Technology news

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, will take an outsized place in our night sky on Tuesday, May 8.
Head outside after sunset this evening and look to the east. You'll likely see a bright "star" standing out against a backdrop of dim objects high in the sky.
SEE ALSO: Thank you, Ariana Grande for reminding me that Jupiter is beautiful
According to NASA, Wednesday marks opposition for Jupiter, meaning that it's directly opposite the sun in the sky from Earth's perspective.
"Wait a fe

If you think about it, using a PC is kind of like working in two operating systems: Windows and your browser. I can have have five apps running in my taskbar, but then another ten web apps and sites in my browser. So things can get pretty messy. That will someday be a thing of the past. At today’s Build conference keynote, Microsoft announced that in “the next Insider build,” – Microsoft’s beta program for Windows – you’ll see the tabs you were working

Subscription service MoviePass hasn’t been having a great 2018. Constant changes to its terms of service have created a growing sense of uncertainty about what customers actually get with their MoviePass subscriptions. The company’s flagship tier was scuttled, then brought back without any real explanation. And in April, an independent auditor for MoviePass parent company Helios & Matheson Analytics raised alarm bells by expressing “substantial doubt” that the compan

Twitter has started building an encrypted direct messaging feature in its Android app, according to a computer science student who dug through the code. Jane Manchun Wong looked through Twitter’s Android app code and saw the feature.
Other apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal already provide users with encrypted means of communicating. If Twitter added secret conversations, its direct messages could serve as a convenient alternative to secure, off-platform rivals.
Since the feature wa

These days, backpacks seem to cram every imaginable feature into their designs, creating a bulky  abomination. But you're the simple kind: You don't need your backpack to double as a Wi-Fi hotspot, guitar amp, or espresso machine. You just want it to fit your stuff and look sharp. 
Unsettle & Co.'s Commuter RollTop 2.0 is a backpack that gives you just enough space and organization without sacrificing the simplicity and portability that makes a backpack a backpack.
Check it out:As

Bitcoin bashing has been a popular sport among the very rich for quite a while, but this week the usual suspects have considerably upped their game. 
These days, it's no longer enough to call Bitcoin a bad or dangerous investment. If you want to convince the world that Bitcoin is no good, you need to conjure up a string of adjectives so scathing that it makes the Bitcoin sound worse than the plague. 
SEE ALSO: 'Silicon Valley' has inspired a website that monitors Bitcoin's value using

This post is part of Mashable's Masturbation Week. May is National Masturbation Month, so we're celebrating by exploring the many facets of self-love.
Most medical professionals generally consider masturbation to be a healthy, productive exercise. 
But it can go too far. When it becomes an obsession, especially when paired with porn, that's where the subreddit r/NoFap comes in. Named after a slang term for masturbation, r/NoFap may be the largest internet resource for people looking to stop

Donald Glover is definitely having a Moment™. 
Fresh off of his successful hosting of Saturday Night Live, he released a groundbreaking music video for his new song "This is America." This, during the second season of his FX show Atlanta, which he created and stars in. All before he plays Lando Calrissian in the newest Star Wars movie, coming out May 25. 
SEE ALSO: Donald Glover gave us the perfect '80s music video during 'Saturday Night Live'
Over the past 10 years, Glover has b

Facebook is launching its own blockchain division as part of a broader reorganization of its executive lineup, multiple sources confirmed to Recode today. The move comes four months after CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post that he wanted the company to “go deeper and study the positive and negative aspects of” cryptocurrencies.
The company is saying little about its blockchain division for now. But we do know that David Marcus, who was serving as the vice president of messa

Google Chrome is getting a big upgrade with the ability to run Linux apps, with a preview set to be released on the Google Pixelbook today before rolling out later to other models, according to a report from VentureBeat.
It’s a major addition to Google’s web-based operating system, which up until now has offered web-based Chrome applications and, more recently, the ability to run Android apps. But the option to run full-fledged Linux software marks the first time that real desktop a

We just took a quick look at a 3D-printed prototype of the recently-announced JBL Link Bar, a soundbar that also happens to be a set top box running Android TV. It’s not coming out until later this summer and a lot of stuff isn’t quite working yet, but the core ideas here are pretty smart. Basically, it puts a relatively smart set top box into your sound bar, making it a sort of a hybrid between a smart TV and an HDMI switcher. Also a smart speaker. It’s a lot of things cramme

Festival season is finally upon us. You bought your tickets, reserved a hotel, prepped your outfits, and finalized your game plan. The only thing left to do is pack your stuff and brace yourself for days of jamming out. 
As you assemble your festival essentials, don't forget to throw in a pair of earplugs. And yes, we know what you're thinking. Ear plugs are not cool and might potentially destroy the outfit you so carefully planned. But you know what's also not cool? Tinnitus.
SEE ALSO: The

Google just wrapped up a huge preview of the new features coming to Android P. It’s an ambitious update that includes significant changes to the operating system almost everywhere you look. The official release of Android P won’t happen until late summer, but you don’t have to wait that long to try out P’s new gestures, see the new look, and go over the depressing data showing how much time you’re spending on your phone. Beginning today, you can install the first p

It’s been two years since Google introduced Instant Apps, a Google Play feature that lets users try an app without downloading it. While the format has been mostly popular with game developers, today, Google announced at its annual I/O developer conference that Instant Apps will soon support ARCore, allowing users to interact with augmented reality apps without having to download them.
The experience will also be more closely integrated with search rather than within Google Play or in-app

Just days before Christmas in 2016, the North Pole was 50 degrees above its usual winter temperature. The top of the world was just above freezing. 
Unusually warm air had smothered the Arctic throughout that year, and now a recently published report, led by government scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), found that it's nearly impossible to explain the intensity of this warmth simply by normal fluctuations in weather.
A heating event like this isn't nat

Google wants to broaden your horizons — and maybe put some "fake news" to rest — with its updated News app.
The company rolled out the new program during its I/O conference TuesdayIt uses artificial intelligence to show everyone a broad perspective on the same information, unlike, say, the Facebook News Feed, which varies wildly from person to person. In other words, a story about President Donald Trump and Iran may incorporate information from a number of outlets, but it will look t

Automatic brightness is useful, but it also kind of sucks. Some people, like me, prefer their screen at eye-searing brightness. Others like to keep it as dim as possible while still being legible. Still more prefer it somewhere in between. All this means that you’re probably constantly fiddling with the brightness of your phone because it can never guess how you like your screen. With Android P, that vexation could be a thing of of the past. Google is introducing a new version of Ada

Can an operating system care about you?
Android P just might. Google gave the world a load of details about the next version of its mobile operating system, due to launch in the fall. And more than ever, this is an Android update with a set of values attached. 
SEE ALSO: Gmail will soon be writing entire emails for you
While Google has a bunch of useful updates designed to get users to the information they want and actions they want to take faster, the real meat of this update was tacked on

There's a new Google Maps in town, and it may know you better than you know yourself. 
At Google's annual I/O developer conference, Google announced a new version of Google Maps with more interactive and personalized features. 
SEE ALSO: Google Maps is testing directions based on the nearest fast-food spot
Google Vice President of Engineering Jen Fitzpatrick announced the app is getting a "For You" tab that will list new and top-rated restaurants and attractions close to you as well as

Google just wrapped up its 2018 I/O keynote, and today’s event was jam-packed with news. CEO Sundar Pichai kicked things off by recognizing that the tech industry must always be responsible about the tools and services it creates. From there, the big announcements started and just kept coming. We’ve got a new, ambitious Android update on the way. John Legend is lending his voice to Google Assistant. Gmail can almost write emails entirely by itself. AI was a big theme throughout.Andr

We all want to play as Zelda in a Legend of Zelda game but Nintendo has yet to make that happen. So a group of modders took matters into their own hands and made Zelda the star of Breath of the Wild.
The Zelda Conversion Project has been hard at work changing the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild into the titular Zelda, a feat that has recently caught the internet's attention.
SEE ALSO: Unexpected video game horses, ranked
Just look at how perfect and natural Zelda is in the

Over the weekend, the CEO of Pennsylvania health care provider Geisinger announced that its doctors will now offer patients DNA sequencing “as part of routine preventative care.” Right now, most doctors offer genetic screening only when they suspect something is wrong, but the move suggests that soon, DNA tests could become a normal part of our checkups. This could protect us by identifying diseases early, and, thankfully, Geisinger has trained its doctors on how to properly interpr

Google showed off new features for Google Maps at I/O today, including an augmented reality Street View mode to help you follow directions in real time, along with personalized recommendations to help you discover places in your neighborhood.The new AR features combine Google’s existing Street View and Maps data with a live feed from your phone’s camera to overlay walking directions on top of the real world and help you figure out which way you need to go. It’s a lot like the

At Google IO today Waymo took the stage to discuss self-driving cars. Its big pitch: Waymo and Google have “unlocked truly autonomous vehicles.” First up, Waymo and Google are making driverless cars safer for pedestrians. Google Brain and Waymo were able to to reduce the error-rate for detecting pedestrians by 100X (not 100 percent, but still!). The company showed off its AI’s ability to detect pedestrians in incredibly obscure situations. Google’s new advances make it p

As CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage at Google’s annual developer conference, the running joke was trying to decide which chat app the company would introduce — only to kill with a competing project at this time next year. It didn’t happen. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to talk about. Suggested Actions for Photos Google has again raised the bar for artificial intelligence in Photos. The company introduced a handful of actions for mobile photo editors includi

Google made multiple major announcements related tothe future of its Assistant today, including new voices, a feature to teach kids good manners, the ability to continue conversations, and the Assistant being able to make phone calls on users’ behalf.Google CEO Sundar Pichai says he wants the Assistant to be “natural and comfortable to talk to.” As such, users can now keep a conversation going with the Assistant without repeatedly saying, “Hey Google,” to start eve

If you were wondering when you’d be able to try all the new features Google is announcing for Android P, it turns out you won’t have to wait long at all. At it’s I/O developer conference, the company said a public Android P Beta would be available today. To be clear, Android P already had a developer preview that was a bit of a hassle to install and didn’t include many new features. This beta includes a litany of updates, including new gesture-based controls, improved vo

Google has come out with a new version of Google Lens in beta, the company announced at its annual developer conference today. The new version will be built inside the camera app, instead of Google Photos, and will roll out over the next few weeks.
As part of the latest update, Google Lens is going to be built into ten different Android devices’ native cameras, including Google Pixel 2 and LG 7 ThinQ devices, so you don’t have to open a separate app. There will also be a real-time f

Google today announced a new feature for its Maps that’ll make it much easier to figure out where you’re going. If you’ve ever wandered around in circles trying to figure out which direction your little blue dot was moving in the Maps app, this is for you. The feature is simple: once you’ve set your destination in maps, you open your camera and point it in the direction you’re facing and Google’s machine learning magic will toss up some arrows to let you know

Google is giving Google News a refresh that brings all its news products into one experience, the company announced at its annual developer’s conference.
The new Google News experience begins with a “For You” section that has a briefing of five top stories Google has pulled for you. This is a mix of global headlines, local news, and new developments on stories you’ve been following. You can then switch over to Headlines to see top stories from around the world. Additiona

If you want to get an early look at the next version of Android, now you have the chance. Google is launching the public beta for Android P today, which you’ll be able to sign up for at this link. And in a nice twist, the beta is open to more than just Google-made phones this year: you’ll be able to get it on the Essential Phone, Oppo’s R15 Pro, Nokia’s 7 Plus, Sony’s Xperia XZ2, Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2S, Vivo’s X21, the still-unreleased OnePlus 6, and of cou

With Android P, Google is taking an ambitious approach to its user interface design with two new concepts it’s introducing to developers today: “Actions” and “Slices.” Described in detail onstage at the company’s I/O developer conference keynote this morning, Actions and Slices are ways for third-party app features and even visual design to permeate parts of the Android OS, most notably in search and within Google Assistant.Actions are like shortcuts or recip

The Android team worked with Alphabet’s Deepmind to add AI to battery management, in a new feature called “Adaptive Battery.” The AI will monitor your phone’s battery consumption and will shut down apps running in the background that you haven’t touched for a while. It will also adjust your phone’s brightness based on your habits.
It only spends battery on the apps that you generally use and Android says it has seen an average of a 30 percent reduction in CPU

Android P is shaping up to a be a big update for Google’s operating system, down to the basic way you navigate the OS, which Google is overhauling in P with a new, gesture-based system similar to the one on the iPhone X (or Palm’s webOS, if you prefer to trace these things back to their original source.)
As rumored, instead of the familiar, three-icon array of on-screen buttons that have been a mainstay on Android phones for years (even Samsung, a long-time holdout for real buttons,

Last summer, OCAD University student Ryan Mason spent much of his school holiday huddled in front of a television digitizing his parents’ old home movies. He purchased a new VCR and capture card just for the occasion, but the process took longer than he anticipated: he had to actually watch through each tape, from beginning to end, in order to make digital versions. It was a process awash in memories, and for the rest of the summer the 28-year-old design student couldn’t stop thinki

As Slacklooks to woo larger and larger companies with the prospect of a simpler workplace collaboration tool, the company said it has now hit 8 million daily active users.
The company said it also has 3 million paid users. A darling in Silicon Valley, Slack was initially able to capitalize on pent-up demand for workplace communications tools that were much simpler and easy to use. Companies like Yammer, Microsoft, and others looked to remake internal communications in ways that looked more like

Uber signed a second Space Act Agreement with NASA to develop models that will simulate urban air mobility service. It’s a sign that Uber is interested in working closely with government regulators as it seeks to get its ambitious flying taxi project off the ground.Under the agreement, Uber will provide NASA with details and data on its plans for a flying taxi service, which the agency will use to simulate flights over Dallas-Fort Worth. This data will address scenarios involving air traf