innovation – Page 6 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

Newly unveiled iOS 9 focuses on more proactive Siri, better multitasking

SAN FRANCISCO—As expected, Apple used its WWDC keynote today to take the wraps off iOS 9, the newest version of its operating system for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. While iOS 7 and iOS 8 ushered in big changes, iOS 9 will instead focus on speed and stability. In other words, iOS 9 will be to iOS 8 as OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was to OS X 10.5 . That said, Apple isn’t promoting iOS 9 using Snow Leopard’s “no new features” label. The new operating system harvests some of iOS 8’s lowest-hanging fruit and continues the work of opening the platform up to developers. It also tweaks the aesthetic introduced back in iOS 7. You fancy, WatchOS-like UI. 3 more images in gallery Among the highlighted updates for iOS 9, Apple VP Craig Federighi started by detailing an improved Siri. The assistant now has an updated UI to match WatchOS, but more importantly Siri has evolved into a more proactive assistant. For examples of this functionality, Federighi mentioned Siri can automatically play music you like from the lockscreen while on a run. iOS 9 Siri can add things to the calendar alongside a “time to leave” reminder that keeps traffic data in mind. And when unknown phone numbers reach out, the newly proactive Siri will scan your e-mail to try to identify who is getting in touch. Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Newly unveiled iOS 9 focuses on more proactive Siri, better multitasking

Factory Reset On Millions of Android Devices Doesn’t Wipe Storage

Bismillah writes: Ross Anderson and Laurent Simon of Cambridge University studied a range of Android devices and found that even though a “factory reset” is supposed to fully wipe storage, it often doesn’t. Interestingly enough, full-device encryption could be compromised by the incomplete wiping too. ITnews reports: “The researchers estimated that 500 million Android devices may not fully wipe device disk partitions. As many as 630 million phones may not wipe internal SD cards. Five ‘critical failures’ were outlined in the researchers’ Security Analysis of Android Factory Resets paper. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Factory Reset On Millions of Android Devices Doesn’t Wipe Storage

Tesla’s new “Powerwall” home battery will cost $3,500 for 10kWh units [Updated]

HAWTHORNE, Calif.—In the sleek warehouse of Tesla’s Design Studio, CEO and co-founder Elon Musk announced the company’s latest products—a line of stationary batteries for households and utilities meant to store energy so that it can be used when energy is scarce and/or expensive. The home stationary battery will be called the Powerwall and it will cost $3,500 for a 10kWh unit. That unit is optimized to deal with serving a house if the traditional power grid goes down. A cheaper, $3,000 version will have a 7kWh capacity, and it will be able to help a house with solar panels deal with the fluctuations in energy supply. The prices don’t include installation, and Tesla said it would be working with certified installers including SolarCity and others. In a Q&A before the event, Musk said that the batteries will have thermal management systems to allow them to power houses in hot and cold climates too—the batteries have an operating temperature range of -20C (-4F) to 43C (110F). Read 18 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Tesla’s new “Powerwall” home battery will cost $3,500 for 10kWh units [Updated]

New Square Enix real-time DirectX 12 demo crosses the uncanny valley

Final Fantasy maker and tech-demo master Square Enix unveiled a doozie of a demo at Microsoft’s 2015 Build conference. Titled Witch Chapter 0 [cry] , the demo showcased a range of DirectX 12 technical and processing wizardries to create a real-time animation on par with pre-rendered cut scenes and movies. During the demo (which you can view below), Microsoft’s Steve Guggenheimer explained each scene contained around 63 million polygons, which is supposedly up to 12-times more than Square Enix managed to render in its Agni’s Philosophy DirectX 11 demo back in 2012. Running 63 million polygons with high-resolution textures—8K by 8K in this case—is no small feat. By comparison, Star Citizen’s biggest carrier ships run up to around seven million polygons , while Ryse’s protagonist Marius was made up of 85K polygons on the Xbox One. One of the most impressive moments in the demo is when Guggenheimer zooms into the character model, revealing an immense amount of detail right up to the individual pores on her skin. The character’s hair was also revealed to be made up of individual polygons rendered with over 50 shaders, and not the less expensive surface mapping technique that’s commonly used to create features such as hair. Read 2 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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New Square Enix real-time DirectX 12 demo crosses the uncanny valley

Intel’s Compute Stick: A full PC that’s tiny in size (and performance)

Specs at a glance: Intel Compute Stick STCK1A32WFC OS Windows 8.1 with Bing 32-bit CPU 1.33GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735F (Turbo Boost up to 1.83GHz) RAM 2GB 1333MHz DDR3 (non upgradeable) GPU Intel HD Graphics (integrated) HDD 32GB eMMC SSD Networking 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 Ports 1x USB 2.0, microSD, micro USB (for power) Size 4.06” x 1.46” x 0.47” (103 x 37 x 12mm) Other perks Lock slot Warranty 1 year Price ~$150, ~$110 for Ubuntu Linux version with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage Our appreciation of mini desktop PCs is well-documented at this point . In the age of the smartphone and the two-pound laptop, the desktop PC is perhaps the least exciting of computing devices, but there are still plenty of hulking desktop towers out there, and many of them can be replaced by something you can hold in the palm of your hand. Intel’s new Compute Stick, available for about $150 with Windows 8.1 and $110 with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, takes the mini desktop concept about as far as it can go. The Stick isn’t even really a “desktop” in the traditional sense, since it’s an HDMI dongle that hangs off the back of your monitor instead of sitting on your desk. It’s not very powerful, but the Compute Stick is one of the smallest Windows desktops you can buy right now. Let’s take a quick look at what it’s capable of. Read 19 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Intel’s Compute Stick: A full PC that’s tiny in size (and performance)

Tech vs. terror: Drones and data fight a new battle against poachers

When night falls, danger unfolds at the uMkhuze Game Reserve. And while some of the world’s most deadly predators—ranging in size from hyenas to lions—coexist next to African elephants, giraffes, and more within this massive, 140 square mile natural area, they aren’t the only creatures out hunting at night. This particular section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa plays host to one of the country’s most profitable, albeit illegal, industries: poaching. In Africa, it’s a $70 billion business. Organized crime rings dabbling in poaching often carry ties to other smuggling industries like narcotics and weapons; some even connect with terrorist organizations. In this specific target area, rhinos most often land in the criminal crosshairs, with over 3,800 killed in South Africa alone over the past seven years. Their horns allegedly sell for $65,000 per kilogram as poachers look to profit from ivory and rhino horn powder. On the evening of November 4, 2014, two poaching suspects entered the reserve. One carried a .458 caliber rifle outfitted with a silencer. A cane knife—a long, machete-like tool used for harvesting—may have also been involved. Nearly 80 rhinos had been poached already that year; more seemed destined for the tally. But by chance, four park rangers noticed suspicious movement while on foot patrol that evening. A firefight ensued. Read 30 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Tech vs. terror: Drones and data fight a new battle against poachers

AT&T’s plan to watch your Web browsing—and what you can do about it

If you have AT&T’s gigabit Internet service and wonder why it seems so affordable, here’s the reason—AT&T is boosting profits by rerouting all your Web browsing to an in-house traffic scanning platform, analyzing your Internet habits, then using the results to deliver personalized ads to the websites you visit, e-mail to your inbox, and junk mail to your front door. In a few select areas including Austin, Texas, and Kansas City, Missouri—places where AT&T competes against the $70-per-month Google Fiber—Ma Bell offers its own $70-per-month ” GigaPower ” fiber-to-the-home Internet access. But signing up for the deal also opts customers in to AT&T’s “Internet Preferences” program, which gives the company permission to examine each customer’s Web traffic in exchange for a price that matches Google’s. AT&T charges at least another $29 a month ($99 total) to provide standalone Internet service that doesn’t perform this extra scanning of your Web traffic. The privacy fee can balloon to more than $60 for bundles including TV or phone service. Certain modem rental and installation fees also apply only to service plans without Internet Preferences. Read 67 remaining paragraphs | Comments

First look at the Office 2016 Preview for Windows

Hot on the heels of Office 2016 for Mac , Microsoft today released a preview of Office 2016 for the operating system that it actually earns money from. You know—Windows. In fairness, Windows isn’t in such desperate need for an updated Office. Office 2013 is fresher than Office 2011 was, and so it’s not altogether surprising that Office 2016 is to Office 2013 much the same as what Office 2013 was to Office 2010. This is a minor update with some small new features and a visual refresh. The preview is currently aimed at IT professionals and developers, and as such it requires an active Office 365 subscription. A consumer-oriented preview should be released later in the year, but it’s pretty clear that Microsoft wants people to subscribe to Office 365, and the company is going to continue to offer small perks for having a subscription. Last year’s Outlook for Mac update was similarly an Office 365-only benefit. Read 18 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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First look at the Office 2016 Preview for Windows

Lawsuit Over Quarter Horse’s Clone May Redefine Animal Breeding

schwit1 sends this report from the LA Times: “Lynx Melody Too, a clone of a renowned quarter horse, is at the center of a lawsuit that could change the world of animal breeding and competition. Texas horse breeder Jason Abraham and veterinarian Gregg Veneklasen sued the American Quarter Horse Assn., claiming that Lynx Melody Too should be allowed to register as an official quarter horse. A Texas jury decided in their favor in 2013, but a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling in January, saying there was ‘insufficient’ evidence of wrongdoing by the association. The suit is among the first to deal with the status of clones in breeding and competition, and its outcome could impact a number of fields, including thoroughbred horse racing and dog breeding. The quarter horse association is adamant that clones and their offspring have no place in its registry. “It’s what AQHA was founded on — tracking and preserving the pedigrees of these American quarter horses, ” said Tom Persechino, executive director of marketing for the association. “When a person buys an American quarter horse, they want to know that my quarter horse has the blood of these horses running through it, not copies of it.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Office for Mac 2016 hands-on: A vital upgrade, with some kinks to work out

The starting point when you open the new Word for Mac looks a lot more like the Windows version than it used to. 14 more images in gallery Office for Mac has often played second fiddle to the flagship Windows version that powers Microsoft’s productivity software empire, but it’s important for plenty of computer users nonetheless. It’s thus good to see Microsoft nearly finished with a long-awaited update that brings the OS X and Windows versions of Office closer together in style, while adding integrations with Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage. A preview version of Office for Mac 2016 was released today , and there’s enough to give Mac users reason to look forward to the final bits and reminders of bugginess that can afflict Microsoft software for the Mac. The preview for OS X Yosemite is free to download and use until its official release in the second half of 2015. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. We’ve already covered the Outlook and OneNote redesigns, so we’ll just focus on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in this brief hands-on. Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments