Tag: engadget

Roku’s new $50 stick fits a quad-core CPU in a smaller frame

Roku’s last Streaming Stick was plenty of things: Compact, inexpensive and perfect for bringing on vacation. But you wouldn’t call it fast, per se. That’s something Roku aimed to fix with the latest version of the Streaming Stick, which packs in a quad-core CPU to deliver eight times the processing power of its predecessor. Even more impressive, this new Stick is almost as small as a USB flash drive and it’s still $50. While the company won’t speak about any RAM or storage improvements, reps say they’ve tweaked the device’s antennas for better reception. It doesn’t support 802.11ac WiFi yet, but you can at least get 5Ghz 802.11n. The new Stick sports Roku OS 7.1, which offers a few improvements when it comes to following movies and TV shows. There’s also a slightly redesigned remote, which is a bit smaller than Roku’s last few remotes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a headphone jack or voice control support. On the bright side, the new Roku mobile app offers both of those features. The ability to stream audio from whatever you’re watching right from your phone, in particular, looks particularly handy for all Roku users. In a brief demonstration with the Roku Stick sitting in an enclosed A/V cabinet, it was noticeably snappier than the previous model. Simple things like navigating around menus quickly, or scrolling through Netflix titles, was almost as smooth as the more powerful Roku 4 . As a frustrated owner of the last Stick, this one looks like an improvement in just about every way. The new Roku Stick is up for preorder today, and it will hit stores later this month.

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Roku’s new $50 stick fits a quad-core CPU in a smaller frame

Homebrew self-driving tech gets millions in backing

George “Geohot” Hotz’s attempt to put cheap, self-driving tech into any existing car raised eyebrows (and Tesla’s ire) when it was revealed late last year. Now, one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital funds is throwing its wallet behind Hotz’s grand idea. Andreessen Horowitz has written a check for $3.1 million to help Hotz hire engineers and turn his jury-rigged system into a working product. He’s joining some illustrious company, since the fund has previously handed cash to outfits like Oculus VR, Zynga, Instagram, Groupon, Jawbone and something called Twitter. Those with long memories will know Hotz from his days as Geohot, the hacker that cracked the iPhone and PlayStation 3 . The engineer has founded a company, Comma, on the principle that cheap sensors and machine learning makes it possible to make a system for a few thousand bucks. It’s a claim that Tesla was quick to trash, saying that while it’s easy to build a system for a “known stretch of road, ” a real self-driving car is a much harder proposition. Still, if the folks at Horowitz are opening their bank accounts, even slightly, then they must feel differently. Source: Chris Dixon

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Homebrew self-driving tech gets millions in backing

‘Biopen’ lets doctors 3D print cartilage during surgery

If you need knee replacement surgery in the future, doctors may be able to create a custom-made joint from your own stem cells. A team from St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, have developed the Biopen, a type of 3D printer that uses “ink” made from hydrogel and stem cells. While 3D printing stem cells isn’t new , the exact shape of a patient’s cartilage often can’t be known until they’re cut open. Using the device, surgeons can precisely customize the joint to the patient with surgical “scaffolds, ” then permanently harden the biogel using ultraviolet light. Built from medical-grade plastic and titanium in consultation with doctors, the Biopen is supposedly up to the challenges of an operating room. “The development of this type of technology is only possible with interactions between scientists and clinicians — clinicians to identify the problem and scientists to develop a solution, ” says Professor Peter Choong, Director of Orthopaedics at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. The process yields a very high 97 percent survival rate for the cells. Doctors developed a Biopen prototype several years ago (see the video, above), but refined it considerably, according to a new research paper . The same device could be used in other forms of surgery where custom tissue regeneration is needed, but there’s no word yet on when it will be tested on patients or commercialized. Via: IB Times Source: Pubmed (subscription)

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‘Biopen’ lets doctors 3D print cartilage during surgery

Windows 10’s Anniversary Update arrives this summer

Just because Microsoft is less focused on monolithic Windows releases doesn’t mean it’s forgetting to deliver big upgrades. The company has used Build 2016 to announce an Anniversary Update for Windows 10 that brings some hefty improvements. For one, it brings Windows Hello’s biometric authentication to all kinds of apps, including the Edge browser — you can sign into a website with your fingerprint. Pen support also gets its due with a sticky note app, a sketchpad and virtual drawing tools like a ruler and a stencil. The upgrade brings more advanced gestures and pen input, too, such as erasing words by striking them out. The Anniversary Update arrives this summer, so it shouldn’t be too long before you can give its features a try. Get all the news from today’s Microsoft Build keynote right here , and follow along with our liveblog ! Free for everyone running #Windows10 : the Anniversary Update arrives this summer. #Build2016 pic.twitter.com/pTbtutRNvy — Windows (@Windows) March 30, 2016

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Windows 10’s Anniversary Update arrives this summer

Toyota will make automatic braking near-standard by 2017

Worried that you might not stop your Camry in time to avoid a nasty collision? Toyota is determined to prevent that from happening going forward. The Japanese car maker has announced that its automatic braking systems will be standard on 25 out of 30 Toyota and Lexus models, at nearly every trim level, by the end of 2017. It’ll only be non-standard on the 4Runner, 86 (formerly the Scion FR-S), Mirai , Lexus GX and Scion iA. Just what you’ll get will vary: while Lexus only has one braking system (based on a camera and millimeter wave radar), Toyota has both laser- and millimeter wave-based variants. Whatever you get, though, it’s a big step forward for safety and semi-autonomous driving in one of the world’s biggest vehicle brands. You probably won’t have to fork over extra just to minimize the chances of a crash, whether you’re driving a frugal Yaris or a decked-out Lexus LX. Via: TechCrunch Source: Toyota

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Toyota will make automatic braking near-standard by 2017

Apple iOS 9.3 update available today with ‘Night Shift’

During its ” Loop You In ” event, Apple announced that iOS 9.3 would finally be available to all starting today. The new version of the operation system adds the color-temperature changing Night Shift, Notes with Touch ID and password support. The News app also got some love with trending topics. CarPlay is updated with better Maps and an easier way to select music. The operating system has been available to developers and any users that opt-in to beta test the latest version of iOS. So the none of the features are much of a surprise. But, if you’re not in the mood to mess with your iPhone experience using a system that’s not quite ready for primetime, soon you’ll be able to set Today’s event introduced the new iPhone 5SE which is available for order now . Get all the news from today’s iPhone event right here , and follow along with our liveblog !

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Apple iOS 9.3 update available today with ‘Night Shift’

Here’s an early taste of the ‘System Shock’ remake

Two decades after its original release, System Shock is being remade . Night Dive Studios, the developer in charge of the project, released some pre-alpha footage, and it looks great. If you’ve never played the original, it’s a hugely influential atmospheric first-person RPG in a sci-fi horror setting. A great game in its own right, it spawned a more successful (and arguably better) sequel, System Shock 2 . Some of the minds behind the originals went on to create games you’ve almost certainly heard of. Ken Levine made BioShock , considered by many to be a spiritual successor, while Warren Spector made Deus Ex , which also leans heavily on the System Shock 2 formula. Night Dive’s video describes the game as System Shock 1 Remastered , but it’s clear that this is more remake than remaster. The original artist is on board to help upgrade the original assets, and with that some of the level layout is changing. Speaking with Polygon , the developer explained that many people’s only exposure to the series is through BioShock , so it’s making some tweaks to cater to modern gamers’ tastes. That means the tone of the narrative is also set to shift, as is some of the gameplay. but the overall plot will remain. System Shock is due for release in 2017. A bonafide sequel, System Shock 3, is also in the early stages of development, with Spector at the helm . Source: Night Dive (YouTube)

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Here’s an early taste of the ‘System Shock’ remake

A ‘Star Wars’ VR experiment is coming soon to HTC Vive

Last year Industrial Light & Magic teased an HTC Vive VR tie-in experience (the old teaser clip is embedded after the break) to go along with The Force Awakens and to celebrate the launch of its ILM Experience Lab . It appears its release was delayed along with the headset, but now that it’s rolling out, we should see it soon. Earlier this evening a short YouTube teaser for Star Wars: Trials on Tattooine appeared on the ILMVisualFX YouTube channel before going private, and it showed something that appeared to go beyond the Jakku Spy experience that appeared last year for Google Cardboard. It flashed a glimpse at the Vive headset, along with a VR trip in the Star Wars universe featuring everything from R2-D2 to player-controlled lightsaber battles. These screenshots should give you an idea of what this Cinematic Virtual Reality Experiment will be like, now we’re just waiting to hear when it will be available. [Thanks, Anonymous!] Source: ILMVisualFX (YouTube)

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A ‘Star Wars’ VR experiment is coming soon to HTC Vive

Blizzard’s ‘Overwatch’ hits consoles and PC on May 24

The wait is almost over for Overwatch , Blizzard’s first original game in some time. The shooter will hit PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on May 24, the company announced today . Additionally, you’ll be able to get your feet wet during an open beta from May 5 through May 9. Those who preorder the game will also be able to get an early start on the beta on May 3. Multiplayer shooters are fairly common these days, but it’ll be interesting to see how Blizzard, a company best known for MMORPGs and strategy games, approaches the genre. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Overwatch ‘ s gameplay is frenetic, giving you control of 21 different heroes with different skills. This isn’t some stroll through Destiny’s Crucible. Blizzard also revealed two new editions of the game today. PC players can snag the base version for $40 — which doesn’t include some of the skins and other “digital goodies” buyers of the $60 “Origins Edition” will get — and the “Collector’s Edition” for all platforms will retail for around $130. The latter will come with a Soldier: 76 statue, art book and soundtrack. Source: Blizzard

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Blizzard’s ‘Overwatch’ hits consoles and PC on May 24

Quantum computer revolves around just 5 atoms

It’s no mean feat to find the factors of a very large number — even a supercomputer can take years to find all the multipliers. However, MIT researchers have found a way to clear this massive hurdle. They’ve built a quantum computer that discovers number factors using just five atoms. Four of the atoms are turned into logic gates using laser pulses that put them into superpositions (where they maintain two different energy states at once), while the fifth atom stores and delivers answers. The result is a computer that not only calculates solutions much more efficiently than existing quantum systems, but scales relatively easily. Need to get the factors for a larger number? Introduce more atoms. It’s a one-trick pony at the moment (it can only get factors for the number 15), and a truly complex computer would require “thousands” of simultaneous laser blasts to work. However, it could have big ramifications for the security world. A sufficiently powerful machine could end the use of any encryption that depends on factoring — a government agency or hacking team could easily crack codes that are otherwise near-impenetrable. On a basic level, this quantum factoring could also help solve math problems involving extremely large numbers (say, universe-scale calculations) that would normally be too daunting. Source: MIT News

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Quantum computer revolves around just 5 atoms