Technology news

Buzz is growing over the possibility of intelligent alien life, thanks to a group of Russian astronomers who say they’ve picked up a strong mysterious radio signal from space. The potential source of the signal is exciting: it seems to be coming from a distant system with a Sun-like star. Perhaps this star has a civilization-filled planet just like ours, right? Well before you assume we’ve found ET’s home, consider this: astronomers still need to find another signal coming from

Mosquito moms can transmit zika virus to their offspring — at least in the lab, a new study shows. If this also happens in nature, the virus might be able to survive in tough mosquito eggs even when cold weather, dry spells, and pesticides kill off the infectious adults.
Mosquitoes can transmit viruses in the same family as Zika, such as yellow fever and dengue, to their offspring — but it wasn’t clear whether this was also true for Zika. So scientists led by Robert Tesh, an ep

General Motors expressed interest in an acquisition that would have valued Lyft at around $6 billion, including the company’s $1.4 billion cash pile, according to a report by The Information. That’s a long way from the $8–10 billion that Lyft was seeking, a source close to the company told The Verge.
Recent reports have suggested that Lyft was involved in acquisition discussions with a variety of companies, including Apple, Google, Uber, and Didi Chuxing. GM was suspected to be

HTC is preparing to release a new version of its iPhone-inspired One A9, according to a report from VentureBeat. The device, which will reportedly be unveiled during IFA later this week, is expected to retain a similar design to the original One A9, with a few changes to the rear and front camera placements.
What's still unclear is what kind of processor will power HTC's newest device, and what improvements will come to the camera, which is expected to remain at 13MP (the front camera

Legendary actor and comedian Gene Wilder has died, according to reports from multiple outlets. According to Variety, the actor died from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 83.
Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1933, Wilder became enamored with theater at an early age, and after graduating from the University of Iowa studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England. Wilder was drafted into the army in 1956, and later opted for a post in New York so he could c

The European Commission will soon rule that Apple illegally received tax benefits from the Irish government, Financial Times reports. EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager reportedly circulated a 130-page ruling for official release tomorrow, concluding that Ireland’s tax deals with Apple (as well as other US companies) constituted unlawful state aid to a select group of businesses. Apple will reportedly be called on to pay back taxes that, according to anonymous sources, could to

YouTube’s biggest name is going to star in a game about streaming games on YouTube. Today PewDiePie revealed a new game called Tuber Simulator, that puts players in the role of a budding video game streamer. It’s being developed by Outermind, the Montreal-based studio behind PewDiePie’s previous foray into games, Legend of the Brofist.
Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the game yet, but prior to the official announcement PewDiePie tweeted out a handful of images tha

Sony just launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund its FES Watch U e-paper watch as a follow to its first FES watch, which was funded and released in Japan last year. The difference is that the Watch U has scratch-restant sapphire glass and the premium model comes with a stronger surface coating. The Watch U is also significantly more expensive. A watch starts at $438, whereas the first FES cost only $242.
Both the Watch U and FES aren't smartwatches exactly — they don't show pho

Sous vide cooking as we know it has been around for about 40 years, but consumer devices for it have only been around for about seven years, and affordable consumer devices to do it at home have really only been around since Sansaire first launched its precision cooker on Kickstarter in 2013. Now Sansaire is back on Kickstarter with the updated version of its immersion circulator called the Delta.
Sous vide works by placing food (meat, fish, vegetables, eggs) into a vacuum-sealed bag (Ziploc bag

The launch of a new iPhone in the second week of September has become so regular an event that you could set your Apple Watch by it. Equally consistent is Apple’s teasing or trolling with the invite, which I’m now going to indulge in deciphering for the 2016 edition. It’s actually a little more informative than usual — or maybe it’s more amenable to over-interpretation. Either way, let’s overthink this thing together.
Firstly, without trying to insult your int

Behind the blonde wooden service counter of a Chipotle restaurant, humanoid robots created in the golden image of C3PO prepare customers’ chicken burritos and sofritas tacos. After tapping their orders on glowing touch-screen iPads right behind the entrance doors, patrons sit patiently as their requests are carried out by the robotic prep team. The technologic back-of-house staff performs the same mundane tasks from open to close: pressing the tortilla, laying it flat, pouring the protein,

Philips is making another investment in smart home lighting. Hue owners can now buy a motion detector that will turn on connected lights around their home. Simply named the Hue motion sensor, the $40 add-on uses two AAA batteries, which Philips says last about two years(!). It affixes to surfaces using double-sided tape, so you can stick it just about anywhere. The sensor is also highly configurable. It work with the Hue app to control scenes, so you can have the sensor turn on living room ligh

Here are two lines from T-Mobile’s latest "Uncarrier" missive, in which the company proclaims that it has "listened to customers" and is changing its new T-Mobile One plans less than two weeks after announcing them.
The first line:Everyone gets unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited high-speed 4G LTE smartphone data on the fastest LTE network in America.The second line:With T-Mobile ONE, even video is unlimited at standard definition so you can stream all you want.At this p

No Man’s Sky (NMS) is a truly remarkable game with untold potential. Sadly, it only gives you the warm and fuzzies for the first few hours. Soon after, the excitement wears off. What replaces it is a feeling of repetition as you explore a different-looking planet and ultimately find the same things. It’s easily the biggest gaming disappointment in 2016. Steam recognizes this, and it has altered its return policy ever-so-slightly to accommodate a mob of slighted gamers

I like to think of myself as an inherently trusting person. Take this story, for example. Two weeks ago, I was in Liverpool city center with my fiancee. It was 1am and we were walking to the hotel. This is typically the time when most pubs and bars close, sending their patrons off into the night in search of ATMs, fast food, and other places to drink. As we were trundling up the aptly-named Hardman Street, a young man no more than nineteen years old approached us. “Excuse me” he sai

As we get ready for Apple’s September 7 event — and probably a new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus — a spec sheet for the two new devices has leaked. From techtastic, we learn the following about the Phone 7: Screen: 4.7-inch, 750×1334 resolution Processors: A10 and M10 RAM: 2GB LPDDR4 Battery: 1960 mAh Camera: 12 megapixel, 1/2.6-inch sensor, F/1.9, 1:3 microns pixels And the iPhone 7 Plus: Screen: 5.5-inch, 1080×1920 resolution Processors: A10 and M10 RAM: 3GB LPDDR4 Battery

Last year BlackBerry launched the Priv, its first-ever Android smartphone. The Priv represented another attempt by BlackBerry to reinvent itself for the modern mobile era and build something worthy of competing with Apple, Samsung, and other smartphone makers. But the Priv’s positives (a great physical keyboard and beautiful curved screen) were derailed by buggy software and a comically high asking price. It failed badly. Even so, the marriage between BlackBerry — the self-proclaimed

There is a Facebook Messenger chat bot for Starbucks' highly controversial pumpkin spice latte and I spent an hour of my morning talking to it because I have a very hard time politely ending conversations in messenger apps that include read receipts.
I don't recommend talking to the PSL chat bot, because the PSL chat bot is unexpectedly harsh when it's not talking in circles. If I had to compare the emotional experience to a real-world scenario I would say it's a lot like helping your aunt

All current reports to indicate that the flagship 2017 iPhone will include a curved OLED panel. But new rumors indicate that Apple isn’t planning on staying with the technology for long. Instead, it’s likely to move on to a fancier technology called microLED. Wang Jyh-chau, CEO of LCD maker Innolux, notes that “OLED cannot replace LCD in terms of performance-cost ratio and reliability,” and that while OLED makes sense for the 2017 iPhone, Apple likely won’t wa

If you've noticed Verizon's network getting faster recently, here's why: the carrier announced today that it's enabled LTE Advanced in over 450 cities across the US. The new technology lets certain phones receive more data at once, allowing for much faster speeds than typical LTE.
Verizon says that "typical" LTE speeds range from 5 Mbps to 12 Mbps, whereas LTE Advanced speeds can reach up to 300 Mbps. That's definitely not what you'll receive in real-world use, however. Verizon is only promising

Fitbit may have released two new fitness trackers today, but it didn’t solve one of its core problems: software. The Fitbit app still doesn’t work with Apple’s HealthKit, which returns data to an accompanying Health app for iPhone users. It also doesn’t work with Google Fit. And its recent app update has been met with a cool reception from users. Basically, Fitbit doesn’t seem to understand software, or how its users want to gather data. It’s philosophical, t

Blu has announced the Pure XR, a new high-end (yet still affordable) device that will definitely remind you of the OnePlus 3. The $299 aluminum device is pretty stacked with specs for a device in its price range:
5.5-inch 1080p display
Android 6.0 MarshmallowMediaTek Helio P10 octa-core processor
64GB of internal storage
4GB of RAM
16MP rear camera, 8MP front cameraThe Pure XR also comes with a fingerprint and 3D Touch, which works exactly like you think it does. (Something tells me Apple d

The FBI is currently investigating digital attacks on voter registration systems in both Arizona and Illinois, according to an FBI flash bulletin obtained by Yahoo News. The Illinois attack took place in late July, bringing down the state’s voter registration for 10 days and stealing data on as many as 200,000 registered voters. The Arizona attack was less significant, introducing malware into the voter registration system but not successfully stealing any data.
The Department of Homeland

Madden, it’s one of my must-purchase games each year and yet each iteration is slightly more disappointing than the last. The only people that get joy out of this game anymore are the hardcore football fans and the racist teenagers that like to make me cry while playing online. Seriously, it’s a shit storm of epic proportions and I’m a glutton for punishment that forgot my umbrella. To be fair, the dozen-or-so hours I’ve put into Madden 17 this year have shown real poten

In 2016, we are overwhelmed with options for adding color to black-and-white photos. Cheap smartphone apps, artificial intelligence, and Photoshop knockoffs are accessible to amateurs and hobbyists, and YouTube is a constantly replenishing source of step-by-step tutorials. And yet, if you've tried colorization, you've likely discovered the finished result looks like highlighters scrubbed over an old newspaper.
Yes, anybody can add color to old photos, but doing the job well remains a c

Facebook is working on opening up its Safety Check feature to users, reports VentureBeat. Speaking at a town hall meeting in Rome today, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the social giant is building on the feature to allow users to activate it themselves during emergencies. Though it’s not clear when the update will roll out, it should certainly help to address criticism the company has received regarding the way it has deployed Safety Check in the past.
Today’s meeting took place at Ro

It’s official: Apple is holding an event on September 7 at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco. As you might imagine, we’re expecting new iPhones — two, to be precise. An iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which should have a few tricks up it sleeve. September 7, iPhone 7 — get it? Many think the newest iPhones will ditch the audio jack in favor of a Lightning connection for wired sound, and add a second speaker grill. Elsewhere, the larger iPhone 7 Plus is widely believed t

We knew Samsung was working on a follow up to its Galaxy Folder flip phone. Now we’re getting a clearer idea of what that phone might look like, and I’m loving the mid-2000s vibes. SamMobile reports that the Galaxy Folder 2 will likely retail for around $250 and not be available outside of China. Sad.SamsungAs far as specs, the phone will reportedly have a 3.8-inch display, a Qualcomm processor with 2GB of RAM, an eight-megapixel rear-facing camera, a five-megapixel front-facing

Apple will hold its next big event on September 7th, when it's expected to unveil new iPhones and updated Apple Watches. Invitations to the event were sent out this morning, with Apple simply saying "See you on the 7th."
This'll be the fifth year straight that Apple has held an early September event to announce new products. As usual, one of those should be the next iPhone. This new generation is believed to be extremely similar to last year's model, with only minor visual differences — su

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is aiming to demonstrate the artificial intelligence project he's been laboring on in his spare time in September. Zuckerberg shared his plans during a live Facebook town hall Q&A session from Rome today.  "I hope to have a demo, hopefully next month," he said when asked about the side project. The screenshot above was taken as Zuckerberg was discussing his AI system; clearly he's happy and excited about the upcoming public debut.
Back in January, the F

There’s a sequence deep into Joshua Marston’s awkwardly uneven movie Complete Unknown that highlights what the film could have been. When Jenny (Rachel Weisz) turns up at a birthday party for her old flame Tom (Michael Shannon), he’s flabbergasted. She disappeared from his life 15 years ago without a word, abandoning her family, who looked to him for answers. In the interim, he’s married another woman, moved into his childhood home in Brooklyn, and settled into a life tha

T-Mobile’s new ONE plan was met with much criticism when it was announced a couple of weeks ago, for good reason. But the company is now backtracking slightly on some of the biggest pain points on its new plan. The plan originally included unlimited tethering, which sounded great until you realized it was capped at 2G speeds (or 128 kbps) often with lower speeds in the real world. In other words, it was barely a step up from dial-up, and pretty much unusable for anything you’d want

T-Mobile has figured out a remarkably confusing way of expanding its brand-new unlimited data plan. Because the new T-Mobile One plan doesn't actually offer unlimited data when it comes to video — all video is limited to 480p — T-Mobile will begin selling "HD day passes" for $3 per day, allowing customers to stream in 1080p for 24 hours.
That's simple enough, but here's where it gets really weird: T-Mobile is also offering a plan called T-Mobile One Plus, which, among other bene

You read that right. You can now buy a fully functioning Mac for only $329. Well, until Apple sends out a cease and desist letter. The HacBook Elite is a so-called Hackintosh laptop that’s capable to run macOS and is quick enough to boot in only 15 seconds. It comes inside a HP laptop case and is fully upgradable after purchase, just like any Windows PC. All other specifications are roughly as good as an entry-level MacBook Pro, except for notable parts like the Retina

Ben Affleck just showed fans footage of major DC Comics villain who may appear in one of the upcoming Warner Bros. films. In a tweet sent out this morning, the actor-director revealed an early look at Deathstroke the Terminator approaching the camera and looking like the badass he is.
We have no way of knowing what the footage is intended for just yet, but Affleck tweeting it gives it an official air that suggests the studio has plans for the villain. (And he certainly looks better here than in

It’s safe to say that most of us in the West don’t know much about Iran beyond its supposed nuclear weapons program. This is a shame, because despite its many problems, Iran boasts an old and beautiful culture, and has one of the youngest and most educated populations in the Middle East. Most of us don’t recognize Iran as a technological heavyweight, but since 2005 it has been quietly working on its own national intranet. The first stage in this ambitious project has been

Six "crew members" have returned to normal life after spending a full year doing a simulated Mars mission in Hawaii. For the project, the crew had to live as if they were living in a real Martian habitat, enduring all of the challenges that come with residing on another planet. That entailed living in isolation on Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, where the crew had limited communication with friends and family — and they couldn’t go outside without a spacesuit on. Continue reading&h

Lightning during a recent thunderstorm in Norway killed a herd of 323 reindeer — 70 of them calves — making it one of the deadliest strikes ever. Hunters in a remote area discovered the bodies last Friday, according to the Norwegian News Agency.
We usually hear about lightning striking people, but it does kill animals, too. Two scientists at an Australian research institute have found that everything from seal pups to wild turkeys to elephants and giraffes can be killed by lightning.