BMW’s motorcycle of the future doesn’t require a helmet
BMW has unveiled a slew of concept vehicles to mark its 100th birthday, but its fourth and last example might be the most daring. Its new Motorrad Vision Next 100 concept motorcycle would supposedly be so smart that you wouldn’t need a helmet, or even a padded suit. The key would be a self-balancing system that keeps the bike upright whether or not you’re moving — newcomers wouldn’t have to worry about toppling over, and veterans could push limits further than usual.
Also, notice the absence of the usual space for an instrument cluster? That’s because you wouldn’t need it. Most information would instead display through a smart visor that shows data as it becomes relevant. All told, you’d spend more time enjoying open air driving and less time worrying about your speed or range (BMW will only say that this is a “zero-emission” bike, but it’d likely be electric).
Like the other Vision Next 100 concepts, you’re not going to see this exact motorcycle on the road any time soon. However, it might not just be due to the grand technological ambitions. While a self-balancing system could prevent you from crashing the bike yourself, it wouldn’t protect you in many serious collisions. What if you’re forcefully ejected from your vehicle? Regulators would likely require some kind of helmet, even if it’s not as cumbersome as what you wear today.
Via: Designboom, Bloomberg
Source: BMW
Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell launches a VR company
Atari’s Nolan Bushnell is busier than ever these days — in addition to his mobile game efforts, the video game pioneer is launching a virtual reality company. Modal VR is promising a combination of hardware and software that delivers high-end virtual experiences of the sort that make an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift seem like small potatoes. It’s completely wireless, low latency (under 10 milliseconds) and accommodates multiple users in areas as large as 900,000 square feet. There are full body tracking suits, to boot. Instead of limiting you to sit-down or room-scale VR, developers could create immersive experiences that fill whole fields and warehouses.
As you might guess, Modal VR isn’t designing something you would buy for personal use. You’d most likely use it in arcades — think of it as a very, very advanced version of the Virtuality rigs from the 1990s. Businesses could also create custom VR apps for their workers, such as 3D modelling tools that let engineers see life-size examples of their work.
Modal’s technology is still in the prototype stage, and it will only start shipping beta developer kits “soon.” If it works as well as promised, though, it could extend not just the capabilities of VR, but its reach. While many people can’t justify buying their own hardware, they might not have to. You’d only have to pay on a per-session basis, and could join in multiplayer games that are impractical (or in some cases, impossible) with existing tech.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Modal VR
Pandora rebrand hints at its future in on-demand music
Pandora has been promising a big shift to on-demand music ever since it bought Rdio in 2015, and it’s hinting at that sea change through a very conspicuous way: its branding. The company has given itself a new look that, as the company puts it, reflects the nature of music as a “personal experience.” The days of that staid-looking “P” and matching word logo are over. Instead, you’ll see a look more reminiscent of a tech startup, with a “dynamic” brand that mixes up patterns and colors.
The announcement isn’t just about cosmetics. Pandora says that its Plus subscription and upgraded free tier should now be available to everyone, so you have something to do beyond stare at the new visuals. However, the rebranding may have a more enduring effect than feature availability. It’s not so much an attempt to modernize as a statement of purpose — Pandora wants you to think of it as more than just an internet radio provider, and the makeover is the first step in shattering those preconceptions. Let’s just hope that its on-demand music service (still due later this year) lives up to the hype.
Source: Pandora Blog
The White House reveals proposals to research and fund AI
President Barack Obama’s administration believes that artificial intelligence can be a positive force in the United States, vastly improving specialized areas within health care, transportation, education and policing over the coming decades. In two reports released today, one day ahead of the White House Frontiers Conference, the Obama administration calls for long-term investments in AI research and a broad range of investigation into the ethics, security and uses of AI.
The report also emphasizes the current limits of AI, noting that narrow AI systems have rapidly advanced over the past few years, but general-intelligence systems — machines that learn and respond as humans do — are decades away.
“Long-term concerns about super-intelligent General AI should have little impact on current policy,” the report Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence reads.
The report outlines a few areas of interest for the government to implement AI systems, including within policing and justice, a topic Engadget covered during AI Week 2016. The administration is exploring how AI can bolster existing initiatives such as the Data Driven Justice and Police Data Initiative, both of which attempt to “provide law enforcement and the public with data that can better inform decision-making in the criminal justice system, while also taking care to minimize the possibility that AI might introduce bias or inaccuracies due to deficiencies in the available data,” the report reads.
Another major issue that the report considers is AI’s impact on jobs and the economy. The report recommends the White House conduct a study on automation and the economy, to be followed with a public report released by the of the year.
The government should also explore ways to improve the understanding of and uses of AI in key agencies, the report says: “For example, Federal agencies should explore the potential to create DARPA-like organizations to support high-risk, high-reward AI research and its application, much as the Department of Education has done.”
The administration also wants to ensure federal employees are knowledgable about AI and its potential impact on Americans’ lives. Along with a call for AI training for federal employees, the proposal suggests an exchange model that would allow experts from federal and state governments to rotate among departments, “colleges and universities, Indian tribal governments, federally funded research and development centers, and other eligible organizations.” This is currently known as the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program.
“For example, agency staff sent to colleges and universities as instructors can inspire students to consider Federal employment,” the report reads. “Likewise, programs that rotate employees through different jobs and sectors can help government employees gain knowledge and experience to inform regulation and policy, especially as it relates to emergent technologies like AI.”
There’s no need for broad regulation of AI research or practice right now, the report says. Experts and commenters who weighed in on the issue suggested that existing regulations be adapted as necessary as they evolve to include AI systems. The government invested $1.1 billion on unclassified R&D for AI systems in 2015 and is poised to spend a total of $1.2 billion in 2016.
The federal government isn’t the only organization getting serious about the future of AI. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, IBM and Amazon recently partnered to support AI research and recommend best practices in terms of ethics. The tech companies’ initiative is called the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society.
Source: White House
Google Sprayscapes lets you build surreal 360-degree landscapes
Google has long held a reputation for being an experimental company, so it was notable that it felt the need to build Android Experiments, the platform it launched last year to show developers how weird you can get when building smartphone apps. The crazy interactive “paper planes” demo Google showed off at its I/O developer conference earlier this year is a perfect example of what the company is encouraging developers to do with Android Experiments.
All developers are encouraged to build Android Experiments, but today Google is launching one of its own called Sprayscape. It’s a weird name, but fairly accurate once you start using the app: It turns whatever your camera sees into a virtual spray paint gun that lets you splash the landscape around a 360-degree virtual canvas. The phone’s gyroscope is used to orient your position inside that sphere.
I won’t fault you if that description just made things more confusing. Here’s an example of an image I created using the app. That should clear everything up.
Still confused? I don’t blame you. It took me a long while to figure out how to best use the app, partially because there’s nothing in the way of directions when you launch Sprayscape for the first time. All you see is a black screen with some white grid lines outlining a 360-degree space. It sort of feels like you’re in an empty Photo Sphere (remember those?).
After many failed experiments, I realized that if you tap and hold on the screen, it’ll “spray” whatever the camera sees onto the 360-degree canvas; if you keep your finger on the screen and move the camera around, you’ll start filling in that space with the colors of the world around you.
It’s not altogether different from creating a Photo Sphere, but Sprayscape encourages weirdness and creativity and is absolutely not well-suited to capturing an accurate representation of the world around you. Once I realized that, I started getting weird. I took my phone on a walk and started randomly spraying in whatever was around me as I walked, with no concern for stitching together a coherent scene.
Another time, I tried to “write” on the virtual wall, with little success; there’s only enough room to get in about three letters, and a lack of precision makes it a pretty tricky prospect. That’s fine, though: There isn’t a “right” way to use the app, and it’s clearly meant for experimentation. Ultimately, the creations I liked the best were when I stood in one spot, spinning around to capture as much of the scene as I could. The results evoked where I was standing, but in a blurry, surreal dream-like way. Stitching together results from various locations looked much weirder and disjointed.
Unfortunately, the app is also pretty buggy right now in some crucial ways — namely saving your creations. Once you’re done making your scene, you can tap a save button that’ll upload an image file to your Google Drive account. You can also upload the link to a Sprayscape sharing site that’ll let others view it in their browser, on web or mobile. Viewing in a browser works pretty well, actually; you can pan around the scene by moving your phone, or click and drag around if you’re on a desktop.
But a few times times my creations simply didn’t save to Drive. I’m not sure where they went, but they were gone, never to return. I didn’t exactly mourn the loss of any of my abstract, messy creations, but the overall process for saving and sharing your creations could be a bit smoother. The app also straight-up crashed on me several times, but I’m not going to fault Google too much for that. I’ve been testing a beta version, and I’ll be looking to see if the app that’s now out in Google Play is more stable. The good news is that using the “share” feature to email links around to my weirdo creations seemed to work just about every time — the files just didn’t always end up in Google Drive.
Given Google’s interest in letting people generate their own “VR-ish” content, Sprayscape is a fun tool to achieve those ends. The results can be viewed in Google Cardboard, of course, but Sprayscape creations can still be fun to view in a normal browser. I may not have come up with any great pieces of 360-degree art in the few days I had to play around with the app, but I have little doubt that more skilled souls will use this to make some pretty fascinating landscapes. The app is out now for Android, and Google says that an iOS version will launch soon.
Verizon now says the Pixel will get Android updates immediately
Since it was announced that Verizon was the only US carrier selling Google’s new Pixel smartphone directly, there’s been some confusion about what that’ll mean for Android updates. Originally, it sounded like the Verizon version of the Pixel wouldn’t get Android updates at the same time as the unlocked versions, which meant Verizon customers could end up waiting for the carrier to approve the updates — something that has historically slowed things down significantly. (To refresh your memory, just look at how badly things with when Verizon sold the Galaxy Nexus way back in 2011 and 2012.)
But Verizon now says that it won’t make Pixel owners wait. According to a statement received by Ars Technica, all versions of the Pixel will be updated simultaneously. “First and foremost, all operating system and security updates to the Pixel devices will happen in partnership with Google,” Verizon’s statement reads. “In other words, when Google releases an update, Verizon phones will receive the same update at the same time (much like iOS updates). Verizon will not stand in the way of any major updates and users will get all updates at the same time as Google.”
Verizon also noted that its version of the Pixel is carrier unlocked, and it included three pre-installed apps, all of which can be uninstalled by the user. That’s about as good as we could possibly hope for when talking about an Android phone on Verizon — historically, they’ve been full of uninstallable apps and Android updates could be delayed for months. In fact, this might be the first time Verizon has offered an Android phone that’ll get updates at the same time as unlocked phones sold directly by Google.
Google also confirmed that the Verizon Pixel would get updates simultaneously, saying that “OS updates and monthly security patches will be updated on all Pixel devices (Verizon and non-Verizon versions) simultaneously.” Both of these statements from Verizon and Google are pretty unambiguous, so we’re hoping both companies live up to their words here. Previously, we would have recommended all interested Pixel buyers purchase the phone directly from Google — but if Verizon makes good on its promise, it’ll be hard to fault anyone for buying the phone directly from them.
Source: Ars Technica
Pandora Rebrands Mobile App Ahead of On-Demand Music Service Launch
Online radio service Pandora today announced a rebranding of its iOS and Android apps, complete with a new logo that includes a “vibrant and bold color scheme” that the company says will showcase “the next phase of the product and the music experiences Pandora brings you.” The app’s icon has transitioned from a gray background with a navy blue “P” to an all-white background a lighter, bolder “P.” It’s also shifted from an uppercase to a lowercase font choice for “Pandora.”
The old Pandora logo (left) and the new one (right)
The company’s aim with the updated brand scheme is to introduce an aesthetic that “embraces the dynamic range of sound and color,” so the logo can adapt to any musician, song, or genre available on Pandora. The new P icon is said to serve as the user’s “portal” into the streaming radio service and its new ad-free subscription service Pandora Plus. Pandora also created a video to showcase its new brand.
Music is a personal experience for everyone, from the artists creating it all the way to the fans listening to it. And as Pandora continues to evolve the most personal music experience, our new look embraces the dynamic range of sound and color, visualizing the energy and emotion that artists pour into the creation of music, and that we feel as listeners. Our dynamic brand is composed of form, color and pattern, which we implemented into the new P icon and serves as your portal into the unique and diverse range of music you love.
The rebranding comes ahead of Pandora’s impending on-demand music listening service, which CEO Tim Westergren has confirmed will arrive “later this year.” The service is believed to cost $9.99 and offer users the ability to listen to any song and musician they want, create playlists, and various other features, all putting it in the competitive music streaming category alongside Apple Music and Spotify.
Amazon today also entered the on-demand music streaming space with Music Unlimited, which grants users access to tens of millions of songs and costs $9.99 per month (or $7.99 for Amazon Prime subscribers). If users have an Amazon Echo, they can also subscribe to an Echo-only $3.99 streaming option.
For Pandora, the company mentioned that the rebranding will begin to rollout to iOS and Android users throughout today, “whether you listen to ad-supported Pandora or Pandora Plus.” The new look will then make it to the desktop, web, and other devices “over the year.”
Tag: Pandora
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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 15 With Bug Fixes and Feature Tweaks
Apple today released another update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 15 includes bug fixes and updates for fetch API, JavaScript, CSS, web APIs, Web Inspector, media, accessibility, URL handling, and Safari Extensions.
Starting with release 14, Safari Technology Preview includes regular updates and bug fixes for Safari’s WebDriver implementation.
The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Versions are available for developers running both macOS Sierra and OS X El Capitan. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.
Apple’s goal with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can be run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Tag: Safari Technology Preview
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of watchOS 3.1 to Developers
Apple today seeded the third beta of watchOS 3.1 to developers for testing purposes, just over one week after seeding the second beta and a month after releasing watchOS 3 to the public. watchOS 3.1 has been in testing since September 21.
watchOS 3.1 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General –> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. watchOS 3.1 requires an iPhone running iOS 10 to install.
watchOS 3.1 appears to focus on bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements rather than outward-facing changes, as no new features were discovered in the first two betas. Should any changes be found in the third beta, we’ll update this post.
watchOS 3 brings a new interface to the Apple Watch, with a dedicated App Dock and instant launch apps. There are new Activity sharing features, a “Breathe” app guides you through daily deep breathing sessions to cut down on stress, and there are new Reminders, Find My Friends, and Heart Rate apps.
Three new watch faces are included, and an SOS feature can automatically call emergency services. A revamped Messages app makes it easier to reply to incoming texts, plus there’s a new “Scribble” feature for writing replies on the Apple Watch face with a finger. For more details on what’s new in watchOS 3, make sure to check out our watchOS 3 roundup.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Which storage size should you buy for your Google Pixel: 32GB or 128GB?
Deciding whether to get a 32GB or 128GB Pixel comes down to two things: budget and usage habits.
One of the biggest decisions to make when ordering your new Pixel or Pixel XL is how much internal storage you want, and your options are 32GB and 128GB. Neither the Pixel or the Pixel XL support microSD expandable memory, so you’re locked into whichever size you decide on.
There are a number of factors to consider before pressing that buy button, so let’s break it down.
What 32GB actually gets you
It wasn’t too long ago that 32GB of internal storage in a smartphone was a maxed-out spec. In just a few short years we’ve now reached the point where it’s considered the “budget” option.
On paper, 32GB might seem like more than enough space for installing all of your favourite apps and games, with ample room left over to fill with photos, video and all other types of media. But as AC’s own Alex Dobie points out, you may want to know just how much of that space is taken up by disk formatting and core system files. Dobie figures you should expect to have 23GB of storage available to you after initial set up.
You should expect to have 23GB of available storage after formatting and OS installation.
If you love filling your phone with your favorite media, or enjoy playing high performance games with sharp graphics and steep storage requirements, your storage space might run out rather quickly with the 32GB model, especially since the phone doesn’t have a microSD slot. If you typically use music streaming services such as Spotify or Google Music, and video streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu (and really who doesn’t these days?), 23GB of usable storage may well accommodate your needs just fine be enough.
Then again, if Google’s Daydream VR platform has you drooling, you’ll probably want to future proof your phone by going with the 128GB model to ensure you’ve got ample space to store and try out every VR experience.
Photo/Video Storage
Google is claiming the Pixel’s camera is second to none, which is exciting news for any budding smartphone photographer. With the camera quality so highly touted, you’ll definitely want to turn every settings knob to 11 just to see what it can do. Storing high-quality photos and videos on your phone is notorious for gobbling up all your available storage.
But Google is offering an amazing reprieve for those who love to snap and shoot the world around them. Pixel owners will be able to upload an unlimited number of photos and videos at the highest quality — including 4K video — Google Photos. That means you can take all the photos and videos you want, keep the best ones on your phone, and back everything else up to the cloud. This will help ease the storage crunch for the 32GB, but obsessive photographers might still want to opt for the 128GB option to allow more space for editing and storage right on the device, as well as shoot in RAW.
Price
For most people the decision is ultimately going to come down to what fits best into their budget. If you opt to buy an unlocked Pixel, it starts at $649 for the 32GB model, while the Pixel XL starts at $769. Upgrading to the 128GB model from either phone will add $100 to the price. Looking at the difference between a $649 32GB Pixel and an $869 128GB Pixel XL could mean the difference between meeting your budget and shooting way past it.
There are different financing and carrier deals available depending on where you live. In the U.S., there are decent financing options via Google and Project Fi, but we recommend not getting your Pixel through Verizon.
In Canada, buying a 32GB Pixel through Google starts at $899, and a 32GB Pixel XL starts at a whopping $1049 — that’s before taxes — so needless to say it’s a pretty major purchase especially if you’re considering adding another $130 to upgrade to the 128GB variant. Multiple Canadian carriers are offering contract deals on the Pixel and Pixel XL, but the two of the three — Bell and Telus — are all only offering the 32GB option. Rogers and its subsidiary Fido are offering the larger 128GB model.
In the UK, you can buy an unlocked version of the 32GB Pixel from Google starting at £599 and a 32GB Pixel XL starting at £719, with an extra £100 to upgrade to the 128GB model both ways. There are a couple financing options available for UK residents through the official network partner for the Pixel, EE, and through Carphone Warehouse.
Speed
While we can’t say with any certainty until we have both phones in hand, devices with smaller storage densities typically perform more slowly than those with larger ones. It’s unlikely to make a substantive difference in the performance of your Pixel or Pixel XL, but if you’re trying to eke as much value as possible from your latest smartphone, it may be a good idea to opt for the 128GB model.
Bottom Line
Whether or not you upgrade to the 128GB Pixel or Pixel XL will depend largely on your own smartphone usage habits, whether your wallet is prepared to take a hit, and the availability in your region or through your preferred carrier in some cases.
More: Which color Pixel should you buy?
Given the purported camera advancements and compatibility with Google’s Daydream VR, we’d recommend opting for the 128GB option where possible because bigger is better and it will help future-proof your phone so you’re not reaching your storage capacity only a few months down the line. Unlimited backups for all your photos and videos via Google Photos will be a lifesaver if you end up settling for the 32GB model.
Which size did you order, and how did you justify your decision? Let us know in the comments!
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