Wednesday, August 31, 2016

ET deals: ThinkPad T460s 14-inch 1080p laptop for $763

ET ThinkPad T460s
Need a small laptop that you can bring with you on coast-to-coast flights? Looking for something lightweight and durable that still has plenty of horsepower? Check out the 14-inch ThinkPad T460s from Lenovo. With a tiny footprint, a Skylake CPU, and all-day battery life, this laptop is a bargain when you use today's coupon code to save a total of 30%.

via http://ift.tt/2b5PZQD

New Skinny Tile tracker fits in your wallet, helps you find everything else

Tile Slim Men's Wallet
Tile Slim is the same thickness as 2 credit cards. Like Tiles of the last 2 years, it uses Bluetooth and the battery runs for about a year. Cost is $25-$30 per Tile.

via http://ift.tt/2ccVKZF

AMD may delay next-gen Vega, confirms Zen on track for Q1 2017

Zen-Feature
AMD's Vega looks to have slipped backwards into 2017 and a later launch date than originally thought.

via http://ift.tt/2bC4qgo

Intel's Kaby Lake Chip Promises Deeper Internet Immersion

Facing a shrinking market for personal computers and a stalled market for tablets, Intel on Tuesday unveiled its 7th-generation processors, code-named "Kaby Lake," which deliver more speed and power than its 6th-generation chipsets, while improving battery efficiency. Intel has positioned the new Kaby Lake chipsets as ideal for the immersive Internet. Their 14 nm+ technology delivers 12 percent increases in productivity and 19 percent faster Web performance, compared to year-ago processors.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bHDaYl

Tesla planning upgrade to semi-autonomous Autopilot system

Tesla Motors is planning improvements to its semi-autonomous Autopilot system after a fatal crash earlier this summer.

via http://ift.tt/2c0Za4h

Proposed Anthropocene epoch rustles jimmies of dissenting geologists

Anthropocene
Scientists say we've left an indelible mark on the history of our planet. But is it a deep enough footprint to mark the beginning of a new epoch?

via http://ift.tt/2bSf2r0

Returning to Azeroth: How does World of Warcraft play after years away?

FelReaverFeature
W

via http://ift.tt/2c8Jt8k

Despite early reports, SETI doesn’t think we’ve just found alien life

contact head
The recent, widely covered signal that's allegedly got SETI hot and bothered is almost certainly not aliens. But that doesn't mean it's not cool.

via http://ift.tt/2bBQVqQ

Zen's Place in the Computing World

AMD, which has been clawing its way out of the doldrums, recently showcased its octacore, 16-thread Summit Ridge desktop processor featuring its Zen core in a performance match-up against Intel's octacore Broadwell-E Core i7-6900K CPU. The two similarly configured processors were locked at 3 GHz for the test, in which they ran the multithreaded Blender rendering application, in a demo presented earlier this month in San Francisco. AMD's Summit Ridge outperformed the Intel processor.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2cejmQo

Intel announces new Kaby Lake: Built on 14nm+, with improved video decode and better top-end frequencies

7th Gen Intel Core processors are manufactured on silicon wafers at Intel production facilities. New 7th Gen Intel Core processors deliver richer experiences, incredible performance and responsiveness, and true ultra HD 4K entertainment in stunning new devices. (Credit: Intel Corporation)
Intel has unveiled its new Kaby Lake silicon, with improved clocks, better multimedia features, and an updated version of its Speed Shift technology

via http://ift.tt/2bBPXy2

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

IBM's Almaden Lab: A glimpse into the future

To step inside IBM Research-Almaden is to get a peek into how the latest advances in technology are being applied to a crazy quilt of important issues from food safety and cancer to recycling.

via http://ift.tt/2cpudsl

Election Season Spawns Scams With Political Twist

Dirty tricks during political campaigns are nothing new, but the Internet and the proliferation of mobile devices have allowed tricksters to up their games a notch. It came to light last week, for example, that Donald Trump's campaign app was hoovering the address books on his supporters' phones. Trump's app wasn't doing anything illegal. It wasn't even trying to hide what it was doing. The app seeks the user's permission to download all contacts before it does so. However, both the ACLU and EPIC have rapped the practice.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2ccZDAL

New evidence strengthens the case for ‘Planet 9’ in the outer solar system

planet-nine-artist-illustration
There could be a giant planet lurking in the frozen depths of the outer solar system, and more evidence suggests it's out there.

via http://ift.tt/2bDAquW

Nextdoor Tackles Racial Profiling at Street Level

Nextdoor last week rolled out to all 110,000 of its neighborhoods a new form-based process for making crime and safety reports. Implementation of the tool reduced incidents of racial profiling by 75 percent in areas where it was tested, according to CEO Nirav Tolia. Some Nextdoor members had begun using the site to post problematic messages targeting racial minorities. For example, Oakland members posted vague warnings about suspicious activity focusing on black citizens walking down the street, driving a car, or knocking on a door.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bzLZCW

Turing Learning breakthrough: Computers can now learn from pure observation

HAl 9000
Soon, the machines really might be watching your every move -- and, for the first time, independently making sense of what they see.

via http://ift.tt/2c5SfDR

ET deals: Dell Latitude 13 7000 13.3-inch two-in-one laptop for $499

Latitude 13 7000
If you want the portability of a tablet with the versatility of a laptop, consider investing in the two-in-one Latitude 13 7000 from Dell. Not only will you have a fully functional Windows laptop at your disposal, but you can easily detach the screen at will, and take it wherever you go.

via http://ift.tt/2b2Cm1a

Found: a “fluffy” galaxy made from 99% dark matter

KeckTelescopes-hi
Scientists working with the Gemini North and Keck II telescopes have discovered a galaxy that's made from 99.99% dark matter. And they noticed it because it was "fluffy."

via http://ift.tt/2bONjCP

Intel reportedly wooing Apple as a customer for its ARM foundry business

Intel-Feature
Intel reportedly wants to capture some of Apple's custom foundry business and could have chips in production by 2018.

via http://ift.tt/2bPvLcE

Snazzier Fitbits Sport Beefed-Up Feature Sets

Fitbit on Monday announced two new fitness trackers with sleeker looks, more durable construction and greater data-gathering capabilities. The Fitbit Charge 2, priced at $149.95, features continuous heart-rate tracking. It uses the data to generate a cardio fitness score and provides guidance for improving it over time. The Charge 2 displays real-time exercise stats, connects to the GPS in a smartphone, and has a set of advanced sensors that make it easier to track activity throughout a day.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bT5Y2F

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is marred by long load times on PS4 and Xbox One

Deus Ex Mankind Divided
It's been 16 years since the original Deus Ex hit store shelves, but the core concept of a cyberpunk RPG that revolves around player choice is still undeniably strong. Sneaking, shooting, and smooth-talking your way out of a dangerous situation still feels great when you pull it off the first time, but the lengthy load times add a heavy penalty for experimentation in Eidos Montreal's latest release.

via http://ift.tt/2bzaPCP

The iPhone 6’s ‘touch disease’ is spreading, now the largest problem reported to Apple Stores

Bendgate-Feature
Apple's touch disease problem appears to be spreading -- data gathered from Apple Stores suggest it's the largest single problem reported by iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners, even before the media coverage began.

via http://ift.tt/2bBWB4B

Monday, August 29, 2016

The Peppermint Twist Is Still Cool

The Peppermint operating system is built around a concept not found in most Linux distros. It is a hybrid combination of traditional Linux desktop applications and cloud-based infrastructure. Peppermint 7, the annual update released in June, is a lightweight distribution based on Ubuntu 16.04. It uses LXDE as the default desktop environment, and shows considerable growth since our review of Peppermint 5 two years ago. The key to this process of linking full desktop functionality to cloud apps is an in-house developed application dubbed "Ice."

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bMWlF2

Apple wants you to know that it loves AI more than you realize

Using Siri on your AppleTV
Tired of getting sand kicked in its face by high-profile AI efforts from Google and Facebook, Apple opens the kimono to reveal that it is using AI technologies throughout its product line

via http://ift.tt/2bMP5J1

There’s an Earthlike planet orbiting our nearest neighbor, Proxima Centauri – but how might we actually get there?

eso exoplanet
Ideas for interstellar travel abound, but the gap between theory and practice stretches from here to Proxima Centauri. Even if Proxima b is habitable, we're a long way from any potential mission.

via http://ift.tt/2bMIwGC

Amazon, Sony, Steam refunding players unhappy with No Man’s Sky, former Sony content director calls refund-seekers thieves

MonoLith-NoMansSky
Sony, Steam, and Amazon are all offering refunds on No Man's Sky to dissatisfied players, even after their normal policies have expired. Did Hello Games mislead players about the nature of their title?

via http://ift.tt/2bwRZkT

#StandWithLeslie and Obliterate Internet Trolls

I think there's a legitimate argument for removing one category of folks from the gene pool, because they spend the little time they are given on Earth making other folks' lives miserable. Back when I was playing MMOs, some twisted folks -- known as "griefers," would lie in wait to mug lower level characters and find creative ways to destroy the fun in a game, often eventually killing it. Then came trolls, folks who drop into forums to attack other members, often driving people away from the forums and killing them.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bMvG6N

Implantable “memory prosthetic” opens new horizons for cyborg future

human augmentation head
Implantable memory prosthetics could be the first in a wave of cyborg devices available for the enhancement of the human brain.

via http://ift.tt/2c483r2

ET deals: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14-inch Ultrabook for $889

ET ThinkPad X1
If you're looking for a thin, lightweight laptop with all-day battery life, check out the ThinkPad X1 Carbon from Lenovo. It only weighs about 2.6 pounds, measures less than seven-tenths of an inch thick, and holds nearly 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. Better yet, today's coupon will help you save over 350 bucks off the list price.

via http://ift.tt/1dmNohI

Driverless taxi firm eyes operations in 10 cities by 2020

A US software firm which chose Singapore for the world's first public trial of driverless taxis hopes to be operating in 10 Asian and US cities by 2020, an executive said Monday.

via http://ift.tt/2bMidMc

Other countries are ‘beating’ the US to fully driverless cars. Let them.

nutonomy head
The world's first (limited) self-driving taxi has been announced... in Singapore. Does this represent a loss for American companies?

via http://ift.tt/2bM1mgS

HP launches laptops with privacy-guarding displays, limited field of view

HP-Feature
HP has a new screen technology it hopes will keep nosy over-shoulder readers from snooping on your hardware -- but will consumers bite?

via http://ift.tt/2clHOkm

The winners and losers in the race for driverless cars

The ridesharing service Uber is pretty close to getting the go-ahead in almost all states and territories in Australia, with Victoria set to follow Queensland in introducing new legislation.

via http://ift.tt/2bQtRro

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Innocents Exposed as WikiLeaks Gushes Information

WikiLeaks reportedly has leaked sensitive personal information belonging to hundreds of innocent individuals worldwide, including some residing in several highly repressive countries. The organization has revealed private credit card data, medical information, personal addresses and other data of various individuals, including the identification as gay of a Saudi Arabian who had been arrested, and the identities of two teenage rape victims, along with other highly vulnerable people.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bytUat

Friday, August 26, 2016

This exoskeleton glove could let you feel the ‘shape’ of virtual reality

Dexmo
You can see VR, but you can't feel VR. Maybe one day, you will with Dexmo.

via http://ift.tt/2bqw0qM

Apple Speeds iOS Patch to Bring Down Pegasus

Apple on Thursday issued a patch that addresses three recently discovered critical iOS zero-day vulnerabilities, and advised users to update their systems immediately. State-sponsored actors exploited the flaws to target United Arab Emirates human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, and a Mexican journalist who reported on government corruption. Researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab and security firm Lookout discovered the vulnerabilities, which they dubbed "Trident," after investigating suspicious text messages sent to Mansoor.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bp7g76

Strung out: Google Fiber reportedly slashing staff, may kill future expansions

Google Fiber
Google is reportedly slashing its budget for Google Fiber and considering alternate methods of running cable.

via http://ift.tt/2bW8i7c

US Government's Social Media Vetting Idea Draws Fire

A coalition headed by the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Internet Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union this week filed objections to a Department of Homeland Security proposal to collect social media information from visitors entering the United States. The proposal, published in June, calls for the addition of a request to the I-94W form required for aliens seeking entry under the nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Program and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2c2dx8W

This Week In Space: Lost spacecraft found, Curiosity 360 camera, and a new neighbor orbiting Proxima Centauri

curiosity
Pan around a 360-degree panorama of Mars, see hydrocarbon lakes on Titan, and smugly congratulate your tax dollars for finding a lost satellite: it's all here, This Week in Space.

via http://ift.tt/2bmzjCy

Curiosity offers new 360-degree panoramic views of strangely familiar rock formations on Mars

mars-rover-panorama-murray-buttes-PIA20765-full_feature
Curiosity took a full-circle panorama from its exploration site on the Murray Buttes: formations that closely resemble our own backyard, right here on Earth.

via http://ift.tt/2bDsflx

Apple’s iPhone 6, 6 Plus are failing early thanks to ‘touch disease,’ bending problems

Bendgate-Feature
Apple's bending issues when the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched may have returned in a new form thanks to a high pattern of device failures.

via http://ift.tt/2blHWAj

Facebook is building its own gaming platform, hopes to take on Steam, iOS, and Android

Facebook-Feature
Facebook has launched a new initiative to position itself as a game platform across multiple operating systems -- but does it have what it takes to challenge Steam or other titans of the industry?

via http://ift.tt/2bp1e1u

Instagram Opens Snappy New Events Channel

Instagram last week announced a new Explore video channel that gives users an easier way to find and watch events. The channel aggregates videos from concerts, sporting events and more, and its personalization features flag events that might be a good match for users' individual interests. The new channel initially will be available only to U.S. users. "One of the fundamental limitations of Instagram is that you only see content from people you explicitly follow," said Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bCUYqT

Apple patches critical security flaws used to steal encrypted data

iPhone locked
A new critical security flaw led Apple to develop a patch in record time. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you'll want this update.

via http://ift.tt/2boDhHC

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Kindle ebook readers are crashing Windows 10 PCs post-Anniversary Update

Windows10-BSOD
Microsoft's new Anniversary Update has mostly rolled out without problems, but Kindle owners are reporting significant issues with the Paperwhite and Voyage. Plugging these devices into Windows 10 AU systems can BSOD the OS.

via http://ift.tt/2bEzb3p

Living with Android 7.0 Nougat: The most important changes

nougat2
Android 7.0 has arrived, but only on Nexus devices right now. Here's what it's like to use.

via http://ift.tt/2bjxcCv

25 Years of Linux: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Happy Birthday Linux! You're 25! When Linux was born on Aug. 25, 1991, it was little more than a hobby for then 21-year old Linus Torvald. Today the Linux community is estimated to be upwards of 86 million users strong. It has become the backbone of large enterprises, and it is installed in government systems and embedded in devices worldwide. The Linux operating system started out as an alternative to other platform architectures in use on mainframes and enterprise back-ends. It has grown into a major mainstream computing platform.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2blKdtK

Canon 5D Mark IV shoots 4K video, 30.4-megapixel stills, has built-in Wi-Fi and GPS

Canon 5D Mark IV DSLR
First announced in 2005, the fourth-gen Canon 5D ($3,500) shoots 4K video and 6720 x 4480 pixel stills. Real-time focusing is better, and post-processing now lets you adjust focus a bit.

via http://ift.tt/2cbDdBf

New data from Cassini reveals Titan has canyons filled with liquid methane

6106_PIA18432_feature
Methane rainstorms fill enormous canyons, as winter comes to the south pole of Saturn's eerie hydrocarbon moon.

via http://ift.tt/2bSkEOS

Survey: Developers prefer Vive to Oculus, but worry about nausea, high price of VR gear

PSVR
The results of a new VR survey are in, and show the platforms and projects pulling the most developer attention. There's huge support for VR, but HTC's Vive is the early winner, ahead of the Oculus Rift.

via http://ift.tt/2bQlWcr

Auto, technology industries clash over talking cars

Automakers say cars that wirelessly talk to each other are finally ready for the road.

via http://ift.tt/2bRA4BP

ET deals: Dell UltraSharp U3415W 34-inch curved 3440×1440 IPS monitor for $675

UltraSharp 34
Ready to leave your old 1080p monitor in the dust, and upgrade to a 3440x1440 ultra-wide display? Take a look at Dell's 34-inch UltraSharp U3415W. While this massive monitor is still on the pricey side, today's coupon code will save you a whopping 32% off the sticker price, and net you a bonus gift card to boot.

via http://ift.tt/1CHdkdW

Kickstarter project offers external graphics for MacBooks — but is this the best option?

Wolfe-Feature
A new Kickstarter project aims to bring external graphics to the MacBook and MacBook Pro -- but is this the best way to do it?

via http://ift.tt/2bqWD0E

Yosemite, and President Obama, head into virtual reality

In a new project with National Geographic, Barack Obama becomes the first sitting U.S. president to project himself into virtual reality—in this case, a 360-degree representation of Yosemite National Park.

via http://ift.tt/2bzJHYg

How virtual reality can manipulate our minds

It is often said that you should not believe everything you see on the internet. But with the advent of immersive technology – like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) – this becomes more than doubly true.

via http://ift.tt/2biYRAk

The best free games on the PS4

PS4 F2P
The free-to-play model has expanded well beyond the PC and it's now an important part of the gaming ecosystem; here are our favorites on the PS4.

via http://ift.tt/1qge01S

Space robots help clear the road for self-driving cars

Nissan's first fully self-driving car will be based on technology that NASA developed for planetary exploration.

via http://ift.tt/2bzmtRV

Gadget Ogling: Musical Pizza Boxes, Backup Backpacks, and Tattooing Robots

Call it a gimmick if you must, but I'm very much into the idea of having a pizza box that doubles as a turntable. Pizza Hut partnered with Novalia to make the box, which includes pitch and volume controls, a mixer, and touch-sensitive decks. Using printed electronics, DJs can crossfade, rewind and even scratch. The box pairs with smartphones and computers using Bluetooth and works with DJ software. I'm glad this is not a set of true physical turntables, as the idea of placing delicate vinyls anywhere close to a greasy pizza box makes me queasy.

via TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2bzech4

IBM details next-gen POWER 9, will take the fight to Intel’s data center strongholds

STFCdatacenter-1
IBM has revealed details of its upcoming Power 9 architecture -- a chip it hopes will let it take the fight back to Intel and contest Chipzilla's ownership of the data center market.

via http://ift.tt/2biJS9S