All Things Tech

We’ve all got a pretty good mental image of what an arcade cabinet looks like, so you probably don’t need to be reminded that traditionally they are single-screen affairs. But that idea dates back to when they were built around big and bulky CRT displays. Now that we have modern LCD, LED, and OLED panels, who says you have to follow the old rules? That’s precisely the sort of out of the box thinking that lead [Al Linke] to build this unique multi-display arcade cabinet . The game itself is still played on a single screen, but several smaller sub-displays are dotted all around the cabinet to indicate various bits of ancillary information. Are they necessary? Hardly. But we can’t deny it’s a clever idea, and we wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing something similar in other DIY cabinets. The build started with a commercially available cabinet from Arcade1Up, which at this point are popular enough that some of the Big Box retailers have them in stock. All of the electronics except f

Our friend [Hunter Scott] gave a talk at a past Supercon about created phased array antennas. He mentioned he was looking for collaborators to create an antenna with the SiBeam SB9210 chip. This is a specialized chip for WirelessHD, a more or less failed video streaming protocol, and it’s essentially an entire 60 GHz phased array on a chip with both transmit and receive capabilities. For $15, it seems like quite the bargain, and [Hunter] still wants to put the device to work . The downside is that Lattice bought SiBeam and killed this chip — not surprising considering WirelessHD never really took off. However, [Hunter] says the chip was in some old smart TVs and laptops. If you can find replacement boards for those devices on the surplus market, you can get the chip and the supporting circuitry for a song. The situation is a little sticky. [Hunter] has the datasheets for the parts, but is still bound by a nondisclosure agreement. He’s still working on getting that encumbrance remove

ATMakers has teamed with non-profit AbleGamers to develop an inexpensive adapter called Freedom Wing that enables players to use an electric wheelchair as an Xbox controller. The adapter serves as the connection point between an electronic wheelchair and Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, increasing accessibility for players who have unique needs. The adapter was recently showcased in a video and briefly … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2OifJdG

It’s no secret that the right smell can trigger powerful, complex memories and feelings that would otherwise have remained hidden in the recesses of one’s mind. Some people have exploited the power of fragrance to enhance the creation and re-experience of life memories, but a new study has found that a similar method can also be used to boost learning … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2GJfmEQ

Sophia Wood Contributor Share on Twitter Sophia Wood is a principal at Magma Partners, a Latin America-focused seed-stage VC firm with offices in Latin America, Asia and the U.S. Sophia is also the co-founder of LatAm List, an English-language Latin American tech news source. More posts by this contributor Latin America Roundup: Loft raises $175M, SoftBank invests in Mexico’s Alphacredit and Rappi pulls back Latin America Roundup: XP’s chart-topping IPO, Wildlife becomes a unicorn, SoftBank backs Konfio Brazil’s famously tricky real estate market has long drawn international investors to the region in search of tech solutions. This time, Brazilian startup Loft brought in a $175 million  Series C from first-time investor in the region, Vulcan Capital (Paul Allen’s investment arm), alongside Andreessen Horowitz. Loft is also a16z’s first and only Brazilian investment.  Co-founded by serial entrepreneurs and investors, Mate Pencz and Florian Hagenbuch in 2018, Loft u

It’s hard to part with some things, even if they’re broken and were worth next to nothing to begin with. But some things are just special, y’know? And we would say in this case, the thing was definitely worth saving. [Taste the Code]’s daughter’s beloved night light had a terrible flickering problem , and then stopped working altogether. Eager to make her happy, he cracked it open and found that one of the wires had disconnected from the outlet pin it was soldered to. That’s a simple enough fix, but trying to solder in tight quarters where the walls are soft plastic can be quite challenging. Once that was fixed, [Taste the Code] plugged it in to a test outlet. It’s back to working, but also back to flickering, because there is no capacitor to smooth out the signal going to the LEDs. [Taste the Code] measured the voltage drop across the output of the bridge rectifier and soldered in an electrolytic cap with more than double the necessary voltage rating, just to be safe. You can check

Android Auto is one of Android’s most curious incarnations and by that we mean it isn’t always clear what direction Google wants to take it. It’s designed, in theory, to allows Android users to use the apps and platform they’re already familiar with but in a safe driving environment. If that were the case, though, it seemed pretty disappointing that … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2tXAxAw

Friday typically brings a bunch of new music releases, but this Friday’s new drops includes a new track from an unlikely source – Elon Musk . The SpaceX and Tesla CEO said earlier this week he had written a new song called “Don’t doubt yer vibe,” to be released on “Emo G Records,” but as usual it was hard to tell if Musk was being serious or just having his evening internet fun. Turns out, he was serious, and we didn’t have to wait long to hear the track. The lyrics probably didn’t take him too long to write – the whole song consists of “Don’t doubt your vibe / because it’s true / don’t doubt your vibe / because it’s you” repeated over and over. Musk says he performed the lyrics, which are modified and distorted to an airy electronic, supernatural sounding final product. The track itself is backed by a pulsing, ambient kind of EDM arrangement, and all in all it’s not a bad representation of the genre. Listen for yourself and judge: Musk also tweeted photos of himself in the stud

Building your own self-balancing robot is a rite of passage for anyone getting into the field of robotics. Master of robots, [James Bruton] has been there, done that, and collected a few T-shirts. Now he’s building a large Sonic the Hedgehog self balancing robot that can bend at the knees and hip, allowing it to lean while turning and handle uneven terrain. Check out the first video embedded after the break. Standing about 1 m tall, the robot is inspired by Boston Dynamic’s box handling bot, Handle . It’s “skeleton” consists of 20×20 aluminium extrusions, bolted together using a bunch of 3D printed fittings in the signature blue and red of Sonic. The wheels and tyres are also 3D printed, and driven by brushless motor via a toothed belt. The knee/hip mechanism is actuated using a ball screw, also driven by a brushless motor. [James] intends to implement an active shock absorption system into the leg mechanism, using the same technique he tried on his OpenDog robot . It works by bolti

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t been short on body styles over the past few years, but the most unexpected for the German automaker was probably the X-Class, its pickup truck. Announced back in 2016, the X-Class was to be Mercedes’ push into utility. Instead, the automaker has confirmed, it’s getting the axe. If you’d forgotten that the X-Class even existed in the first … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2GG5WtR

Although malware is just as rampant and even more dangerous than ever, it seems that the antivirus software market has seen better days. As these companies start losing profits from software sales and licenses, they turn to other sources of revenue, some more questionable than others. Avast has apparently made a business of “sharing” data to third parties and its … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/319o74D

After opening an office in the city last year, Indian ride-hailing firm Ola said it would officially begin operations in London on February 10. London is one of the world’s biggest markets for ride-hailing services, and the expansion is a key development in Ola’s international strategy as the company widens its competition with Uber, another SoftBank portfolio firm. Ola said it will be “fully operational from day one” in London, where it has signed up over 20,000 drivers since late November . The company, which has raised about $3.5 billion to date, emphasized that its platform offers a range of security features such as a 24/7 helpline for drivers and customers and an in-app emergency button. Ola’s emphasis on safety comes as its rival Uber is engaging with London’s transport regulator  to continue its operation in the city, which stripped the American giant of that license — for the second time — late last year. In November, TfL ruled that Uber did not meet the “fit and proper

Twitter has confirmed it has temporarily suspended the account of controversial rightwing commentator, Katie Hopkins. The move was reported earlier by the BBC . Hopkins, a former MailOnline columnist and presenter on LBC radio, is a veteran of the social media platform, joining Twitter just under a decade ago — and using it amplify her brand of far-right leaning, liberal-baiting politics. She regularly tweets anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiments, and has claimed that white British people are now a discriminated against minority. It’s not clear which of Hopkins’ tweets led Twitter to finally pull the trigger, although she had recently targeted black British rapper Stormzy for a series of abusive tweets. In a statement confirming the account suspension, Twitter told us: Keeping Twitter safe is a top priority for us — abuse and harassment have no place on the service. We take enforcement action against any account that is violative of our rules – which includes violations of o

Skymind Global Ventures (SGV) appeared last year in Asia/US as a vehicle for the previous founders of a YC-backed open-source AI platform to invest in companies that used the platform. Today it announces the launch of an $800 million fund to back promising new AI companies and academic research. It will consequently be opening a London office as an extension to its original Hong Kong base. SGV Founder and CEO Shawn Tan said in a statement: “Having our operations in the UK capital is a strategic move for us. London has all the key factors to help us grow our business, such as access to diverse talent and investment, favorable regulation, and a strong and well-established technology hub. The city is also the AI growth capital of Europe with the added competitive advantage of boasting a global friendly time zone that overlaps with business hours in Asia, Europe and the rest of the world.” SGV will use its London base to back research and development and generate business opportunities

The would-be invader of a mediaeval kingdom could expect to face some stern opposition from a variety of formidable weaponry. Making modern versions of these deadly curiosities seems to be a popular pursuit, and the bug has bitten [Turbo Conquering Mega Eagle], who’s created what he calls a “Stonebow”, a crossbow on steroids that fires stones or large ball bearings with considerable force . It uses a couple of leaves from automotive springs, mounted in a welded steel riser with two strings and a pouch for the projectile. The barrel is an oak fencing post, and at its other end is a cocking lever which also forms a stock, and a cleverly designed trigger mechanism. The projectile is loaded, the bow is cocked, and it is fired at a scrap Land Rover radiator in which it places a satisfying impact mark. Despite two successful firings it’s evident that so much force isn’t easy to contain. The crimps that secure the strings aren’t up to the job, and neither is the oak fence post, which has cr

In the late 1970s there were a host of companies that dominated the computer market before the introduction of the IBM PC. One of these was Ohio Scientific or OSI. [BradH] has an OSI Model 300 trainer — their first major product — and gives us a peek at it along with some history of the company. Companies like OSI, Southwest Technical Products, Osborne, Northstar, and PolyMorphic were the second wave after the likes of MITS and IMSAI had opened the personal computer market. Only a few companies like Apple hung on and made it work over the long haul. If the history lesson isn’t for you, the technical talk starts at 4 minutes into the video below the break. This is a 6502 with 128 bytes of RAM. Not 128 megabytes or even kilobytes. 128 bytes. There’s a pretty traditional front panel with switches and LEDs. We were impressed the board is still working. The typewritten manual looks odd today, and the board reminded us of a precursor of machines such as the KIM-1 and even the old Apple

If you were hoping for a Nintendo Switch Pro this year and were worried about rumors that the custom NVIDIA chip for it isn’t ready yet, you can stop holding your breath. In what might be a rare behavior for companies that usually say “no comment” on future products, Nintendo has put an end to dreams and hopes of a … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/3aWAEgf

The World Health Organization or WHO just declared a global health emergency on account of the novel coronavirus situation gripping the world. That will unsurprisingly trigger a flood of dread and panic and, of course, Google searches. Knowing too well that it is in the position to make a lasting first impression, the tech giant switched on an SOS Alert … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/31aaYrN

One of the benefits of a smaller, more compact, and more portable gaming console is that it’s easier to create skins and mods for it and flaunt it around wherever you go. That is definitely one of the perks of the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo is only too happy to tap into that potential cash cow. That is, for example, … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/3aZoUJF

[Labpacks] wanted to build a robot car controlled by his phone. As a Hackaday reader, of course you probably can imagine building the car. Most could probably even write a phone application to do the control. But do you want to? In most cases, you are better off focusing on what you need to do and using something off the shelf for the parts that you can. In [Labpacks’] case, he used Visuino to avoid writing ordinary code and RemoteXY to handle the smartphone interface . RemoteXY is a website that allows you to easily build a phone interface that will talk to your hardware over Bluetooth LE, USB, or Ethernet (including WiFi). One thing of interest: even though the interface builder is Web-based, the service claims that the interface structure stays on the controller. There’s no interaction with the remote servers when operating the user interface so there is no need for an external Internet connection. The system supports Arduino and ESP controllers. On the phone side, you can use An

Think you’ve found a glaring security hole in Xbox Live? Microsoft is interested. The company announced a new bug bounty program today, focused specifically on its Xbox Live network and services. Depending on how serious the exploit is and how complete your report is, they’re paying up to $20,000. Like most bug bounty programs, Microsoft is looking for pretty specific/serious security flaws here. Found a way to execute unauthorized code on Microsoft’s servers? They’ll pay for that. Keep getting disconnected from Live when you play as a certain legend in Apex? Not quite the kind of bug they’re looking for. Microsoft also specifically rules out a few types of vulnerabilities as out-of-scope, including DDoS attacks, anything that involves phishing Microsoft employees or Xbox customers, or getting servers to cough up basic info like server name or internal IP. You can find the full breakdown here. This is by no means Microsoft’s first foray into bounty programs; they’ve got similar pr

Gone are the days when the industry had two competing wireless charging standards (cue XKCD strip) and, fortunately, it didn’t require creating a third standard to rule them all. The Wireless Power Consortium, which oversees all things Qi-related, was the last standard standing and now everyone that wants to officially make a device using the wireless charging tech has to … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2RGns7n

Things have been quiet on Huawei’s side of the mobile market lately, partly because of the attention that the likes of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip are getting. It’s also partly because of the tension between the US and China have mellowed down a bit. That could end up getting the ban on Huawei lifted which puts … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/37JnQb5

On Wednesday, messaging platform Discord announced that it was cleaning house by getting rid of some older features that people weren’t actually using. The company said this decision was based partly on feedback and likewise on its goal to introduce new features only if they ‘don’t make it bulky and take away from the core chat experience.’ With that in … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2RYNWjC

The clock is ticking down to Samsung’s big Unpacked 2020 event in less than two weeks but, truth be told, the public probably knows more than enough to sate their curiosity. Now it seems that the Galaxy Z Flip has just a bit more to give and while these new details won’t exactly make or break anyone’s decision to buy … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2Od48wm

We’ve known for a while now that Sony planned to shutter its PlayStation Vue over-the-top television streaming service. That change has finally arrived and the service is officially dead — you’ll need to switch to an alternative if you want to continue watching your favorite live television shows without cable or satellite. Here are the best alternatives. Sling TV Sling … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2uJvvrk

Just as Amazon was basking in the news of a massive earnings win , the tech giant quietly published — as it always does — its latest transparency report, revealing a slight dip in the number of government demands for user data. It’s a rarely seen decline in the number of demands received by a tech company during a year where almost every other tech giant — including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter — all saw an increase in the number of demands they receive. Only Apple reported a decline in the number of demands it received. Amazon said it received 1,841 subpoenas, 440 search warrants and 114 other court orders for user data — such as its Echo and Fire devices — during the six-month period ending 2019. That’s about a 4% decline on the first six months of the year. The company’s cloud unit, Amazon Web Services, also saw a decline in the number of demands for data stored by customers, down by about 10%. Amazon also said it received between 0 and 249 national security reque

Rocket Lab’s first mission of the year, and 11th commercial flight overall, is planned to take off this afternoon from New Zealand and bring a payload from the National Reconnaissance Office to orbit. You can watch the launch, “Birds of a Feather,” right here. The mission, which was only announced 10 days ago, is also known as NROL-151, and was awarded under a new NRO effort to “explore what the tiny rocket marketplace can provide for us,” as director Betty Sapp put it in 2018, at the outset of the agency’s Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket program. Though Rocket Lab may dispute that its rocket is “tiny” (Sapp also said at the time that many companies took issue with the phrase), it’s definitely smaller than many launch vehicles that the NRO is accustomed to. It has relied in the past on large geostationary satellites, but cheap access to lower orbit is clearly a trend worth taking advantage of. “As the industry shifts toward the disaggregation of large, geostationary spacecraft

The long-held dream of wireless network hackers everywhere is to dispense with centralised network infrastructure, and instead rely on a distributed network in which the clients perform the role of distribution and routing of traffic. These so-called mesh networks promise scalability and simplicity on paper, but are in practice never as easy to implement as the theory might suggest. Much venture capital has been burned over the years by startups chasing that particular dream, yet most of our wireless connectivity still follows a hub topology. An exciting development in our sphere concerning mesh networking came in early 2018, when Particle, the purveyors of wireless-equipped dev boards, launched their third generation of products. These offered mesh networking alongside their other features, but this week they have announced that they’ll no longer be developing that particular side of their offering . The Wi-Fi-equipped Argon and Cellular-equipped Boron will remain on sale, but they w

Avast has made a huge business out of selling antivirus protection for computers and mobile devices, but more recently it was revealed that the Czech-based cybersecurity specialist was also cultivating another, more controversial, revenue stream: harvesting and selling on user data, some of which it amassed by way of those security tools. But as of today, the latter of those businesses is no longer. Avast announced that it would be winding down Jumpshot , its $180 million marketing technology subsidiary that had been in the business of collecting data from across the web, including within walled gardens , analysing it, and then — unknown to users — selling it on to third-party customers that included tech giants like Microsoft and Google and big brands like Pepsi and Home Depot. The significance of the incident extends beyond Avast and Jumpshot’s practices: it highlights the sometimes-obscure but very real connection between how some security technology runs the risk of steppin

We’ve all seen the two-color sequin fabrics you can “draw” on by dragging your finger over so the pieces flip to the other color. It’s fun stuff to play with, and very popular with the kids right now, but if you asked us if the material had any practical application we’d have said no. But that was before we saw this clever clock created by [Ekaggrat Singh Kalsi] that he calls Sequino . Since a clock (at least one that only shows hours and minutes) doesn’t need to refresh very quickly, [Ekaggart] thought that the sequin material could work as a display. Of course the tricky part is figuring out how to actually draw on it reliably. It can’t be done from the back, and since the sequins are plastic, you can’t use a magnet. The only way to do it is with a robotic “finger” and some very slick kinematics. The most obvious feature of the Sequino is the belt drive that goes the length of its cylindrical shape. When the two motors connected to the belt are turning in the same direction, the po

OPPO is not one to sit on its laurels, even after the numerous innovations it kicked off in the mobile market. From its well-renowned VOOC fast charging tech to its periscope-style zoom lens camera, OPPO has made a name for itself that goes beyond many borders, be it geographical or financial. Now it’s breaking into new territory again, this time … Continue reading from SlashGear https://ift.tt/2GyxGQT

If you were the star of every show, would you watch more mobile television? Snapchat is betting that narcissism drives resonance for its new weekly videos that put your and your friends’ customizable Bitmoji avatars into a flurry of silly animated situations. Bitmoji TV premieres on Saturday morning, and it’s remarkably funny, exciting, and addictive. Think cartoon SNL watched on fast-forward with you playing a secret agent, a zombie president, or a Moonlympics athlete. It’s a style of content only Snapchat could pull off that relies on ubiquitous personalized avatars only Snapchat owns. Snapchat says 70% of its daily active users, or 147 million of its 210 million, have made themselves a Bitmoji. Snapchat bought Bitmoji’s parent company Bitstripsacqu in 2016 for a steal at $62.5 million, and it’s paying off. Amidst a sea premium video and haphazard Stories that blur together across streaming services and social apps, Snapchat finally found something Facebook can’t copy. “We really