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FCC will allow carriers to block spam text messages
The FCC has rubber-stamped wireless carriers' ongoing efforts to block spam text messages. The regulator voted in favor of a ruling that labels SMS and MMS as information services under the Communications Act, giving telecoms permission to block unwanted messages. It simultaneously rejected bids from "mass-texting companies" and others to label text messaging as telecommunications services that would be subject to common carrier rules and potentially harder to block. On the surface, it's ideal -- carriers can continue to block spam texts en masse and fight spoofing attempts.
Google adds more media and messaging options to Android Auto
Google is rolling out media playback and messaging updates on Android Auto to make it more convenient while keeping safety at the forefront. The refreshed media interface should quickly help you find something you want to listen to , while the system can display short previews of texts -- but only when the car is stopped.
Astronomers have found the roundest object in the universe
The sun may look round from our viewing angle but it -- like most stars -- aren't as spherical as they seem. It's actually 10 kilometers wider at its equator than it is at its poles. This is due to stars' rate of spin and variances within their magnetic fields. Kepler 11145123, a burning orb just 5,000 light years from Earth, is an extraordinary exception to that rule.
ICYMI: M&Ms vaccinating wild ferrets and Land Rover AI
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The US Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to protect the endangered black-footed ferret by dropping vaccine-dipped M&Ms in rural areas of Montana, via a drone. Land Rover is testing an all-terrain autonomous driving system that can adapt to trail conditions and even alert other vehicles if anything gets stuck in the mud. Be sure to read up on the mall security bot that may have run over a child and the grandpa who created a backyard paradise for his grandkids. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
NASA spacecraft record magnetic explosions above Earth
Space might look like a sprawling, inky abyss, but invisible to the human eye is a wealth of magnetic activity. Earth has a magnetic field called the magnetosphere, which is frequently buffeted by solar winds exuded by the Sun. These winds carry their own magnetic field and produce what scientists call a "magnetic reconnection" high above the Earth's surface. In March 2015, NASA launched four spacecraft, known as MMS, so they could travel through the magnetosphere and record these reactions. Now, scientists have published their initial observations in the journal Science.
NASA flies four satellites in 'tightest ever' formation
NASA is boasting that it's been able to fly four giant satellites around our home in the "tightest" formation ever attempted in space. The quartet of craft are just six miles apart, and comprise the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, a project to measure Earth's magnetic fields as they swirl around us. In order to fully understand how the magnetosphere works in three-dimensional space, the satellites had to be guided to fly in the shape of a four-sided pyramid. Now, if you're struggling to see why this is such a big deal, remember that each satellite is the size of a baseball field and each one is hurtling through the abyss at 15,000 miles per hour.
Motorola is the next to patch Android's big video security flaw
Chalk up one more big Android phone maker racing to patch its devices against that nasty Stagefright video security flaw. Motorola has explained that it will not only fix the vulnerability in phones from 2013 onward (such as the original Moto X and the Droid line), but make sure that its latest hardware is secure almost from the word go. Both the Moto X Style and Moto X Play will be secure on launch, while the recently-shipped third-generation Moto G is getting its update "soon."
Android flaw lets attackers into your phone through MMS videos
If you're an Android user, you'd better hope that a stranger doesn't send you a video message in the near future -- it might compromise your phone. Security researchers at Zimperium have discovered an exploit that lets attackers take control if they send a malware-laden MMS video. The kicker is that you may not even need to do anything to trigger the payload, depending on your text messaging app of choice. While the stock Messenger app won't do anything until you see the message, Hangouts' pre-processing for media attachments could put you at risk before you're even aware that there's a message waiting.
Watch NASA launch its mission to the magnetosphere tonight (update)
If all goes well, NASA will finally launch its Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observatories tonight. Comprised of four identical spacecraft (shown above in a clean room), its purpose is to study the magnetic fields around Earth for information on how they connect and disconnect. The MMS is headed to areas that scientists believe are the sites where magnetic reconnection occurs, but first it has to get off the ground. The launch is scheduled for 10:44PM ET at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and all conditions are go. You can watch live on NASA TV, and a stream is embedded after the break. Update: The launch was successful and the mission is on its way, check after the break for a replay and to see more information on exactly what its satellites will be studying.
Watch an iPhone sort M&Ms by color
Not everyone has Minecraft-creator Markus "Notch" Persson's money (or candy room) so the rest of us have to devise our own methods of sorting M&Ms by color. The English blogger behind reviewmylife has an idea that combines, among other things, an iPhone 5s, an Arduino and an eBay-sourced 12V 80RPM motor to do the menial task. Oh, and an awful lot of ingenuity, foam-board and hot glue was involved too -- but you kind of figured that already, right? Unlike the Lego-powered contraption we've seen before, this one takes advantage of the Cupertino smartphone lens' color sensor to ID the candy's hue during free-fall after it leaves the hopper. The author has a step-by-step breakdown replete with his or her hardships (apparently finding the right motors and magnets took some experimenting) and photos detailing each part of the process, in case you're curious. Or, because maybe you'd just like to spend Christmas building your own.
How NASA will launch four spacecraft at once to study magnetic fields
NASA has been planning to study the magnetic reconnection between the Earth and the sun for years, and now the agency has revealed how its scientists are going make it happen. Magnetic reconnection is a process that converts magnetic energy to kinetic or thermal energy. It happens all over the universe, but close to home, it occurs during solar flares, coronal mass ejections and when solar winds interact with the Earth's magnetic field, causing aurorae. In order to study and create a 3D map of the mysterious phenomenon, NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission will send four spacecraft to space, which will position themselves in a pyramid.
Google Voice finally lets you send MMS messages through Verizon
One of the biggest hangups of Google Voice has been the absence of MMS when talking to Verizon subscribers; you couldn't really lean on Voice for all your messaging, even if many other carriers were onboard. Well, consider that problem solved. Voice now officially supports MMS when Verizon customers are involved, so there shouldn't be rude surprises when either end wants to share more than just text. Google is simultaneously adding native MMS photo support for everyone who uses Voice in Hangouts, so recipients can see pictures in-line rather than click on a link. Reports from users suggest that upgrades may not have reached everyone yet, so don't fret if people are still receiving links. Provided everything falls into place, though, you'll have one more reason to stick with Google's internet-savvy service.
Google Voice can now receive MMS from almost 100 North American carriers
If you use Google Voice for your text messages, you're well adjusted to its biggest flaw: the service just doesn't play nice with most carriers' MMS settings. Today, that's changing -- Google says that the service now supports MMS from nearly 100 carriers in North America, including AT&T, Bell Canada, Rogers, Telus and more (but not Verizon). Unfortunately, Mountain View wasn't able to provide us with a full list of supported providers, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Now if only we could get the ability to send MMS messages, too.
Apple's Continuity texting won't arrive until after iOS 8 launch
On a page for iOS 8's Continuity offering, Apple updated the section about SMS/MMS messaging to state that the feature won't arrive when the new OS does on the 17th. Back at WWDC, the folks in Cupertino touted the new tool that would allow users to send texts and make calls from an iPad or Mac, but now it looks like the messaging bit it won't go live until next month. Of course, OS X Yosemite is scheduled to arrive sometime this fall, and it's quite possible you'll be able to leverage Continuity's texting by the time the desktop software starts to roll out. Apple doesn't have the best track record for releasing cloud-based features though, as we saw with MobileMe's issues in 2008, so we'll let it take some time to work out the kinks.
Video messaging app Wordeo turns plain text into audiovisual poetry
Six-second Vine clips are all well and good, but the best ones involve significant amounts of creative energy and pre-planning. A new video messaging app called Wordeo, on the other hand, tries to simplify things by asking you to write a text message first, and then automatically providing short snippets of moving images (gathered from Getty Image's huge media library) an an emotive background to each word you've written. As you'll see in our hands-on video after the break, the whole process can be completed in under a minute, depending on how much time you spend messing with the font, background music or -- more importantly -- inserting self-made, two-second video clips to better express a particular word or sentiment.
Google Hangouts app update tweaks texts and group messaging
Since Google bundling text messages into Hangouts, it's had its share of quirks, and the Android app's latest update addresses a few of them. If you were aggravated by the application converting group messages to MMS by default (and the possible upcharge to your mobile bill), then maybe the power to disable the function will fix that. What's more, you can now import existing SMS into the app, and Mountain View has added APN tweaks for those rocking certain unlocked handsets. The update is currently rolling out, but, if you're the impatient type, you can grab it from Android Police right now.
Google Voice now supports MMS messages from T-Mobile users
Your friends on Sprint aren't the only ones that can flood your Google Voice number with MMS messages anymore -- now, even your T-Mobile pals can, too. Google's Nikhyl Singhal recently mentioned that Mountain View's been working on Voice MMS integration, so it's no surprise that another telcom's followed so quickly after The Now Network. Unfortunately, the process is nowhere near seamless: you don't actually get images, clips or whatever MMS file people send on your Voice account. Instead you get an SMS notification that a multimedia message was sent to your Gmail as an attachment. There's no word on whether the feature will follow for users on Verizon, AT&T and other carriers, but for now, you can always introduce friends and family to third-party messaging apps.
Skycore uses MMS to send Passbook passes
Passbook users rejoice, as life is about to get a little easier. Skycore has announced support for cross-carrier delivery of Passbook passes via MMS. That means in the near future you will be able to send friends and family tickets, coupons and gift cards via a simple text message, and have them installed in Passbook on their phones. The MMS message arrives showing an image, which the receiver simply has to tap on to install the pass. Services for pass creators include the ability to monitor MMS delivery receipts and to confirm that passes have been installed. If the recipient of the MMS doesn't have an iPhone, the service automatically detects what phone they do use and offers an alternative for their operating system. Skycore CEO Rich Eicher explained the move to MarketWire. A number of clients expressed concerns about relying on just their apps to deliver passes, especially for tickets, coupons, gift cards and IDs. While mobile-optimized email is a good option, MMS is ideal because the recipient instantly knows when they've received it, and they don't need to open their email client to find the pass. Skycore MMS passes are be available for Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon subscribers.
Verizon Messages extends unified SMS and MMS to Android, iOS and the web (video)
As you begin juggling more and more devices in your daily life, running all of your text and picture messages through your smartphone can become a real chore. To help subscribers keep up with the times, Verizon Wireless has introduced a unified messaging solution known as Verizon Messages, and unlike services like Google Voice, it works through your primary number. The free service is accessible via Android smartphones and tablets, iOS tablets (but not the iPhone) and an online web app, which keeps all messages in sync and stored in the cloud for up to 90 days. As another nice touch, the app offers an auto-reply feature for times when you need to disconnect, and it also allows you to archive messages to an SD card. You'll need to enable the service within your Verizon account, but for a peek of the new Verizon Messages, just hop the break for a video tour.
Lego-powered M&M sorter pleases your palate's imagination (video)
While it's nothing more than a placebo, believe it or not, some people actually argue over which color M&Ms taste better. If the latter speaks to your spirit and you're tired of manually filtering unwanted sweets from your holiday spread, then you might be in luck. A crafty tinkerer who goes by the YouTube handle "Nxt1engineer" has shared a clever contraption that sorts M&Ms by shade. Using tone-detecting sensors, this Lego-powered machine separates and dispenses the popular candy-coated snack, ensuring that everyone receives their favorite hue without any fuss. It's not entirely clear how you might be able to bring this awesome apparatus home, but you can at least see it in action -- check it out in the video after the break.
