applenews
Latest
Trump’s infrastructure proposal includes rural broadband expansion
In a speech this week given at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, President Trump said that his upcoming infrastructure plan will include expanded broadband internet access in rural areas. "I will be including a provision in our infrastructure proposal -- $1 trillion proposal, you'll be seeing it very shortly -- to promote and foster, enhance broadband access for rural America," he said.
BabelOn is trying to create Photoshop for your voice
Speech synthesis -- the process of artificially creating the human voice -- isn't anything new. But a startup from San Francisco called BabelOn is working on a particularly unique offshoot of this technology. In a nutshell, BabelOn wants to make it a trivial matter to translate your own voice into another language, even if you don't speak that language yourself. The company says its combo of software and custom-built hardware can analyze what makes up your voice and then use that to recreate speech that sounds just like you, in a language of your choosing. Initially, the company wants to use its technology for things like improving dubbed films or localizing video games, but eventually it wants to be able to translate your speech in real time, say while you're on a Skype call. Microsoft has done this for a while, translating Skype voice calls on the fly, but BabelOn promises that its translations will sound like you, not an anonymous Siri- or Cortana-like digital voice.
Stanford study uses big data to highlight racial biases in policing
A group at Stanford University has taken on the issue of racial bias in law enforcement with an ongoing study called the Open Policing Project. The researchers have also created a website that makes not only their findings available, but all of their data and analysis coding as well.
Amazon's Echo Show displays your smart camera's live video feed
Amazon's Echo Show is getting another new trick, err, skill. Now the gizmo will link with the cameras on your home network and display their respective feeds when you say something like, "Alexa, show the front door." A press release notes that this will work with cameras from Amcrest, Arlo, August, EZViz, IC Realtime, Ring, Nest and Vivint. And if you don't have a Show, saying the command phrase will soon give you an audio feed on your Dot or Echo. Better yet, Amazon has released the camera control API into the wild so developers can start cracking on even more implementations for it.
Windows 10 preview delivers new emoji and easy GPU tracking
Windows Insiders have a big day today. Microsoft just released Windows 10 Preview Build 16226 for PCs and it's got a whole host of new goodies inside.
Facebook seeks to foster community with more group admin tools
At Facebook's first Communities Summit, co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new direction for Community pages. Specifically how to run them effectively. The new direction mainly includes mod tools like insights into how and when members are active. There are also features en route for approving and rejecting member requests, scheduled posts and group-to-group linking so similar groups can see one another. When Zuckerberg mentioned that Facebook was making it easier to remove bad actors in groups, removing everything they've posted at the same time the member is kicked out, he was met with rapturous applause.
Hackers reportedly altered and stole voting data before 2016 election
As the United States continues to investigate the extent of hacking in the 2016 election, reports continue to emerge that make things sound a lot worse than they did a few months ago. The latest comes from Time, which reports that the attack included "at least one" successful attempt at modifying voter information. It also states that thousands of voter records were stolen by Russian agents, which exposes sensitive information including partial social security numbers. Time was careful to note that this hacking was specifically related to state and local election databases and says its information comes from current and former officials.
Car buyers aren’t thrilled about semi-autonomous features
JD Power's latest research into the likes and dislikes of car owners has two big takeaways: people love Kia and are pretty lukewarm about self-driving technology. Or, at least those components that most drivers can gain access to right now, like adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance and blind spot warning systems.
Facebook and WSJ owners are working on a 'subscription' deal
The publisher of Wall Street Journal is in advanced talks to bring articles to Facebook through a subscription model. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson said that he'd been talking with Mark Zuckerberg about how "the value of content should be recognised". Thomson said in an interview at a media industry conference on this week in Italy, that News Corp was "in the middle of negotiations with Facebook on a subscription mechanic."
German police raided 36 homes over social media hate speech
Late last year, Germany proposed a bill that would fine social media providers, such as Facebook and Twitter, for failure to remove hate speech within 24 hours on their respective platforms. Now, Germany has raided the homes of 36 people accused of posting hate speech or other illegal content.
Your next favorite songs are the backbone of 'Metronomicon'
Rhythm games live and die by their soundtracks. The problem is, if you're holding a plastic instrument in your hand, you've probably played through the same songs over and over whether it's in Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Regardless of how advanced the gameplay is, then, at the end of the day, if you're tapping through Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" in one game, you might as well be playing it on any of the popular franchises. That's where The Metronomicon: Slay the Dancefloor makes a bold left turn.
Valve’s ‘Knuckles’ VR controller tracks individual fingers
VR fans have been steadily following the development of Valve's new controller for SteamVR, called Knuckles. Now the device is being shipped to developers as a prototype, and as a result, Valve has released quite a bit of new information about Knuckles and how it will work.
Amazon is prepping Echo Show for launch with visual Alexa cards
If you're a fan of Alexa, then this announcement might be good news for you. Amazon announced that they are adding a Display Cards feature to the voice assistant that will allow Alexa to respond visually to certain queries.
NASA's Curiosity rover is just a speck in this orbiter photo
At this distance, Curiosity looks like a tiny beetle crawling over volcanic rock. Electric blue, its protective shell stands out against the rough, jagged mountainside. In reality, this is an image shot by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, an observational craft floating 200 miles above the planet's surface. We have, of course, seen Curiosity countless times before — it has a thing for selfies — but rarely from afar. In this photograph, you get a real sense of the planet's natural beauty and how empty, or quiet it must seem compared to Earth. Not that Curiosity minds, of course.
Estonia will back up its government in a 'digital embassy'
The rules on what governments can, and can't, do with your personal data is based entirely on where the information is stored. Since tech companies shunt your stuff to servers across the globe, there's a risk that an oppressive regime can use its rights to start peeking at your stuff. That's why it's interesting that Estonia has signed a deal to open what it's calling the world's first "data embassy" in Luxembourg.
More hotels will let you watch your own Netflix
StayCast, a Google Chromecast-powered service for hotels, could fulfill your dream of being able to watch whatever you want to as a guest -- especially now that it's become much easier to get. AT&T has just announced that hotels can get DirectTV HD systems pre-loaded with StayCast, so make sure to look around or ask if you can stream your own stuff if the property offers the carrier's satellite TV service. All you have to do is download the service's Hotel Cast app for iOS and Android and connect to the hotel's WiFi to start streaming your own Netflix, Hulu and other Cast-enabled apps.
Motorola's new Moto E4 isn't exactly thrilling, but it's cheap
Motorola is as well known for its cheap phones as it is for flagships, so no one was surprised when it revealed the fourth-generation Moto E earlier this month. For those not familiar, Motorola's E line always felt like a curiosity, as though the company was challenging itself to build a phone for as little as possible without turning it into a smoldering pile of garbage. Its track record speaks for itself: Motorola does fine work on the cheap, and that hasn't changed. The frills here are few, but after a little hands-on time, the Moto E4 seems to be a strong option for just $130.
LG's latest OLED display is flexible, transparent and gargantuan
Here at Engadget, we've covered our fair share of flexible and transparent displays. Small ones, slightly larger ones. But never one that measured 77 inches corner to corner. That particular milestone has now been broken by LG, with a new OLED panel that boasts an Ultra HD resolution of 3840x2160. It should be plenty sharp then, but also portable, given you can scrunch it up to a radius of 80mm without compromising any of its functionality. Neat. With a transparency level of 40 percent, it could also be used to replace windows and screens in a vehicle, storefront or home.
Today's Google Doodle lets you compose your own music
If you're looking to lose half an hour in service of making your own music, head on over to Google and click on today's doodle. The company is celebrating the 117th birthday of Oskar Fischinger, the German-born artist and filmmaker who created geometric animations using paper and card. As Google's Leon Hong explains, Fischinger's work left him "awed and puzzled," making him wonder "how could he make such magic without computers?"
McDonald's offers UK deliveries through UberEats
In the UK, there are many ways to stave off hunger without leaving the comfort of your home. Just-Eat, Deliveroo and Amazon Prime Now are but a few of the mobile apps that will deliver to your doorstep, however until today one particular restaurant chain has been impossible to obtain: McDonald's. Following a rollout in the US, the fast-food giant has now teamed up with UberEats in Britain. So yes, you can order a Big Mac meal whenever you're feeling lazy or hungover. We won't judge, promise.
