of other airspace users and the general public is dependent on leisure drone users adhering to the rules and understanding the risks,” ministers argue.

Among the new proposals is an online registration scheme that pilots would need to complete for quadcopters weighing 250 grams or more. (The same weight threshold would be applied to the theoretical test.) For reference, the foldable DJI Mavic and GoPro Karma drones weigh 743 grams and 1 kilogram respectively. You would need to register before your first flight and, most likely, pay a small fee for the privilege. The necessary form would be accessible online, the government suggests, or filled out during the acquisition of your drone. The government would then give you a registration number and send out reminders when it’s time for renewal.

The government is also interested in electronic tagging, but admits that the required technology “is not yet readily available, or of a size that can be fitted on to a drone.” Until such a system is achievable, minsters are considering an app that pilots would need to use before each flight. Starting in “one or two geographical areas,” this software would log your intention to fly and then send a summary with perceived hazards, such as nearby commercial airspace or power lines. “Through the pilots the government could assess whether such a mandatory requirement could benefit safety, security, privacy and enforcement.”

Other proposals include more testing facilities for small businesses. These could take the form of “Drone Innovation Zones,” in quiet, rural areas, formal regional test sites or a national drone testing centre, similar to the Wales UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Environment in Aberporth. The government is also interested in stronger geo-fencing — software-enabled restrictions on where you can fly — and mandating a copy of the Civil Aviation Authority’s “Dronecode” in quadcopter packaging.

None of these ideas have been finalised just yet. The government has simply recognised problems with drone ownership in the UK and put forth proposals which it thinks would mitigate them. Some are more practical than others, which is why ministers have published them as a consultation; experts, including pilots and manufacturers, are now free to come forward and give their feedback before they’re taken further.

Via: The Guardian

Source: GOV.UK

Algoriddim Brings ‘djay Pro’ to the iPhone

Algoriddim, known for its industry leading djay software, today released a brand new pro-level app for the iPhone, finally expanding djay Pro across Apple’s full line of iOS and Mac devices.

djay Pro for iPhone, which brings the pro features djay is known for to a pocket-sized device that can go anywhere, follows the release of both djay Pro for iPad and djay Pro for Mac and comes as Algoriddim celebrates its 10 year anniversary.

The app has been built for iOS 10 and the iPhone 7, incorporating features like 3D Touch and haptic feedback. The interface will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used one of djay’s other Pro apps, with support for two waveforms and up to four decks in either vertical or horizontal orientation.

The entire app has been optimized for the iPhone’s interface and while simple enough for a beginner to use, it goes deep enough to suit professionals. Tools are layered to accommodate a smaller screen, but everything is still right at your fingertips.

“djay Pro has been a huge hit on Mac and iPad,” said Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim. “iPhone 7 has enabled us to completely transform the user experience of djay Pro by using haptic feedback and 3D Touch. It puts a fully-featured DJ system in your pocket so you can be creative no matter where you are.”

On the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, waveform haptic support means users can actually feel the beats when scratching and scrubbing music for a much more visceral music making experience. 3D Touch has also been incorporated in an innovative way, letting users set cue points without needing to lift a finger from the iPhone’s screen.

Spotify integration, one of the features that really sets djay apart from other apps, is included as is full video integration for mixing and scratching two or more videos (including video shot directly with the iPhone’s camera).

Full hardware support is included in djay Pro for iPhone, so an iPhone can be plugged into a range of professional DJ controllers like the Reloop Beatpad, Reloop Beatpad 2, Pioneer DDJ- WeGO 3 and 4, and Numark Mixdeck Quad.

Like djay Pro for iPad and Mac, the iPhone version of the software features full accessibility options like haptic integration, VoiceOver options, and more. A built-in Apple Watch app also serves as a remote control for browsing through playlists, cueing up and mixing songs, and controlling advanced audio effects.

djay Pro for iPhone is available for a limited time launch price of $4.99. While built for the iPhone 7, it’s compatible with the iPhone 5 and later. iOS 10 is required. [Direct Link]

To celebrate the release of djay Pro for iPhone, Algoriddim is discounting its other products. The original djay 2 app for iPhone and iPad is available for $0.99, while djay Pro for Mac is available for $39.99 and djay Pro for iPad is available for $9.99.

Tag: djay
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AirPods Tidbits: Hidden Apple Watch Features, Durability Test, and High Resale Prices

Apple’s AirPods are now making their way into the hands of the first round of customers who ordered the wireless headphones last Tuesday, and more tidbits of information about the device have been shared online as users play around with Apple’s newest product.

Apple Watch Features

As more and more users begin wearing the AirPods, cool new features for the headphones are coming to light online, particularly a few buried menu items on the Apple Watch.

One Apple Watch wearer noticed that when a call comes in through the wearable, there’s a custom AirPods button when the headphones are connected and playing music. The AirPods button replaces the usual green answer button, simply designating that the call will be relayed through the AirPods and not through the Apple Watch speaker.

Users of Apple’s wearable can also swipe up from their watch face, tap battery percentage in control center, and check on their AirPods’ battery levels from the Watch. Otherwise, the AirPods’ battery levels can be checked in the iPhone’s battery widget.

Durability Test

As is the case with most new Apple devices, durability tests are also underway, and YouTube channel EverythingApplePro this week shared one of the first major real-world drop and water tests with the AirPods. In the video, the headphones are put through basic drop tests from waist and ear height, and then to upwards of ten feet. Scuffs and marks hit the charging case hardest, but the AirPods themselves made it through largely unscathed thanks to their lightweight build. Most importantly, both the AirPods and the charging case continued to work normally after each drop.

Water tests were also conducted on the AirPods, including a washing and drying cycle that confirmed the headphones and the case will survive and function as expected even after accidentally including them in a load of laundry. The channel’s ultimate stress test was five minute submersion under one foot of water. Even with those extreme conditions, the AirPods synced up with the iPhone immediately after submersion, and both headphones were “working perfectly.”

Resale Prices

Naturally, with so many people looking to gift the AirPods to family and friends for Christmas, resale prices are rising on eBay. Most auctions are sitting around the $250 mark with hours left to go, and guaranteed shipping by Christmas, but some Buy it Now prices are set at upwards of $350 and $500. Prices will only continue to inflate as Christmas grows closer and shipping costs rise to overnight packages.

Availability and Tracking

Certain retailers like Best Buy in the United States and Carphone Warehouse in the United Kingdom have restocked AirPods throughout the week, but Apple’s online website now has an estimated delivery in mid-February for most countries. Anyone who wants to keep as up to date as possible on AirPods availability can use iStockNow’s tracking map to see where the headphones are currently available.

Users are likely to see a map filled with red pins indicating no stock available, but we’ve seen occasional green pins show up throughout the morning. You’ll have to move quickly though, as they sell out very quickly.

Tag: AirPods
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The Earth’s core has a ‘jet stream’ of molten iron

You know jet streams as fast-flowing air currents in the atmosphere that can help predict temperature and help planes fly faster. According to data sent back by a trio of ESA satellites called Swarm, though, there’s also a jet stream deep beneath our planet’s surface, and it’s made of molten iron. A team of European scientists have discovered the jet stream in the Earth’s outer core that’s located 1,900 miles underneath its crust. It moves at 25 miles per year, three times faster than the speed of the other layers in the outer core and a thousand times faster than our planet’s tectonic plates.

Now, 25 miles per year doesn’t sound speedy at all, considering jet streams in the atmosphere can go as fast as 250 mph. “[B]ut you have to remember this is a very dense liquid metal,” Dr. Chris Finlay from the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Space) told BBC. “[I]t takes a huge amount of energy to move this thing around and that’s probably the fastest motion we have anywhere within the solid Earth.”

The scientists who discovered the rapidly-moving stream of metal believes it’s the result of two core layers moving towards a single boundary due to buoyancy or changes in the magnetic field within the core. When the liquids meet at that boundary, the mixture is squeezed out sideways to form the jet.

ESA’s Swarm satellites measure and track the different magnetic fields caused by the Earth’s core, crust, oceans, mantle and even the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. By monitoring magnetic fields, the satellites give scientists a way to figure out how the core’s layers move — it’s like having access to a detailed x-ray of the Earth. In fact, scientists discovered the jet stream thanks to bright spots in the magnetic field over Alaska and Siberia.

Swarm mission manager Rune Floberghagen said this is one of the first deep-Earth discoveries made possible by the trio of satellites. “With the unprecedented resolution now possible,” he said, “it’s a very exciting time — we simply don’t know what we’ll discover next about our planet.”

Via: LiveScience

Source: Nature, ESA

LeEco plans layoffs in India and other markets as it consolidates strategy for 2017

LeEco is downsizing operations as it looks to revamp strategy for 2017.

LeEco hasn’t fared well in recent months, and the company is now planning layoffs in several markets on account of the “overall volatility and uncertainty that is forecast for the global economy.” LeEco will downsize its operations in “all its offices in various geographies,” including India. Toward that effect, LeEco is suspending its plans to sell phones offline via retail stores in the country, slashing its advertising budget, and slowing down new product launches.

In the statement provided to Gadgets 360, LeEco affirmed that the layoffs were not due to “performance or competence parameters but entirely guided by business imperatives.” The company said that it was “open to offering outplacement services to affected employees who specifically seek assistance:”

As we transit to a more strategic phase of our operations in India, it is the appropriate time to assess and take steps to ensure the sustainability and profitability of our business.

Following its over-the-top launch in the U.S., LeEco CEO admitted to a cash crunch, stating that the company “blindly sped ahead” and “over-extended” itself.

Since then, the company raised $600 million in fresh funding, with $300 million earmarked for its electric car business.

LeEco’s business model relies on selling phones and TVs at manufacturing cost, with the company turning to its digital content subscription pass — LeEco EcoPass — for profits. But as we’ve seen, the subscription pass in and of itself doesn’t justify buying the company’s products.