Christopher Klimovski
Articles by Christopher Klimovski
These are the first third-party Windows Hello cameras
Microsoft's Windows 10 computers have a log in feature called Windows Hello, where users are able to access their devices using facial recognition algorithms. On the downside, the feature was only available on newer devices with depth-sensing cameras built-in. That is, until eye-tracking company Tobii decided to change things up by offering support for the service with its standalone cameras.
Spotify will reveal your 'Star Wars' soul mate
With three days to go before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spotify has become the latest company to piggyback on the marketing bandwagon. The streaming service is giving users the chance to see which character, new or old, has the same taste in music as you. All you need to do is visit the stand-alone website "Spotify Star Wars," log in, sit back and hope for the best. The site analyzes listening data and assigns you a character based on your most visited artists. The character-match algorithm is a little nonsensical, though. For example, if you're into teen pop, you're paired with Luke Skywalker, or if neo soul is your thing, Padme Amidala is your girl. The parallels are difficult to predict.
Volkswagen scandal might force it to sell luxury brands
The Volkswagen saga continues, as the company deals with the aftermath of its emissions scandal. According to Reuters, the German automaker has secured a loan of roughly 20 billion euros in order to pay for resulting lawsuits and to compensate consumers whose cars are now worth less following the admission. However, there's a catch. In order to assure that it can pay back the loan, Volkswagen had to confirm that it's prepared to sell off some of its smaller holdings including Bentley, Lamborghini and Ducati.
Scientists built a spacecraft that converts junk to fuel
It turns out that the sky is full of space debris, which poses a threat to craft and satellites orbiting Earth. A team of scientists at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China have come up with a way to remedy this. They've developed a spacecraft that collects the debris in a wide-cast net and uses it as fuel to propel itself forward. This technically means it could keep cleaning forever, unless an unforeseen event brings its efforts to an untimely end. Lasers have been developed for eliminating larger pieces of space junk, however aren't designed for smaller bits that are harder to locate and track. That's where Lei Lan and her team come into the picture.
Dave Chappelle's Chicago shows will be phone-free
When it comes to highly anticipated performances, artists are always worried that their material will end up on the Internet before the show is even over. Revered comedian Dave Chappelle is just about to embark on 13 live performances in Chicago and insists that they be phone-free. To combat any type of piracy, Chappelle has teamed up with startup Yondr. The company provides smartphone pouches that lock automatically when patrons enter the "no phone-zone," and unlock when they step out of it.
Nick Cannon is the new Chief Creative Officer of RadioShack
RadioShack filed for bankruptcy a while back but, thanks to the deep pockets of the folks over at Standard General, a few stores will remain open. The retailer is trying to rebrand itself and its latest move is appointing TV personality Nick Cannon as its Chief Creative Officer. Cannon will work with RadioShack to create a line of exclusive products, curate music and even organize special performances and events. The retailer will also focus on its educational and STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) initiatives. There's been no official announcement as to what kind of exclusive products RadioShack and Cannon will come up with, but it better be revolutionary if the retailer hopes to forge a new, relevant identity.[Image credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic]
Shyp will now deliver your eBay packages, with no fee
Delivery startup Shyp has teamed up with eBay to deliver items, just in time for the holiday shopping season. The process seems fairly straightforward: Sellers simply need to connect their eBay account to the Shyp app, select the sold items that need to be delivered and a Shyp worker will be around in 20 minutes to "take care of the rest." The best part is, the delivery service will be waiving the standard $5 fee up until January 31st. As TechCrunch notes, eBay users tend to rate sellers based on the timeliness of package delivery, so the incorporation of such a quick and convenient service would help in maintaining seller statistics and customer satisfaction. Shyp will be available to eBay merchants well after the holiday season, but post-January 31st, the promotional period will end and you'll have to pay the standard fee.[Image credit: Shyp]
DirecTV will begin live 4K broadcasts early next year
4K is the way of the future, but until now, the selection of ultra-high-def content has been limited. Enter DirecTV. In an announcement made at New York's TranSPORT conference, the company noted that it will start broadcasting live 4K content in early 2016. The firm stated that it already has the technology in place and wants to start streaming UHD shows before its competitors. However, DirecTV wants to make sure that it has an impressive arsenal of broadcasts ready before launch, as "content is king," (that's a direct quote). Services like Roku and TiVo have both released 4K-capable set-top boxes but don't have a lot of UHD content to offer, which makes the technology somewhat moot.
Want a sleek Windows 10 phone? Go to Japan
Just last week, Microsoft began selling the Lumia 950, the first Windows 10 mobile phone, and though the software showed promise, the hardware itself was lacking in charm. Now, Japanese design firm NuAns is set to release the "Neo," a sleek handset that should make for a nice alternative to the Lumia (if you're okay to trade design for customizability). It sports an interchangeable upper and lower half that can be swapped out, with 64 possible combinations available. The phone is set to retail for around $350 with lower-end specs to match, including a 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor and 16GB of storage (expandable via microSD slot). If this handset sounds like something you can't live without, there's one problem: it's exclusive to Japan. So, unless you want to fly over to pick one up, it looks like you'll have to get creative when customizing a smartphone available in your market.[Image credit: NuAns]
Microsoft updates navigation headset for the blind
In 2011, Microsoft UK teamed up with charity Guide Dogs to create 'Cities Unlocked,' an organization that worked to create a headset designed to help the visually impaired. That device came last year, but now it's received some major hardware and software upgrades. Although the original simply used bone conduction to send audio clicks and cues to guide the user around, the latest iteration is less of a practical tool and more of an information-rich service. It uses something called "3D soundscape technology," which is kind of like a GPS that describes everything that's around them, from local cafés to alerts telling them when a bus or train is approaching the stop.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is too sexist for Europe and US
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, the game where you play volleyball as scantily clad women, won't be making its way to the US or Europe. Apparently, the game's publisher is worried about how Western audiences will react to the way the franchise depicts women. The latest installment features a sun-tanning system (whatever the hell that means), butt fights (as seen in the gameplay trailer below) and the ability to dress the characters in a wide variety of costumes.
Giphy Cam finally lets you make GIFs from videos
Giphy Cam, the app that lets you become a master GIFs-man (or woman, it doesn't discriminate) has just released its first major update. Before, users were only able to create GIFs using the native camera, either capturing 10 second full-motion clips or 5-shot bursts that are then stitched-together. Now users can import photos and videos from their camera rolls. What's more, people are able to trim their clips, apply more than one filter to the GIF and add text, giving their creations even more personality. Giphy Cam is still only available on iOS devices with no mention of when it'll cross platforms. In the meantime, Android users will have to rely on the Giphy bank of pre-made GIFs to express their animated points.
Amazon Video gets a bunch of new features on iOS
Amazon has released a ton of new features for its Video app. The update includes 3D touch support, Next Up (which is basically auto-play), picture-in-picture and X-Ray, which offers a wealth of IMDB information and trivia at the touch of a button. Even though some of these features are iPad exclusive (like picture-in-picture) they can help Amazon stand up against competition like Netflix when content alone won't carry the day. The 3D touch option is only available on Apple's latest smartphone offerings, the 6s and 6s Plus, and lets you access a number of features faster, but offers nothing in the way of exclusive functionality. Also, the app has been customized for the iPad Pro, meaning Amazon-exclusive content is bigger and better than it's ever been before. What more could you ask for?[Image credit: AOL]
Google will give $1 for special ed every time you use Android Pay
After Android Pay's slow rollout throughout the US, it's finally available to everyone -- well, those with a compatible device anyway. In the spirit of giving (or trying to get more people using the service), Google has teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to support special needs children in US schools. Through December 31st, Google will donate $1 for every purchase made through Android Pay, with a total of up to $1 million. The idea is to create an interactive classroom environment so kids who struggle to engage aren't left out. What's more, Android Pay will double its donations for every purchase made on Black Friday. As if you needed another reason to spend big on the most insane shopping day of the year.[Image credit: AOL]
Netflix is bringing back 'Lost in Space'
Netflix is known for its quality original programming. But every now and then it can't help but pick some low-hanging fruit like rebooting a classic series. Deadline reports that the streaming service has just penned a deal to remake 1960s classic Lost in Space. Originally set in a futuristic and completely inaccurate 1997, it followed a family who tried to colonize deep space and got lost when their navigation equipment was sabotaged. The program ended after a three-season run in 1968 and since then, others have tried to reanimate the franchise. The first was a movie adaptation in 1998 starring Matt LeBlanc (which says all you need to know about its quality). Then in 2004, a reboot pilot was shot but never aired. Rumours of a third attempt surfaced around a year ago, but fizzled out before anything was made. There's been no mention of who will star in it or when it will air, but here's hoping the Lost in Space Robot doesn't flail its arms and robotically warn us: "Danger! Danger! Another failed sitcom rehash!"[Image credit: Getty Images]
Everything you know is wrong: lasers are cooling things now
A group of scientists at the University of Washington were able to successfully refrigerate water using an infrared laser. This is a big deal because researchers weren't even sure this was possible as water tends to heat up when illuminated. However, by using an infrared laser and nanocrystal, it surprisingly created the opposite effect, which is a world first. The team of scientists were able to cool liquid water by 36 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius). The crystal absorbed the light's photons and then when the photons were released, they had a higher energy value compared to when they first entered. These photons then scattered and carried away heat, cooling the surrounding water.
Someone made a giant Rubik's Cube in 'Fallout 4'
It seems there are two types of Fallout 4 gamers: those who want to do nothing but take out bad guys, and a very patient few who painstakingly create some incredible stuff. Case in point, this giant floating Rubik's Cube. User "Theowest" spent a whopping 25 hours gathering and assembling 128 generators, 36 terminals and thousands of wires to create this neon behemoth, but we're not entirely sure whether or not it's a cube that can be "solved." It seems to be missing a top and bottom panel and each square is able to change color. So if you're not a gamer who would make anything like this, then take a second to appreciate its complexity -- right before you get back to kicking bad guy butt.
Samsung's latest smartphone camera loves the low light
Are you sick of disappointing low light photos taken on your smartphone? Samsung might have a solution for you. At an investor conference in Korea, the telecommunications brand announced a new camera called BRITECELL that excels in darker conditions. The camera manages to achieve brighter, sharper results by getting rid of the traditional Bayer filter layout used in most smartphone cameras. This is a filter that turns pixels green and blocks light from hitting the sensors, making photos darker. Samsung has traded these green pixels for white ones that allow more light to pour through the lens. More light means brighter photos. Simple, right?
Facebook is testing a new set of tools for nonprofits
Facebook wants to make it easier for nonprofits to collect donations and spread awareness of their causes. The social media giant recently announced that it's testing a new feature called "fundraisers", a dedicated channel found on a nonprofit's Facebook page. It lets charities tell their story, gather supporters, collect donations and track progress all from the one place. People who want to help can give money and share the nonprofit's information with their friends, with the existing Donate button included in each shared post, meaning folks don't have to leave their News Feed in order to support a cause. The button is also going to appear at the top of Pages, giving nonprofits more opportunity to raise money. These new features are currently being tested with 37 partner organizations and should expand to others "in the future".
Pushbullet's 'Pro' syncing service is stuff that used to be free
Pushbullet, the mighty app that lets you sync notifications, links, photos and SMS between your phone and computer, has just announced that it will be offering a Pro tier. But here's the kicker: paying $4.99 a month or $39.99 annually doesn't actually buy you anything new (other than supporting its developer's needs for things like food and shelter). A blog post announcing the changes tried to justify the move, but its explanations seem oddly close to threats. "We could have kept Pushbullet completely free, following the path of many free services by showing ads and selling data to make money. We don't want to do that." And we certainly hope they don't have to!