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Hitting the Books: How biased AI can hurt users or boost a business's bottom line
In 'A Citizen's Guide to Artificial Intelligence,' John Zerilli presents readers with an approachable, holistic examination of both the history and current state of the art, the potential benefits of and challenges facing ever-improving AI technology, and how this rapidly advancing field could influence society for decades to come.
FBI reportedly uses a travel company's data for worldwide surveillance
The FBI has reportedly used a massive repository of travel data from Sabre to surveil people worldwide, including at least one in real time.
Vivo X3 smartphone stuffs air gestures and high-end audio into a 5.75mm-thick shell (video)
Did you think Huawei's Ascend P6 was a slim smartphone? It has nothing on BBK's just-unveiled Vivo X3. Despite a 5-inch (if 720p) screen, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front 5-megapixel shooter and a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, the X3 measures a wafer-like 5.75mm thick in its blue variant. There's plenty of party tricks under the hood, too -- the Android 4.2 device has both an infrared sensor for touch-free gestures and a dedicated audio chip from ESS. It also preserves much of the better hardware from its slower and thicker X1S cousin, including the 16GB of non-expandable storage and the 2,000mAh battery. The Vivo X3 ships to China on September 1st for the same ¥2,498 ($408) as the X1S. If the device proves tempting, you can check out the Engadget Chinese hands-on; their English-language video is available after the break.
Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 Windows Phones slip out ahead of tomorrow's announcement
Nokia's big announcement isn't until tomorrow, but it looks like some of the surprise has now been spoiled by a leak out of Nokia World in London. As you can see in the image above obtained by WinRumors, Nokia is apparently set to announce the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, both of which of course run Windows Phone, and each of which have turned up in some less-than-clear leaks before. In fact, we just got a hold of a shot of the 800 earlier today ourselves (looking a lot like the company's Meego-based N9), while the Lumia 710 has previously surfaced under the Sabre codename. If the rumors are to be believed, you can apparently look for both to hit European markets in November with a US launch slated for sometime next year, although we'd certainly recommend waiting until tomorrow before you get too disappointed about that latter possibility. Two more close-up shots are after the break.
Nokia Sabre brandished ahead of launch, expected to unveil its Mango of steel next week?
Andy Lees mentioned at AsiaD that Nokia would be launching more than one Windows Phone at its London-based event next week, and there's a chance that the prototype you see above could be unveiled alongside the Nokia 800 Sea Ray. Pocketnow is referring to the Mr. Blurrycam-produced image as the Sabre, said to be running on a 1.4GHz single-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 3.5-inch WVGA display and a 5MP rear camera. The alleged price won't stab your wallet, as the source claims it'll cost somewhere between $410 and $480. Of course, there's less than a week before Nokia World begins and the speculation ends, and we'll be there to deliver the blow-by-blow action as it happens. Update: Commenters have made the connection between this mysterious device and the recently-announced Nokia 603, a Symbian Belle handset, with the hardware buttons simply whited out at the bottom. And we're definitely seeing the resemblance -- in fact, if you look closely enough at the Metro UI it appears slightly crooked, as if the stack of tiles is leaning to the right. We'd say the chances of this image being a fake are quite high.
Another Windows Phone spotted, Nokia Sun on the horizon?
It's getting increasingly difficult to pin down exactly how many Nokia Windows Phones we can expect to see this year, now that the French WinPho obsessives at Mon Windows Phone have added the Nokia Sun to that list. The site got its hands on the vague screengrab above, which shows this mystery phone joining Orange France's ranks of forthcoming devices. With names like the SeaRay and Sabre already being bandied around, the Sun does fit in with Nokia's naming trend for Mango handsets, although it could be another name for previously leaked hardware. The accompanying spec sheet, meanwhile, hints at a very N9-esque device with an AMOLED screen, eight megapixel camera, polycarbonate shell, and (perhaps) a Micro SIM slot -- all centered around a slightly smaller display. Who knows, maybe this is the anonymous (and possibly fake) phone we saw last month? All bets are on the table at this point, but with Nokia World set to kick off in a few weeks, we shouldn't have to wait long for an answer. We'll be there to sniff out all the details on the Finnish colossus' Windows Phone offerings -- however many they decide to shower us with.
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 26, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 26, 2011: Last week we heard the rumor that Sprint would be launching the BlackBerry Curve 9350 on October 2nd, and we've finally received the official confirmation. The device will be hitting stores tomorrow for $80 with a two-year contract. [PhoneArena] The Motorola Photon WiMAX, referred to as the Photon 4G in the US, is now making its way to Japan as KDDI announced the launch of the device this past Monday. [Motorola] Verizon Wireless launched the Pantech Jest 2 this week, which is a feature phone with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. [Verizon Wireless] The Samsung Galaxy Y is now listed as "coming soon" on O2's website, which makes it the second carrier to announce upcoming availability in the UK. The actual date of release, however, is still unofficial. [O2] Softbank (Japan) looks ready to land the ZTE Lord V882, which appears to be an Android device running on Gingerbread, and comes packed with a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 3.8-inch LCD at WVGA resolution and a 5MP camera. [LandofDroid] NTT DoCoMo and Orange have teamed up to offer the Sharp AQUOS SH80F, which features dual 8MP stereoscopic cameras and claims to be the world's first Android device capable of converting 2D content into 3D in real time. It'll first be launched in France on October 6th and will follow to other European and Asian countries shortly after. [Softpedia] Maybe Microsoft Canada just assumed nobody actually reads terms and conditions, because the company outed the names of a few upcoming Windows Phones in the T&C for a developer contest: the Nokia Sabre and a duo of Samsungs named the Yukon and Wembley. The Nokia Searay was also named in the list, indicating the Sabre is a second device running on Mango. [Nokia HDBlog (translated)] In preparation for its Windows Phone debut, Nokia is also rumored to be featuring a new voice navigation system with 3D maps, according to some leaked marketing materials. [WinRumors] Here's a rendering of the HTC EVO Design 4G, also known as the Kingdom or Hero S. [Pocketnow] Samsung may have a midrange device coming soon to AT&T's lineup as a complement to the Galaxy S II. We've already seen the I857 pass through the FCC and show up in a leaked roadmap, and now it appears to have been dubbed the Doubletime, according to uncovered Cellebrite records. [Pocketnow] Also appearing in Cellebrite records are the HTC Vigor (PH98100), Motorola Droid HD (XT912), and the Samsung Nexus Prime (SCH-i515). [Droid-Life]
Oppo reveals new BDP-95 Blu-ray player aimed at audiophiles
Just as Oppo's latest BDP-93 Blu-ray player reaches homes in increasing numbers, the company has queued up some new hardware for 2011 with the BDP-95. This player sports many of the features of the BDP-93, but adds on a SABRE 32-bit DAC, toroidal power supply and all new chassis designed to deliver improved analog audio performance. No word on price yet but it's scheduled to arrive in February, check Oppo's site for the full specs and the usual registration for notification when it's available. [Thanks, James]
OCZ's Sabre OLED gaming keyboard now shipping, priced at $135
We've already gotten the official word that it was coming last month, and gone hands-on with the identical United Keys OLED keyboard even earlier than that, but it looks like OCZ is now finally shipping its own Sabre OLED gaming keyboard and, consequently, given it a price. Somewhat surprisingly, OCZ is letting this one go for just $135, which, while still not exactly a bargain, is a heckuva lot cheaper than the $260 that the United Keys version still runs. That'll get you nine customizable OLED keys, along with most of the standard specs you'd expect from a gaming keyboard, including "super tactile" keys, plenty of macro configuration options and, of course, some blue LEDs to remind you that you didn't buy this thing for work.[Thanks, Jay]
OCZ rolls out Sabre OLED gaming keyboard
If this OLED-laden keyboard looks a little familiar, it should, 'cause we saw the same one back at Computex when it was known as the United Keys OLED Display Keyboard (itself manufactured by Foxconn). Of course, with the OCZ name comes widespread US availability, although there's unfortunately still no word of a price or release date just yet (the United Keys version runs $260). Otherwise, it looks like this new Sabre model has remain unchanged from its earlier counterpart, with it still packing the same nine user-programmable OLED keys, 128MB of on-board memory, blue LED "sidelighting," limitless macro configurations, some "super tactile, low-noise" key feedback and, unfortunately, a lack of Mac compatibility.
OCZ's Ion-based Neutrino and Colossus SSD hands-on at Computex
OCZ Technology's Ion-infused Neutrino may not look all that different than the existing model, but we all know it's the secret sauce within that makes it so magical. Our BFFs over at Engadget Chinese managed to spend a few quality seconds (some might say they "had a moment") with this very machine as well as the all new desktop-bound Colossus SSD. Sadly, the booth workers couldn't provide a definitive ship date or price for either, but the read link's still the place to go for a few hands-on shots as well as a video of the Ion Neutrino showing 3DMark 06 who's boss.
