Twitch moved its annual convention to the fancier Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center this year, and that means tickets cost a bit more than you remember. The video streaming platform has begun selling early bird tickets for TwitchCon 2017…
Source: Engadget – TwitchCon 2017’s early-bird tickets start at
Monthly Archives: May 2017
Project Fi Support on Blacklisted Pixel Phone
Even though my Pixel XL phone was finally un-blacklisted last week, Google Project Fi support did finally get back with me on Monday afternoon.
Hi Kyle,
We just received an update on the ticket we opened and was informed that the issue has been resolved at the back-end. Can you confirm that the device is working again? If not, please restart your device to ensure that the changes made at the back-end takes effect. If the issue persists after that, please inform us so we can investigate further.
Thank you again for your patience and happy Memorial Day!
Thanks,
Rommel
The Project Fi Support Team
OK, having “Rommel” contact me from Google, was a bit funny, then I felt sorry for this guy. Then I figured if I talked to him again he would be shouting orders on where I should drive my tank. But I digress with my “humor.” What we have seen here is that Project Fi is in fact taking responsibility for this Pixel blacklisting blunder. By “responsibility,” I guess we are going to have to accept, “the issue has been resolved at the back-end,” as admission that this entire snafu lies at the feet of Google’s Project Fi.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Project Fi Support on Blacklisted Pixel Phone
Microsoft Reportedly Working on New Windows Mobile Reboot
Never gonna give you up: Microsoft is rumored to be working on a hardware device that is being used to test a new mobile experience and user interface. Naturally, universal Windows apps are likely part of the equation, but it is hard to say what will make this effort unique compared to previous attempts and whether it can get MS back in the phone game. Supposedly, the device could release within a year’s time depending on how it is received internally.
…while Microsoft has all but killed off developing this iteration of Windows Mobile, the firm is reportedly working on yet another mobile experience. A new report from Petri’s Brad Sams highlights that Microsoft has been working on new hardware for Windows 10 Mobile internally. This hardware device is supposedly one that highlights the new mobile experiences Microsoft has been thinking of and is being tested with a supposedly different user interface than what we have now. As far as release, Sams speculates that the device could very well be a year or less away from release if it is an internal hit.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Microsoft Reportedly Working on New Windows Mobile Reboot
Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google lobby against Texas “bathroom” bill
Enlarge (credit: Michael Coté)
Executives from some of the globe’s leading technology firms are demanding that Texas not adopt “discriminatory” bathroom legislation. On the table in Texas is a law similar to one enacted—and later partially repealed—in North Carolina. The tech companies have aligned themselves with critics of the bill who believe the legislation is unfair to the transgender community.
“As large employers in the state, we are gravely concerned that any such legislation would deeply tarnish Texas’ reputation as open and friendly to businesses and families,” the companies wrote Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “Our ability to attract, recruit and retain top talent, encourage new business relocations, expansions and investment, and maintain our economic competitiveness would all be negatively affected.”
Pending Texas Senate legislation would prohibit transgender people in Texas from using restrooms matching their gender identities. The House on Sunday passed its own bill that would apply the bathroom limitations solely at schools.
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Source: Ars Technica – Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google lobby against Texas “bathroom” bill
Instagram CEO On Allegations That His App Has Copied Snapchat
It’s no secret that Facebook has taken inspiration from Snapchat, an app it couldn’t purchase. The flagship features of Snapchat are now available across all of Facebook’s owned services. But how do Facebook executives address the accusations that Facebook is copying Snapchat? In a Q&A with WSJ, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said: Stories is definitely similar to Snapchat. I think anyone would say that. The first time you see a product show up somewhere else it feels a lot like copying but imagine a world where the only car was the Ford Model T. I’m really glad there are a lot of car companies producing different cars. Just because they have wheels and windows and AC doesn’t mean that you’re copying. You’ve got DreamWorks and Pixar and Disney, they’re all doing computer-animated film. That doesn’t mean they’re copying each other. They’re building upon a technology. I would just judge [Stories] based on how many people use it actively, which is over 200 million every day. It clearly provides unique value to people that they’re not getting elsewhere.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Instagram CEO On Allegations That His App Has Copied Snapchat
Samsung's Notebook 9 Pro harbors a stowaway S Pen
Whether it’s your shirt pocket, the zippered compartment in your backpack or a pencil case, existing spots to stow your stylus just aren’t as convenient as an on-device dock. And few laptops these days have built-in slots for a digital pen, which is…
Source: Engadget – Samsung’s Notebook 9 Pro harbors a stowaway S Pen
Dell Launches AMD-Powered Inspiron Gaming Desktop
Alongside their new all-in-ones, Dell is also taking the wraps off of a new gaming desktop tower this morning. Dubbed the Inspiron Gaming Desktop, the new gaming-focused system is aimed at budget-conscious gamers with a starting price of $599.
Right off the bat then, the specs turn out to be quite interesting. Instead of using Intel chips, the system will be powered by a selection of AMD processors, from the 7th-gen quad-core AMD A10-9700 APU on the low end to the more-powerful 3.8-GHz AMD Ryzen 7 1700 CPU on the high end. The choice of AMD’s processors makes sense for the low-end configuration given the budget pricing, while at the higher-end it’s an interesting show of faith on Dell’s part (though equally likely, they want to use the same motherboard throughout the line).
For graphics cards, you have a choice between an AMD Radeon RX 560 GPU with 2GB of VRAM or a faster, Radeon RX 580. Or you can go the NVIDIA route and get a GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of VRAM. Dell is also offering a dual-GPU option, though outside of perhaps VR (which of course, Dell is promoting here as well), I’d argue a single GTX 1080 would be a better choice.
Memory configurations start at 4GB, maxing out at 32GB DDR4 memory. Dell’s offering several storage options, running the gamut from a 3.5-inch 500GB hard drive to a 256GB M.2 SSD. Keep in mind that the tower has five additional bays, so you can upgrade to your heart’s content. Meanwhile in another surprising move for a gaming desktop, Dell is offering both Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux as OS options.
As for the tower itself, at first glance you wouldn’t be shocked if you found the Inspiron Gaming squirrelled discreetly away in someone’s office. The 30.1 pound, 18.1 x 8.5 x 17.2-inch chassis is made of gray anodized aluminum with black plastic vents positioned along the sides on a slant. Dell lets you show off the system’s gamer aesthetics by enabling the optional polar blue LED lighting that will emanate from between the vents. Meanwhile for cooling, the Inspiron Gaming Desktop will surprisingly offer both air and liquid cooling solutions.
Wrapping things up, like the other devices Dell has announced today, the Inspiron Gaming Desktop is launching immediately, and should be available later today on Dell’s website.
Sherri Smith Contributed to this Report
Source: AnandTech – Dell Launches AMD-Powered Inspiron Gaming Desktop
How to Not Be Totally Clueless About Ramadan
Ramadan started on Friday, so today you might start to notice your Muslim co-workers and friends skipping lunch. The month of fasting commemorates God’s revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, and believers use this time to practice reflection and self control. So if you’re not Muslim, how can you be more considerate of…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Not Be Totally Clueless About Ramadan
15 ways to use bar soap
There are many reasons to love the humble, versatile bar of soap.
Source: TreeHugger – 15 ways to use bar soap
Theranos directors trusted Elizabeth Holmes more than their own eyes
Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos’ CEO and the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, in an interview on September 29, 2015. (Photo by David Orrell/CNBC/NBCU, Photo Bank via Getty Images.) (credit: Getty Images | CNBC)
When former US Secretary of State George Shultz underwent a Theranos blood test, it involved a standard vein draw—not the company’s proprietary finger prick blood collection. Though at the time Theranos claimed to only use its proprietary testing, the discrepancy didn’t bother Shultz, then a member of the company’s board of directors. In fact, according to newly unsealed court documents reported by The Wall Street Journal, he continued to believe that the company could and did use its own technology for all blood testing.
“There would be some, you know, excuse about why they needed to take a venous draw for him, but you know, for everyone else it was a finger prick. And, he continued to buy into that,” Shultz’s grandson, Tyler, a former Theranos employee and whistleblower, testified.
Regulators and media reports revealed last year that Theranos used commercial equipment for most of its testing and had critical technical problems with its own technology.
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Source: Ars Technica – Theranos directors trusted Elizabeth Holmes more than their own eyes
In search of the lost British bike lanes
Bike lanes were part of the standard road design in Britain in the 30s. That’s the way it should be now everywhere.
Source: TreeHugger – In search of the lost British bike lanes
Twitter will livestream five BBC UK election specials
Twitter’s attempt to reposition itself as a major video provider has led to a number of important partnerships, but many of them have been US-based, or held at a time where UK users are unable to watch. However, that’s all set to change with the upco…
Source: Engadget – Twitter will livestream five BBC UK election specials
This Look at Jupiter's Rings From the Inside Is Breathtaking
Juno’s first major information dump revealed some incredible insights into our big ol’ friend, Jupiter. A few close approaches from the NASA spacecraft show that the gas giant has extremely chaotic storms and can generate aurorae in ways Earth can’t, among other oddities. In short, Jupiter is the wild west of the…
Source: Gizmodo – This Look at Jupiter’s Rings From the Inside Is Breathtaking
How To: Safely Escape A Rattlesnake You Accidentally Sit Next To
This is a video of Youtuber Nick TheWrangler demonstrating his technique for successfully avoiding a rattlesnake bite, after accidentally sitting down next to one in the wild — a situation I hope I never find myself in. His course of action includes blowing on it (it doesn’t move it all), brushing its tail to get it to move (which does work — it slithers right into his lap), and poking it with a stick, which eventually gets the snake to move far enough away for Nick to jump to safety. Of course this was all very strange to watch considering there’s a cameraman standing four feet away doing absolutely nothing to help Nick. Did he actually want him to get bitten? I kinda did.
Keep going for the video while I email a link to Dr. Jones to freak him out.
Source: Geekologie – How To: Safely Escape A Rattlesnake You Accidentally Sit Next To
Control this insane $16,000 laundry-folding robot with your voice
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard about Laundroid, the laundry folding robot that will make lazy people swoon. Now, parent company Seven Dreamers has announced a new partnership that could make your laundry-related life even easier.
Seven Dreamers…
Source: Engadget – Control this insane ,000 laundry-folding robot with your voice
Podcast App Breaker Adds Support For JSON Feed, Believes the RSS Alternative Could Benefit Podcast Ecosystem
Erik Michaels-Ober, the creator of popular podcast app Breaker: The decentralized structure of podcasts creates a chicken-and-egg problem for JSON Feed to gain adoption. There’s no incentive for podcasters to publish in JSON Feed as long as podcast players don’t support it. And there’s no incentive for podcast players to support JSON Feed as long as podcasters don’t publish in that format. Breaker is hoping to break that stalemate by adding support for JSON Feed in our latest release. As far as we know, Breaker is the first podcast player to do so. Unlike other features that differentiate Breaker, we encourage our competitors to follow our lead in this area. The sooner all podcast players support JSON Feed, the better positioned the entire podcast ecosystem will be for the decades to come. JSON is more compact than XML, making it faster for computers to transfer and parse, while making it easier for humans to read and write. Updating Breaker to support JSON Feed was fun and easy. It took us less than a day from when we started working on it to when the change was submitted to the App Store.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Podcast App Breaker Adds Support For JSON Feed, Believes the RSS Alternative Could Benefit Podcast Ecosystem
Ten iMessage Apps Actually Worth Installing
Last year, Apple launched mini apps for iMessage in a bid to liven up its default messaging app and fend off competition from third-party alternatives—but are any of these add-ons actually any good? We went deep to look for iMessage apps that offer something genuinely useful or fun (or both).
Source: Gizmodo – Ten iMessage Apps Actually Worth Installing
ASUS Outs Crazy Thin ROG Zephyrus Max-Q Kaby Lake Gaming Laptop With GeForce GTX 1080
NVIDIA this morning announced its Max-Q Design initiative, which allows for ultra-thin gaming notebooks that use high-powered graphics cards like the potent Pascal-based GeForce GTX 1080. One of those laptop that adheres to the Max-Q Design directive is the ASUS ROG Zephyrus.
The gaming notebook is just 0.7 inches thick and weighs in at
Source: Hot Hardware – ASUS Outs Crazy Thin ROG Zephyrus Max-Q Kaby Lake Gaming Laptop With GeForce GTX 1080
Here's Our First Look at Android Creator Andy Rubin's Super Hyped Secret Mystery Smartphone
After months of speculation, the creator of Android, Andy Rubin, is finally showing off his company’s new products. Since leaving Google in October 2014, he has been working tirelessly on launching a smartphone that he claims could shakeup the tech industry. Today, we got our first look at it thanks to an exclusive …
Source: Gizmodo – Here’s Our First Look at Android Creator Andy Rubin’s Super Hyped Secret Mystery Smartphone
Google Working on Secret VR OLED with 10 Times the Pixels of Current Displays
Google is said to have a prototype display capable of resolutions up to 20 megapixels per eye, which is equivalent to having two and a half 4K TVs strapped to your face and ten times more powerful than any VR display currently available on the commercial market. The biggest challenge is figuring out how to manage and move the data: the device supposedly requires 100Gbps of bandwidth. Being that VR needs a serious boost in image quality, this is exactly the type of development needed to push the concept forward.
The focus of Google is clear and that is to fix the fundamental unresolved problems of virtual reality that must be addressed if the technology is to move forward. Bavor says that to increase the acuity, quality, and field of view for virtual reality in a headset, way more pixels are needed. With the average consumer VR headset providing 2 megapixels per eye, the new secret project Google is working on easily addresses the shortcomings of current technology, but it’s not without its own challenges. He continued to say “that’s enough to render only 20/100 vision through the headset, well below the bar for being declared legally blind in most U.S. states”.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Google Working on Secret VR OLED with 10 Times the Pixels of Current Displays