United Launch Associates (ULA), the rocket enterprise from Boeing and Lockheed, has ramped up its commitment to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket engines. The two companies agreed to expand production capability of Origin's BE-4 rocket motor, "an important step toward building (them) at the production rate needed for the Vulcan launch vehicle," said Bezos. Last year, the two companies formed a pact to develop an engine that that can replace the Russian-built RD-180 engines originally planned for Vulcan -- ULA's successor to the Atlas V. Due to a US congressional ban on Russian products, ULA can no longer purchase RD-180s.

British startup Roli has launched a follow-up to its reimagined keyboard with a continuous, rubberized exterior: this one, however, is quite smaller and a lot more affordable. The Seaboard Rise was designed to be the more portable version of the company's Seaboard Grand instrument released a couple of years ago. It only has 25 keys -- Roli calls them "keywaves," because they do look like waves on a black surface -- whereas the smallest Grand iteration has 37. Thanks to that, though, it will only set you back $800, which sounds more reasonable than the cheapest Grand ($1,999), especially if you just want one for a home studio.

While a Fitbit isn't much use to a flounder, a team at the University of Liverpool has figured out the next best thing. Dr Lynne Sneddon's team created a system that non-invasively monitors the welfare of our sub-aquatic friends. Two cameras monitor how healthy fish swim in three dimensions, while software picks out any critters showing irregular patterns. Any real-life Nemos get given a health score, alerting carers to which animals might need attention.

If you never trusted your luggage lock much to begin with, then you're going to warily look at it in suspicion from now on. Some security enthusiasts took that photo of TSA's master baggage keys that The Washington Post published and turned them into 3D-printable CAD files -- in fact, they've recently uploaded them on GitHub, making them freely available to everyone. The person who released the files told Wired that while he tried to be as accurate as he could, he didn't exactly expect the keys to work. Thing is, at least one of them did work: Bernard Bolduc, who describes himself as a "Unix wizard and security geek" on Twitter printed out a key and tried it on his TSA-approved lock.

MagnifiSense is a high-tech wristband developed by University of Washington researchers. Unlike fitness trackers, though, it doesn't log the number of steps you've taken or calories burned: it takes note of the electronics and appliances you personally use to keep track of your power consumption. During their tests, the researchers found that the sensor can correctly identify and differentiate 12 devices from each other, including electric toothbrushes, lamps, laptops and even cars. It's able to tell them apart by "listening" to the electronic radiation they generate. According to lead researcher Edward Wang, electronics actually produce distinct sounds similar to "vocal cord patterns," so "a blender 'sings' quite differently than a hair dryer."

Once again, OnePlus has built a "flagship killer" that millions of people want, and once again, it's struggling to get the device in customers' hands. After delaying its arrival in the US and Canada, co-founder Carl Pei has admitted that the OnePlus 2 has only started shipping in "meaningful quantities" this week. That's a month later than expected, which is problematic given most smartphone makers work on a 12-month release cycle. "We messed up," Pei writes in a forum post. "We know that you are rooting for us, and want nothing more than to see us succeed. Therefore, it feels extra terrible to let you down this time around, again." OnePlus says it prepared more inventory for the OnePlus 2 launch, but clearly something has put a spanner in its production schedule. We were impressed with the device, but if you're desperate to upgrade your phone -- you might want to look elsewhere. For those still trying to get an invite, it could be an awfully long wait.

Researchers at the University of Michigan announced on Wednesday that they have developed a method of keeping solar cells turned toward the sun without the need for heavy and energy-hungry motors. Their method is based on the Japanese art of Kirigami -- like origami but with cuts in addition to folds. The team's panel is printed on a flexible kapton substrate which has dash-like cuts running across its surface. When stretched, the panel forms a mesh with each section twisting slightly. The degree of twist, which will allow the panel to follow the path of the sun, depends on how much the panel is stretched. "The design takes what a large tracking solar panel does and condenses it into something that is essentially flat," Aaron Lamoureux, lead author on the paper published in Nature Communications, said in a release.

It can be tough playing games on a tablet, since you can't hold 'em up comfortably like a controller or a phone. Silicon Valley startup HandScape believes their iPhone and iPad "HandyCase" is the answer to that problem. HandyCase might look just like any other protective shell, you see, but it actually adds touch capability to the back of your device. Plus, it animates your fingers as you move them from behind, making the phone or tablet seem transparent. You can even choose what kind of fingers you see on screen: the ordinary/boring kind, robotic digits or x-ray hands.

Leaf through the pages of the tech press of 2015, and you'll see the consumer-friendly camera drone slowly evolving. ProDrone's Byrd is the latest frame in that flip book: a foldable quadcopter with up to 25 minutes of flight time, and an enough power for an impressive 4.5-pound payload (enough for a DSLR). It also looks a bit like a PSone.

Sony has revealed the mirrorless full-frame Alpha A7s II, the successor to one of its most unusual cameras. The original Alpha A7s carried a maximum 409,600 max ISO setting, allowing images to be captured in near darkness. The new model has similar powers, but fixes the biggest problem with the old one. You no longer need an external recorder for Ultra HD video, as the A7s II now has internal 4K recording (3,840 x 2,160) at 24 or 30fps. It also uses a full-frame sensor readout with no pixel binning at both 4K and 1080p resolutions. In layman's terms, that means you'll get sharper 4K video with no moire or jagged edges.

Slowly but surely Dolby Vision is making its way to more and more places. The cinema company recently announced that it's partnering with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to give Hirai and Co.'s flicks a brighter, more contrasty image, whether you're watching it via a physical or digital format. No specific titles were announced for the high dynamic range video feature, but the press release quotes mention that new releases as well as catalog titles will benefit from the relatively new 4K UHD tech. So! For those keeping track at home, this marks two major studios signed on, as Warner Bros. announced its partnership earlier this year. On the streaming side, Netflix and Xbox Video announced in 2014. Now we just need those Ultra Blu-rays and their players to hit and we'll really be in business.

On the heels of its Stagefright detection app, Zimperium (the outfit that discovered the Android security flaw) has released its exploit to the public. But before you get your hands dirty tinkering with it to find a fix there are a few things you need to consider. Zimperium says that it was tested on a Nexus device that was running Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 and that "due to variances in heap layout" this exploit isn't entirely reliable. The Python script does work to take advantage of "one of the most critical" vulnerabilities the outfit discovered in the security flaw's library, however. Perhaps the biggest caveat, though, is that since the file was tested with Ice Cream Sandwich, Zimperium says that elements of Android 5.0 Lollipop, the fast-growing OS of choice for Android users, basically nullify its attempts to address the problem.

SpaceX has given us a peek into the Crew Dragon capsule it's currently building to take astronauts to the ISS. And as you can see from the images and video below the fold, it looks downright luxurious inside despite its no-frills guitar pick-shaped exterior. Since the spacecraft was designed with astronauts' comfort and enjoyment in mind, its seats are made of "the highest-grade carbon fiber and Alcantara cloth." It sadly doesn't have a bathroom, but it does have four relatively large windows, so passengers can watch the Earth shrink away as they zoom further into space.

If you ask Uber, none of their drivers are employees -- just independent contractors who happen to use their network to get fares. If you've been watching the news though, you know some drivers disagree: filing lawsuits both in California and the UK for the right to be recognized as employees. Those drivers just got some vindication, by way of the California unemployment office. According to the Employment Development Department, at least one former Uber driver qualifies for unemployment benefits.

Yacht Club Games, developers of the uber-popular platformer, Shovel Knight, has revealed that the game's DLC will be available starting September 17th. Dubbed Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, the DLC will offer a number of new gameplay styles including Adventure and Challenge Modes. The game is currently available on PC, Wii U, 3DS, PlayStation 3, PS4, PS Vita, and Xbox One. The DLC will be available as digital downloads on all these consoles. A physical disc version including both the original game and the DLC will be ready in October.

Google has announced that it is considering rolling out its high-speed Fiber internet service to three additional American cities. The company stated on its Fiber blog on Thursday that it hopes to enter a joint planning process with the cities of Irvine, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and San Diego, California. "We'll work with Irvine, Louisville and San Diego to conduct a detailed study of factors that affect construction," wrote Jill Szuchmacher, Director, Google Fiber Expansion, "such as local topography, housing density, and the condition of existing infrastructure."

Dropsy looks like the kind of game that will produce one of two responses from anyone who plays it:

1. People who like clowns will finish Dropsy huddled in a corner, terrified of circuses, suspenders and bright red lips for the rest of their lives.
2. People who despise clowns will finish Dropsy with a new-found appreciation for the humanity behind the face paint.

The Russian auto market is struggling recently, and falling energy prices aren't helping the country's oil industry, either. With the economy looking somewhat uncertain, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is taking a baby step toward a greener future by mandating every gas station in the country have an electric vehicle charger by November 1, 2016. The rule is meant to boost Russia's dismal EV segment that currently numbers a grand total of about 500 vehicles across the vast territory, according to Autostat data cited by The Moscow Times.

If you want a look at just how much PC gaming powerhouse Valve (and gaming as a whole) has changed consider this: When the company launched the original Source Engine back in 2004 it did so with a beta for a new version of Counter-Strike (Counter-Strike: Source) and then went wide a few months later with Half-life 2. The first game running on Valve's follow-up engine, Source 2? Dota 2. Specifically, Dota 2 Reborn. As Eurogamer points out, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) has been running in Source 2 in beta since June, but now the game's sporting a new UI and more game modes on Source 2, including support for 20-person matches.