Technology news

Smartphones are ubiquitous in our lives: we rely on them to navigate unfamiliar surroundings, look up information, and stay in touch with people with an ever-growing collection of apps. A new, minimalist phone is designed for people want to eliminate all that clutter, but still remain reachable.The size of a credit card, The Light Phone is about as stripped down as one can get: it can receive and make calls, store up to nine numbers, and tell the time. That’s it. No texting, e-mail, or any

GUEST: Sitting in a plush, darkened studio lot theater this past week in Hollywood at yet another forum heralding the dawn of the VR ecosystem, I couldn’t help noting how much interest is building in virtual reality and how many more parties are coming to the VR dancehall.
Eighteen months ago, I was part of a private forum of 50 invitees to the same studio, all there to make our pitch in the new VR landscape — and presumably help shed some light for the studio, too. Only then we were

USA Today’s Facebook page is being inundated with likes from fake accounts, and its parent company, Gannett Co., has asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate. Before a purge of such accounts last month, USA Today contends that spam accounts made up a significant percentage of the publication’s followers on the social media platform.While the social media company recently stepped up its efforts to combat fake accounts by purging millions of fake accounts in April, Gann

GUEST: 2017 is already going down in history as the year that voice computing went mainstream.
Amazon leads the pack, selling well over 8 million Echos and Dots in just two years and leveraging the Amazon Voice Services (AVS) platform to get Alexa into everything from refrigerators to dancing robots to Ford F-150’s (the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for 40 years).
Combined with other voice computing products, like Google Home, and the potential launch of an Apple Siri speaker this summe

GUEST: Imagine playing a lagging Call of Duty run-through. Your stream is buffering and stopping, not to mention you’re probably losing. That’s bad — now imagine if that happened in virtual reality. It’s probably not only borderline unplayable, but it’s actually giving you motion sickness. VR has proven to be a transformational technology. It has the potential to disrupt the media, gaming, and any number of other industries. Yet, it also has the potential to be undo

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a magnetic chess board, but it’s probably one of the more innovative takes on the game: a globe-shaped board.A design student named Ben Myers created the unique board with his father. He posted his process on Instructables, noting that he made the board out walnut, soft maple, and Jatoba wood, which he measured out and cut to exact dimensions and glued onto eight octagonal rings. Each space has a magnet embedded in it, and once he glued each

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a magnetic chess board, but it’s probably one of the more innovative takes on the game: a globe-shaped board.A design student named Ben Myers created the unique board with his father. He posted his process on Instructables, noting that he made the board out walnut, soft maple, and Jatoba wood, which he measured out and cut to exact dimensions and glued onto eight octagonal rings. Each space has a magnet embedded in it, and once he glued each

Kathy Winter is going to spend a lot of time in the garage. But she’s not a mechanic. Winter is the vice president and general manager of automated driving solutions at Intel. She helped dedicated the new Intel Advanced Vehicle Lab in San Jose, Calif., this week.
Intel is engaged with 33 “tier 1” carmakers, and it has alliances with car suppliers such as Delphi. While the company is testing self-driving cars now, it still has a long road ahead. Self-driving cars will have

GUEST: Columbus, Detroit, Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland — startup hot spots like these are popping up across the nation as innovation and entrepreneurship are on the rise. However, while momentum is building in the Midwest, several misguided business regulations are stunting the startup community’s full potential. After much discussion with fellow VentureOhio board members, including Mark Kvamme of Drive Capital and the leaders at the NVCA, we’ve identified four

These photos may look like a child’s drawings (or the wedding dress of a certain celebrity) but it’s actually seawater magnified 25 times. Captured by photographer David Liittschwager, it’s part of the contents of “one dip of the hand net.” Photo: David LittschwagerSo what’s in it? Plankton, worms, larvae and fish eggs. Dive Shield has a handy breakdown of the various creatures, which will remind you to keep your mouth firmly closed next time you’re swim

In this fan film from Malaysian-based film filmmaker Brian Lee, three Stormtroopers catch sight of their leader on the battlefield, and realize that they have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet him. It’s a hilarious film, made all the better by the acting.
If Stormtroopers Were Malaysians was filmed with members of the 501st Legion’s Malaysian Garrison, they’re fighting on some distant planet when they see Darth Vader fighting alongside them, not far away. One of the star

When Danish Dhamani arrived in the U.S. from Tanzania four years ago, he found that he wasn’t a good public speaker. So he set about trying to fix that by going to Toastmasters meetings. There, he learned some tricks to speaking better, and now he and cofounder Paritosh Gupta have turned his experience into an iOS app called Orai that serves as your speech coach.
Orai promises to make anyone become a better public speaker via artificial intelligence. You recite your speech into the ap

“Alexa, the whole world loves you…so what can I do to make your voice-activated greatness even greater?” “You can learn to build voice apps for your Amazon Echo device. You can begin by mastering the principles of Alexa creation with the two-course Amazon Alexa Coding Bundle, available now from TNW Deals for only $19… it’s currently over 90 percent off its regular price.” “That’s oddly specific, Alexa. What does the package offer?” &

GUEST: Here’s a quick wrap-up of the biggest stories from India this week.
1. India’s top court is considering whether to allow the government to link the country’s biometric ID database to tax filings: The government has proposed linking Aadhaar, the unique identity number issued to over 1.2 billion Indians based on biometric data, with tax filings this June. This would require all Indians to obtain an Aadhaar ID in order to file taxes, whereas, to date, Aadhaar IDs have been

The Wachowskis' strange, celebratory, and globe-spanning series Sense8 returns for a second season on Netflix this week, so my colleague Tasha Robinson sat down to talk about the show with actor Naveen Andrews, who plays one of its more mysterious figures. I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're a fan.
I never quite got hooked on the mysteries of Sense8’s first season, but what I did love about it was how it felt like such a pure distillation of the Wachowskis' interests: from m

When the Nintendo Switch launched, tech and game blogs all-but-unanimously praised the Pro Wireless Controller. It looks and feels like a traditional wireless game controller — two joysticks, a directional pad, a ton of buttons and triggers — and must be purchased separately for $70.There was a limited stock at the time, so if you were lucky enough to find one, the critics said, buy it. I was not lucky enough. Until recently, I’ve relied on the Joy-Con, a pair of diminutive con

The Internet of Shit is a column about all the shitty things we try to connect to the internet, and what can be done about it. It’s from the anonymous creator of the Internet of Shit Twitter account.
If you want to start an absolutely thrilling dinner table conversation with friends, try asking them what Internet of Things platform they’re using. Unsurprisingly, not many people know what IoT means, let alone what’s going on beneath their gadgets. All they care about is whether

GUEST: One of the first major categories that will firmly root the VR industry into the mainstream will be gaming. It makes sense that, at least initially, massive traction will begin where the priority is on fun and social content. As I covered back in January, we already see VR piggybacking off of the burgeoning esports space with success, which is transforming the spectator experience and promises much more.
Spotting intersections like the one with esports is a sweet spot for the VR indu

Weird Phone Case of the Month is a monthly series in which we live with, and subsequently review, our time with a phone case. Phone cases are one of our only ways to express individuality with our smartphones, so what do our phone case choices say about us?
The rubber ducky was the obvious choice. My friend Casey visited me from LA earlier this month, and during a trip to Flushing, New York we stopped in a massive mall. I needed a new Weird Phone Case of the Month, I told her. I faced a wall of

Two pieces of information from Facebook sources have given us new insight into the division of labor inside the social media giant.
Words spoken by Oculus team’s head of PC VR Brendan Iribe and a passage from Facebook’s quarterly report indicate more than five percent of the company’s total workforce are devoted to virtual reality in some capacity.
This week, Facebook filed its quarterly report. In that report is a figure relating to the company’s size and how it has

(Reuters) – Leading French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron’s campaign said on Friday it had been the target of a “massive” computer hack that dumped its campaign emails online 1-1/2 days before voters choose between the centrist and his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen.
Macron, who is seen as the frontrunner in an election billed as the most important in France in decades, extended his lead over Le Pen in polls on Friday.
As much as 9 gigabytes of data were posted on

Spoiler alert: This post contains major spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The reports are true: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has a whopping 5 (five!) end-credits scenes.
That's a lot to take in, even if you're the kind of diehard Marvel fan who'd give your left eye to spend your days flying around with Rocket.
SEE ALSO: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' is Marvel at its most emotional
Fortunately, that's where we come on. Here's a rundown on what those sequences are – and

*Cue theme music* Thisss ... is a day Ryan Seacrest knew would come.
It was just over a year ago when the American Idol host, signing off the "final" (ahem) episode of the show after a 15-season run on Fox, said: "And one more time — this is so tough — we say to you from Hollywood, goodnight America." Then he added cryptically, "for now."
Well it looks like "for now" is over.
SEE ALSO: Kelly Ripa's new 'Live' co-host is the most boring choice imaginable
Thirteen months after Seacrest

Facebook is dead set on breaking through our news biases and popping our filter bubbles. Now, in a new attempt to expand our horizons, the company is taking a page out of Twitter's playbook by rolling out a new feature that'll show you posts from strangers. 
SEE ALSO: What Facebook must do to prepare its 3,000 new moderators for the trauma they'll face
The new feature is called "Latest Conversations" and was spotted by Tech Crunch. After searching a news topic, Facebook will now display pub

As Silicon Valley looks towards a cashless, card-less future, Square's latest move is a bit of a throwback.
The mobile payment company is launching a debit card — or rather, a prepaid balance card — that connects to the company's app rather than a bank account, Recode first reported.
SEE ALSO: Venmo is still growing like crazy
The slick, all-black Visa gives customers a new way to unload the balance accrued from exchanges within Square's money-transfer service. 
It also lets hol

It’s time for more Mr. Perfect.
I’m back at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s 200cc mode, and I’m still trying to get a perfect 60 points in each cup. After conquering the first two cups relatively easily, I’m now stuck on the Flower Cup. Let’s see if I can do it live! Watch me continue my Perfect 200cc Quest right here:VentureBeat's PC Gaming channel is presented by the Intel® Game Dev program. 

As always, leaked renders of devices should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, Onleaks, who is responsible for the HTC U 11 leak, is typically pretty reliable. These types of renders are based on CAD drawings and typically leaked from the factory where the phone is manufactured, or from early previews for case designers. Regardless of where it came from, it seems to be the real deal. The newly-released 360-degree renders show a bright red HTC flagship sporting the reported USB-C port in

Beating a speedrunning world record requires a huge amount of concentration, knowledge of the game, and luck. When you pull it off, it’s an emotional experience, as one Super Mario 64 speedrunning demonstrated when he did so this morning. The hardest version of a complete Super Mario 64 run involves finding all 120 stars in the game in as little time as possible. Doing it in less than 140 minutes (the previous world record) sounds all-but-impossible. Speedrunner Cheese

Amazon Prime Now is the souped-up version of the regular online delivery service with its promise to get certain items in select locations to your door within two hours. Now it's hoping to deliver the news — and pronto.
SEE ALSO: China ironically decides to clamp down on online news outlets on World Press Freedom Day
Publishers in major Spanish cities, like Madrid and Barcelona, have teamed up with Amazon so that a physical newspaper can be ordered through the expedited delivery service.
E

Cameras and sensors. Those are the two technical features to look for in modern cars. As we approach the age of the connected automobile, when every vehicle is more self-aware on the road (for example, it knows about stoplights, other cars, and the weather conditions), the accuracy of the cameras and sensors will become even more important.
You might think the innovation on the Tesla Model S is the fact that it can drive 300 miles on a charge. In reality, it’s the sensors that can scan all

Usually course catalogs are just a way for students to choose their classes, but this week a catalog from Butler University was the topic of a debate about freedom of speech all over the internet.
SEE ALSO: This resistance group is sending Trump notes on toilet paper
The private Indianapolis university found itself in the middle of a political firestorm because of a special topics course set for the fall: "Trumpism & U.S. Democracy."
In the listing for the class, the course promised to discu

An anonymous group has posted nine gigabytes of emails and other data, purportedly taken from the campaign of French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron. In a statement to the BBC, the Macron campaign said it had been the victim of a “massive hacking attack” and confirmed that some of the documents were taken from campaign officials, although it claimed other portions of the archive may be fabricated.
The attack is conspicuously similar to a string of hacks against the Clinton cam

Czech rally car driver Tomasz Kasperczyk tested the limits of a guardrail in a terrifying accident during the first stage of the FIA European Rally Championship’s Rally Islas Canarias on Friday.
In the clip, Kasperczyk can be seen driving his Ford Fiesta along a winding road conveniently located on the edge of a cliff. Kasperczyk approaches the second turn a little too hot and his vehicle loses traction, sending him right into the guardrail.
Luckily, the rail did exactly what it was inten

Pamela Anderson has been super active on her blog lately with some pretty questionable entries.
She recently wrote a post professing her love for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and now she's at it again urging everyone to consider veganism as a lifestyle choice in an essay titled "FIGHT "FAKE FOOD", NOT "FAKE NEWS”."Image:Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesIn this vegan manifesto of sorts, Anderson begins by explaining that although "fake news" has become an important issue lately, the issue of "f

Not all esports games are shooters or multiplayer online battle arenas — sometimes pro gamers wanna compete in an action role-playing game.
Mount & Blade, which is medieval role-playing game, debuted in 2008, and over the last decade it has slowly and steadily built up an dedicated competitive scene after selling 7 million copies. Now, the pro Mount & Blade community is coming to together in the Battle of Bucharest, the first live tournament in the game’s history. Starting Ma

Stephen Colbert apparently provoked the ire of more than just Trump supporters and the LGBTQ community when he made a controversial joke on The Late Show earlier this week. According to The Hill, the Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into Colbert’s comments to see if the joke, which illustrated a sexual act between the president and Vladimir Putin using the word “cock,” meets the Supreme Court standards for “obscene” content. Colbert half

Hi-Rez Studios, makers of multiplayer game SMITE, have announced that mild-mannered painter Bob Ross will be joining the game, proving they know how to appeal to a Twitch audience that adores Ross. If you know nothing about the culture on Twitch — and hell, even if you do — this will be completely confusing. Bob Ross became a Twitch icon twenty years after his death when the site aired a marathon of his show, The Joy of Painting, to promote the new Creative category. He jo

The highlight was everywhere online, precisely because it looked so deliciously disrespectful. 
But LeBron James swears it was just a normal basketball play. 
SEE ALSO: Schea Cotton, the NBA All-Star who wasn't, is finally ready to tell his story
James casually spun the ball on his palm — twice, and right in front of defender Serge Ibaka — before burying a deep three-pointer in another playoff blowout by Cleveland Cavaliers over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.