src – Page 6 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

The US Air Force hopes to recruit you with a virtual reality game

The US Air Force has an interesting dilemma: how do you convey the thrill of flying a fighter jet to potential recruits without taking them on a very expensive trip? Virtual reality, apparently. The military branch is teaming up with Reel FX on Air Force Performance Lab, a recruiting “experience” whose centerpiece is an Oculus Rift -based VR game that has you flying an F-35 through an obstacle course. It’s more of an arcade game than a simulator, but the use of real throttle-and-stick controls and a rumbling seat could make it feel convincing enough. There’s more tech in the lab beyond this, including a Kinect-based pull-up challenge, a cognitive test on a 42-inch touchscreen and an iPad-based career room. You’ll have to attend one of the Air Force’s recruiting stops (typically at air shows) to see any of this for yourself. Whether or not you can make it, it’s clear that the days of enlisting soldiers through brochures and videos are coming to an end. Filed under: Gaming , Wearables Comments

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The US Air Force hopes to recruit you with a virtual reality game

Microsoft unveils Cortana voice assistant for Android and iPhone

Yes, it’s official : Microsoft is bringing Windows’ Cortana voice assistant to Android and iPhone. Both platforms will get a dedicated app that, much like you see on Windows Phone today, will let you dictate reminders, track flights and otherwise keep your life organized. Cortana’s Notebook, which remembers what you like, will also sync across all your platforms. This won’t be a one-for-one recreation of what you get right now, though — since Microsoft can’t tap directly into the operating system like it can on Windows devices, you won’t get hands-free activation through “hey Cortana” or options to launch apps or settings. Still, it’ll be worth seeing what this Halo -inspired helper can do when it reaches Android in late June, and iPhones sometime later this year — and we’d add that it’s not the only treat Microsoft has in store for your smartphone, either. The Redmond crew is also unveiling Phone Companion, a Windows 10 app (due in the OS preview within a few weeks) that helps you sync your Android, iOS or Windows handset with your PC. It’ll mostly entail loading apps for Microsoft’s services if you’re using non-Windows hardware, but it should take the challenge out of accessing your computer’s content when you’re on the road. And yes, this includes music on all platforms. The company is promising an updated version of Xbox Music for Android and iOS that, like on Windows, will stream your OneDrive music for free. This doesn’t arrive in beta form until July, but it’ll be worthwhile if you thrive in Microsoft’s ecosystem. Filed under: Cellphones , Internet , Software , Mobile , Microsoft Comments Source: Blogging Windows

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Microsoft unveils Cortana voice assistant for Android and iPhone

Super-efficient solar cells can power homes in unforgiving areas

Scientists have long talked about black silicon (that is, silicon with nano-sized structures) having the potential to trump conventional solar power , and there’s now some proof that this is happening. Aalto University researchers have developed black silicon solar cells that achieve a record 22.1 percent efficiency when turning the Sun’s rays into usable energy. That’s a 4 percent absolute boost over the previous best, and good enough that the technology could finally be ready to reach the market and replace existing solar panels. Black silicon is far better suited to collecting sunlight at low angles, which is common in northern regions — you wouldn’t have to live in a sunny, forgiving part of the world to get the most out of clean energy. It should be cheaper, too. So long as these black cells translate well to mass production, you may have an easier time ditching the conventional power grid. Filed under: Science Comments Source: Aalto University , Nature

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Super-efficient solar cells can power homes in unforgiving areas

YouTube now supports 60 fps live streaming

YouTube blew more than a few minds last October when it rolled out 60 frame-per-second video playback on the site. Gamers especially flocked to the frame rate as it allowed for jutter-free playback of fast-paced titles like Call of Duty or Titanfall . Today, YouTube announced a new feature that is sure to make gamers even happier: 60 fps live streaming which will allow people to broadcast their online exploits in real-time. The new frame rate is still an early preview, mind you, and will only be available on HTML5-compatible browsers. However, YouTube will encode these streams in both 720p60 and 1080p60 formats as well as automatically knock it down to 30FPS for devices that can’t handle full speed. What’s more, YouTube is also rolling out HTML5 playback which will enable viewers to not only rewind in the middle of a live stream but also play it back at up to double speed in order to catch back up to the broadcast. And for producers, the video-sharing site has collaborated with Elgato and XSplit to ensure that products like Elgato Game Capture , XSplit Broadcaster and XSplit Gamecaster will continue to work with the site. Filed under: Displays , Google Comments

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YouTube now supports 60 fps live streaming

Google Maps gets even more detailed traffic features

Google has updated Maps with more specific traffic alerts just in time to help you dodge Memorial Day traffic nightmares. The app can already route you around closures and other problems using crowdsourced traffic data, but now it’ll give you an explanation for why a detour is recommended with a dismiss-able card. For instance, it’ll let you know whether it’s recommending a route because it’s the fastest option, or because it helps you avoid an incident. Moreover, it’ll now give you a heads up on traffic conditions as soon as you enter your destination, telling you if its smooth sailing ahead or a cluster-you-know-what. In the same blog post , Google also revealed trends from Memorial Day 2014. It noted that you were most likely to search for a beach or cemetery — not a surprising development on a holiday that honors people who died serving their country. Popular destinations included Carmel, CA, Long Island, NY and Santa Barbara, CA. The new app still isn’t available, but Mountain View said it would arrive before the weekend. Filed under: Cellphones , Internet , Google Comments Source: Google

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Google Maps gets even more detailed traffic features

‘Vidity’ 4K movies you can download are coming later this year

At CES the long-brewing alliance to push Hollywood movies you can legally download, store and play across different devices finally surfaced , and now its system has a brand name: Vidity . As we learned in January, this is the doing of the Secure Content Storage Association — a team up behind movie studios (Fox, Warner Bros.) and storage manufacturers (Western Digital, Sandisk) to create a system where users can download movies in the highest possible quality like 4K Ultra HD and HDR. Samsung was the first to announce its Ultra HD TVs with the M-Go app will use the spec, but other big names like Vudu, Kaleidescape, LG, Universal, Comcast and Sprint are on board too. So far 4K movies have generally been all about streaming, but now between Ultra HD Blu-ray and Vidity there are a couple of new options coming. With the spec and brand name locked down, Vidity GM David Huerta tells us compatible products and services should roll out later this year. Other than just top-quality audio and video, the main feature of Vidity is that it’s intended to work across devices, from TVs to PCs to phones and tablets. The concept of it works a lot like the digital distribution schemes we’ve seen for videogames, with the ability to copy or move the files and still play them elsewhere. Of course, it seems doubtful that anything Hollywood is behind will be quite as easy as piracy, and we’re still waiting to see if all of the studios will be involved. If viewers can experience more control and convenience plus high quality playback and access to hit movies, Vidity will be a major step forward and fit in nicely next to discs and streaming. Currently, simple things like downloading a purchase pre-release or just keeping a copy to play anywhere aren’t possible or easy to move across different device, but this could change that. We could even see movie distribution on items like USB sticks or hard drives, but it will probably just be downloads to start. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Vidity

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‘Vidity’ 4K movies you can download are coming later this year

PayPal will refund $15 million to customers if the CFPB has its way

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleges that PayPal engaged in unfair, abusive and deceptive practices in the marketing and management of its PayPal Credit service, formerly known as Bill Me Later. To rectify the (many) outlined abuses, the CFPB filed a complaint and proposed consent order that directs PayPal to refund $15 million to affected consumers, plus pay a $10 million fine to the CFPB’s Civil Penalty Fund. The proposed consent order isn’t an official ruling just yet — a judge with the US District Court for the District of Maryland must approve the order for it to be enforced. “The CFPB alleges that many consumers who were attempting to enroll in a regular PayPal account, or make an online purchase, were signed up for a credit product without realizing it, ” the bureau writes. “The company also failed to post payments properly, lost payment checks, and mishandled billing disputes that consumers had with merchants or the company. Tens of thousands of consumers experienced these issues.” Specifically, the CFPB claims that PayPal deceptively advertised promotions, abusively charged deferred interest, enrolled people in PayPal Credit without their knowledge or consent, forced customers to use PayPal Credit, engaged in illegal billing practices and mishandled disputes. The CFPB has the authority to take action against companies engaging in unfair and abusive business practices under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The “affected consumers” in this case are, generally, “any consumer identified by the Bureau and Defendants who paid late fees or interest charges between January 1st, 2011, and May 1st, 2015, ” the proposed consent order reads. PayPal recently agreed to pay the US Department of Treasury $7.7 million after processing payments for numerous individuals and companies on the US sanctions list. For an in-depth look at the CFPB’s allegations against PayPal Credit, see the full complaint ( PDF ) and proposed consent order ( PDF ). Filed under: Misc , Internet Comments Source: CFPB

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PayPal will refund $15 million to customers if the CFPB has its way

Hoopla lets you digitally borrow almost anything from your library

Today the Hoolpa service and apps added e-books and comic to its media library of audiobooks, movies, TV shows and albums. While the app has always synced with local libraries, it wasn’t until today that the app was meant for reading. The new offerings will be from IDW Publishing , RosettaBooks , Chicago Review Press and others with more publishers being announced in the coming months. The reading feature includes options similar to Amazon’s Whispersync with the ability to read a book across multiple devices and the options to adjust fonts, line spacing, columns and background. For comic book fans, a feature called “Action View” enlarges individual panels with a double tap for easier reading on mobile devices. “One of our main objectives for libraries is to be mobile centric, ” said owner and founder Jeff Jankowski. Developer Midwest Tape has been supplying books and other media to libraries for 25 years. The Hoopla app is the evolution of that relationship. When you attach your library card to the app, you’re allotted a certain amount of “check outs” per month (for example, San Francisco allows 10). The 6, 000 e-books and comic books added today join the 300, 000 movies, TV shows, audiobooks and albums currently on the service. Filed under: Misc Comments Source: Hoopla

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Hoopla lets you digitally borrow almost anything from your library

New York Stock Exchange begins monitoring bitcoin value

Bitcoin’s march toward legitimacy just took a hop, skip and jump with the news that the New York Stock Exchange is going to start monitoring its value. The NYSE Bitcoin Index (NYBXT) will keep a beady eye on how much the cryptocurrency is worth, relative to the US dollar, with the data being pulled from Coinbase . That way, investment types can get a quick read on how bitcoin is doing at any one time, with the value being updated at 11:00 AM ET each day. Essentially, bitcoin will look and feel like any other foreign currency market on the NYSE’s ticker. Investors looking to make some money can put their cash into bitcoin and hopefully take it out, when its value increases. Those who are curious as to why the data is being pulled from Coinbase should note that NYSE made a small investment in the business earlier this year. The exchange has pledged, however, that if other bitcoin exchanges can meet its rigorous quality standards, they’ll be allowed to join the index at some point in the future. Between this and the impending launch of the Winklevoss-backed Gemini exchange, it looks like New York’s financial district is the place to be for would-be bitcoin speculators. Filed under: Misc , Internet Comments Source: NYSE (BusinessWire)

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New York Stock Exchange begins monitoring bitcoin value

NASA competition pays you to design a 3D-printed habitat

If NASA is going to put humans on Mars and other distant worlds, it’s going to need a place for explorers to stay — and it wants your help building those extraterrestrial homes. The agency has launched the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, a competition to develop the best artificial housing for space exploration. The first phase of the challenge will award a $50, 000 prize based on pure architectural merits, while a second will hand out two $1.1 million prizes for those who figure out how to manufacture individual components and whole shelters from “indigenous materials, ” such as rocky soil . NASA hopes that the winning ideas will make it possible to settle alien terrain without bringing mountains of Earth-made construction supplies. That would not only let crews pack light, but fix their own abodes if something goes wrong millions of miles from Earth. [Image credit: ESA/Foster + Partners ] Filed under: Science Comments Source: NASA