It's Easier Than You Think To Track Your Facebook Friends

 

Want to creep out your friends with a map of their recent whereabouts? Well, if they have ever used Facebook Messenger and have left their location tracking within their phone on, you’re in luck.
A new Chrome extension called Marauder’s Map (aptly named after the magic map from Harry Potter) lets anyone pull the location data tied to individual messages sent via phone with location turned on and visualize it in a map.

Google Confirms ‘Buy Button’ Is Coming

 

 

 

Google’s next commerce effort will be a “buy button” to help people purchase products featured in its shopping ads, said chief business officer Omid Kordestani.

“There’s going to be a buy button. It’s going to be imminent,” Kordestani said onstage at the Code Conference Wednesday.
Kordestani described the product launch as a way to remove friction for users so they buy more things online. Some 90 percent of commerce is still offline, he noted.
Kordestani was Google’s first business hire and last October was tapped by CEO Larry Page to return to the leadership after a five-year break.
News of the buy button was first reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier this month. As Re/code’s Jason Del Rey described it, the button would appear on Google’s paid product listing ads. Shoppers who click on the ads on their phones will be directed to a Google webpage to make a purchase of that single item.
As Del Rey wrote,

A nagging issue for online retailers paying for PLAs is conversion — getting someone who clicked on a product image to complete the purchase. Google is positioning the experiment as a way to help retailers fix that by reducing the number of steps between viewing the ad and completing an order. It arrives shortly after Google introduced a series of ad enhancements inside mobile search in a bid to claim more of the transactions and ad dollars that have gravitated to rivals like Amazon and Facebook.

Lenovo’s new laptops are ready to scan your face in Windows 10

Lenovo has announced a pair of new mid-range laptops that are unremarkable apart from one detail. The Lenovo Z51 — a 15-inch device with a price tag starting at $499 — offers Intel's RealSense 3D camera as an optional extra. RealSense uses a trio of lenses (a conventional camera, an infrared camera, and an infrared laser) to measure depth, allowing users to control their laptop using hand gestures, or even scan objects for 3D printing. The camera costs an additional $100, but with a free upgrade to Windows 10 coming this summer (the Z51 ships with Windows 8.1), users will be able to sign in using their face as a password.
Prices start at $599 for the Z51 with RealSense
The rest of the specs on the Z51 and Z41 (the 14-inch version, which doesn't offer the option of RealSense) seem fairly standard. Both notebooks come with up to 16GB of RAM and a 5th generation Intel i7 processor, a 1080p resolution screen, and up to 1TB of storage — either as a hard disk drive or a solid state hybrid. Unfortunately, Lenovo has only published the highest specs for both devices and their lowest starting prices, making it difficult to get a full picture of what sort of value the two laptops offer. However, it does state that the $599 Z51 with RealSense comes with 8GB of RAM and an i5 processor.
The Chinese company also showed off the new ThinkPad 10 during its Lenovo Tech World event in Beijing today. This is the next generation of Lenovo's "business tablet" — a 10-inch Windows 10 device that comes with up to 128GB of internal storage and a pair of keyboard accessories to get work done on the move. There's an Intel Atom quad-core processor powering the thing, and Lenovo is promising a hearty 10 hours of battery life. Prices start at $549, though you'll have to spend at least an additional $110 for a keyboard accessory. As with Microsoft's Surface, we found that this extra was a must-have in one of the ThinkPad's predecessors.
© Provided by The Verge The Lenovo ThinkPad 10. (Lenovo)

The 9 most highly-anticipated features in Windows 10

Back in February, Business Insider's Steve Kovach declared that after years of being an Apple kind of guy, he was ready to love Microsoft Windows again.
"Even though we're months away from the final version, Windows 10 already feels seamless, friendly, familiar, and actually kind of fun to use," he wrote after trying Microsoft's free Windows 10 preview.
Now, we're a few months closer to the launch of Windows 10, and the anticipation is building.
In my own tests with Windows 10, there's a lot to like — I'm still not sure if it'll be enough to get me to switch from my own Mac and go Windows full-time, but there's a lot to like in Windows 10, and the heat is on.
Here are some of the coolest features you should be looking forward to in Windows 10.

Cortana, the digital assistant

© Provided by Business Insider Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant (based off the character of the same name from the Halo video game series), has been available for Windows Phone for a while now.
But by building it in to Windows 10, it makes it a lot easier to get answers to simple questions, like "Hey Cortana, what's the weather today?" from the desktop — something that Apple's Siri can't do. Plus, since Cortana is coming to iOS and Android phones, too, it's a new way for your Windows computer to play nicely with your existing smartphone, whatever it happens to be.

Keeping Your Classic Tech Devices Running

What if planned obsolescence does not fit into your personal plans? Because of pragmatism, frugality, nostalgia or all of the above, some people just do not — or cannot — upgrade the latest version of a device or program, even when the manufacturer stops supporting its old products to focus on developing sleek new hardware and state-of-the-art software to sell.
For those who fall into that group, there’s good news. There are mechanics who can keep your gear going. Solutions include experts who will pay a visit to fix devices like iPods, as well as mail-in repair services. Plus there are a host of how-to sites so you can solve problems yourself.
Fans of the iPod Classic may feel particularly concerned by the obsolescence trend, especially since Apple quietly discontinued the model last year. If Genius Bar service at a nearby Apple Store is not an option, the company’s support site still offers battery replacement and repairs, but said services for “vintage and obsolete iPod products” were limited to California customers — leaving owners elsewhere to find their own way through an inevitable future of dying batteries, failing hard drives and other symptoms of electronic old age.

Apple is fixing a bug that crashes your iPhone with a text message

 

 

 

 

Beware if you have any jokester friends with iOS devices -- they might just have a way to ruin your day if you have any iOS gadgets of your own. Apple has confirmed that it's fixing a recently discovered bug that crashes iPhones and other iOS 8 hardware the moment you get a carefully crafted set of Unicode characters in iMessage and other communication apps with notification previews. It's not clear when that fix will be available, but the only existing safeguard is to turn off those previews. Otherwise, you may have to bend over backwards to make sure that those rogue messages don't cause further chaos. While this isn't the biggest iOS glitch we've seen lately, it's definitely the most annoying.

Back to the Future! Real-Life Hoverboard Breaks Record

A hoverboard rider recently soared into Guinness World Records after flying a record distance on the futuristic, flying skateboard.
Catalin Alexandru Duru, the inventor of the prototype hoverboard, traveled the length of two-and-a-half football fields (about 905 feet or 375 meters) to achieve the world record title before landing gently in the sparkling water of Quebec's Lake Ouareau. Duru reached a height of 16.4 feet (5 m), but the flying board is allegedly capable of much greater altitudes, said Duru, who told Guinness World Records that his machine could reach "scary heights."
"The prototype can be used anywhere but is usually tested over water because of how dangerously high it can fly (which is ironic considering that the movie joked that it can't)," Duru wrote in a description of a YouTube video of the hoverboard's record-breaking flight. [Hyperloop, Jetpacks & More: 9 Futuristic Transit Ideas]

Best Concept Car of 2015

 

 

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The Bold and the Beautiful

Auto shows can be very exciting — experiencing all the shiny new production cars under one roof is a rush, although concept cars grab most of the attention. Often conceived without safety systems, emission controls or other mass-production requirements, concept cars allow designers to color outside the lines and engineers to stretch their minds, fueling our fantasies about what cars could be. That said, some concepts look like they could hit the highway tomorrow with little alteration, while others are so advanced or unique there’s no way we’ll see them on the road anytime soon. Let’s look at the latest concept cars making the rounds at auto shows in 2015 — and what their future holds.

What does the future hold for these eye-catching concepts?

Doctors Warn Certain Tattoo Ink Colors Are Extremely Harmful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many “inked up” Americans experience tattoo regret as their skin begins to age, but some experience that regret immediately after getting their new body art. A recent study conducted at NYU Langone Medical Center has revealed that six percent of New Yorkers with a tattoo have experienced long-term medical complications related to their ink, including tattoo-related rash, severe itching, or swelling.

"We were rather alarmed at the high rate of reported chronic complications tied to getting a tattoo," Dr. Marie Leger, an assistant professor in NYU Langone's Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, said in a statement. "Given the growing popularity of tattoos, physicians, public health officials, and consumers need to be aware of the risks involved."
Leger and her colleagues conducted survey interviews with around 300 adults in New York’s Central Park in June 2013. Survey respondents were between the ages of 18 and 69, the majority of which had no more than five tattoos. Sixty-seven percent of tattoos were located on the arm, making it the most popular tattoo site. Leger estimates that one in five adults in the United States has at least one tattoo.

Killer Robots Need Regulation, Expert Warns

It's a familiar theme in Hollywood blockbusters: Scientist develops robot, robot becomes sentient, robot tries to destroy humanity. But with seemingly sci-fi technological advances inching closer to reality, artificial intelligence and robotics experts face an important question: Should they support or oppose the development of deadly, autonomous robots?
"Technologies have reached a point at which the deployment of such systems is — practically, if not legally — feasible within years, not decades," Stuart Russell, a computer scientist and artificial intelligence (AI) researcher of the University of California, Berkeley, wrote in a commentary published today (May 27) in the journal Nature. These weapons "have been described as the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms," Russell wrote.

Samsung Teases Iron Man Version of Galaxy S6 Edge

version of the Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone.
The South Korean tech giant revealed a teaser image on Twitter of what appears to be a special edition of the phone inspired by the Armored Avenger, according to TechCrunch. Instead of showing an actual phone, the teaser shows a dark red box with Iron Man's face in the center, and the box is open just enough to show bright yellow light coming from inside.
The box reads "Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge" on the lower left side, "Avengers: In Cinemas Now" on the lower right side and "Coming Soon" on the top, which indicates that Marvel fans won't have to wait too long to get their hands on the new phone, Tech Times reported.
Samsung also provided a disclaimer, saying the limited edition phone's availability may "differ by region," which hints at the device being sold across the globe. Such a move would benefit Samsung, as the company usually only sells its special edition products in Asia.
The teaser follows about two weeks after Samsung  told Korea Times that it would treat its customers with Iron Man editions of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge by the end of this month.
"The color of the new Iron Man phones will be red," said Lee Young-hee, head of marketing at Samsung's mobile division. "We will decide on the details soon after discussions with Marvel Studio. It will be released either at the end of May or early June."
Samsung has yet to release an official image of the Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Edition, but it will most likely sport the same red and gold found on Tony Stark's suit of armor, Comicbook.com reported.
A successful launch of the new phone may lead to the development of phones designed after Marvel's other superheroes.

Copyright @ Headlines & Global News.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Commencement Speech George Washington University: 'This Is Your World To Change'

Citing personal heroes Martin Luther King Jr., Presidents John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter, and the late Steve Jobs, Apple CEO Tim Cook Sunday told George Washington University graduates the world is theirs "to change." Cook spoke of the importance of personal values and finding work with meaning during the ceremony on the National Mall in Washington.
"This is your world to change," Cook told the estimated crowd of 25,000, Business Insider reported.
"Steve was an idealist," Cook said of Jobs, one of the co-founders of Apple and the visionary who guided the company. "He convinced me that if we worked hard, and made good products, we too could change the world.
"I took the job, and it changed my life,” Cook said. “It has been 17 years, and I have never once looked back.”
Cook described his teenage years in Alabama and recalled meeting then-Gov. George Wallace, who opposed desegregation. “Meeting my governor was not an honor for me,” Cook told the crowd. “Shaking his hand felt like a betrayal of my own beliefs. It felt wrong, like I was selling a piece of my soul.”
In contrast, Cook spoke of his respect for King, whom he described as one of his childhood heros, saying the civil rights leader "challenged Americans to make real the promise of democracy." He then turned his attention to Carter.
“Carter was kind and compassionate. He held the most powerful job in the world, and had not sacrificed any of his humanity,” Cook said.
Cook emphasized Apple's core values of using technology to better the world, and said it was Jobs who taught him that. He even said that the smartphone camera allows people to document injustice.
“People who witness injustice and want to expose it -- and now they can, because they have a camera in their pocket all the time.”
Cook, who came out as gay last year, provided moments of levity as well. Again referring to smartphones, in this case, the iPhone, Cook joked: "Those of you with an iPhone, just place it in silent mode, and those of you who don't have an iPhone, please pass it to the center aisle. Apple has a world-class recycling program." 

Stephen Hawking Warns Artificial Intelligence Could End Humanity

If you think future wars will be fought against robots, you aren’t alone.
“Computers will overtake humans with AI [artificial intelligence] at some point within the next 100 years,” Stephen Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist, said on Tuesday at the Zeitgeist 2015 conference in London. “When that happens, we need to make sure the computers have goals aligned with ours.”
AI refers to the intelligence of computer systems, allowing them to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. Apple’s Siri and self-driving cars are current examples.
Hawking also asserted that concern currently lies in who controls AI. But with technology’s rapid progression, he said, the future worry will be whether AI can be controlled at all. In December, he went a step further and said that “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”
The ability of a machine to kill, independent of human guidance, is one of the many fears expressed in a report jointly released by Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School in April. Its authors call for a prohibition on “the development, production and use of fully autonomous weapons through an international, legally binding instrument.”
Hawking posed another possible solution: having developers of the technology carefully coordinate advancements to ensure AI stays within our control. “Our future is a race between the growing power of technology and the wisdom with which we use it,” he said.

Throw This Camera Drone in the Air and It Flies Itself

Henry Bradlow holds an RC controller and a horribly cracked Moto X, but he’s only gripping these devices in case something goes wrong with his demo. When Bradlow, the CTO and co-founder of Lily Robotics, gives the go sign, Nghia Ho, the company’s computer vision engineer, flings a drone straight up into the air. It rises, and then immediately begins to fall. For a split second, it appears as though this 3D-printed prototype with a camera attached is about to shatter into a thousand pieces. But just as the drone starts to descend, Lily’s four rotors flick on. The machine steadies itself in mid-air, then rises about twenty feet and hangs there, awaiting instructions.
Bradlow never once touched the controller, or his phone. That’s the whole point of Lily, the first product from Lily Robotics, a five-person company co-founded by a couple of recent Berkeley grads with funding from Silicon Valley heavy-hitters like Ron Conway. Lily is a self-flying drone that is always following you, following a certain set of commands. It follows a small circular tracker, which you can have in your pocket or on your boat. With one tap of the tracker, Lily can execute some nifty camera moves, all while staying focused on you. The camera inside, Bradlow says, is roughly equivalent to the GoPro Hero 3: It can shoot 1080p video, or 720p up to 120 frames per second—there’s some tech inside that will detect when you hit a jump while snowboarding and automatically kick the camera into slow-mo. It’ll also shoot 12-megapixel stills and it can make a cool 360-degree panorama. It can fly 25 miles per hour, is totally waterproof, lasts up to 20 minutes on a charge, and has range up to 100 feet. Bradlow says it could move faster and have more range, but the point isn’t to map agricultural landscapes—it’s to take pictures, or have the Lily chase you down the slopes while you carve some powder.
It’s a drone, sure, but mostly it’s a flying camera. And at $499 if you pre-order (or $999 after), it’s a pretty expensive one too. You can tweak the default settings using either the companion app or the small tracker, but you don’t have to know a thing to get it to work. You can’t take over the piloting if you want to—there is no manual mode.
But Lily does work: you hold it in your hand and tap Take Off, or just toss it up into the air, and it floats up and hovers above you. I took a spin, tapping Follow in the app, and Lily chased after Ho as he ran away with the tracker in his hand. I hit Spiral and the Lily spun in a wide circle around Ho, the camera trained on him. The whole time, live video streamed to my phone. It looked good, certainly better than I could have done myself.
Lily’s not a DJI competitor, and it’s not trying to take down the super-powered Solo from 3D Robotics. It’s not complicated, and in a couple of years it won’t be expensive either. It’s not the future of drones; it’s more like the future of the point-and-shoot. And it can get shots your selfie stick couldn’t even imagine.

What Happens to Your Data When You Monitor Your Personal Fitness

Wearing a fitness bracelet from FitBit, Jawbone, Microsoft, Withings, and others has become increasingly common. About one in ten people in the US now do some sort of fitness monitoring.
As we become more comfortable with the idea of monitoring our own footsteps, calorie-burn, sleep patterns and other health indicators, we should be mindful that it's more than just individual data that's being collected. The companies behind these inventions are also monitoring and analyzing the collective data they are acquiring. What are companies looking for and why?
I spoke with Alexis Normand who oversees the Withings Health Institute. The Institute has created an Observatory which offers a view of the cumulative data of all Withings band wearers, free to the public. Much of the data is displayed in real time as it's being collected.

Google's 'buy buttons' will soon let you shop from your phone

 
Google search results as you've come to know them on your phone could soon become the place where you buy your next bedspread. According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, Google plans to begin testing "buy buttons" that live inside the ads it puts above its normal search results. These sponsored results will reportedly take you to a special purchasing page that's still hosted by Google where you can pick what type of product you want, and how soon you want to get it — all without leaving Google itself. Meanwhile, the company will let you store your credit card information to do it all over again at another time.
The program's existence was originally reported last December, but a few things have changed since then. Apparently Google will initially be testing this only on the mobile version of its results pages and not the desktop (because more people are visiting from their phones than desktops). It is also said that the feature will only be running on a "small percentage" of search traffic, at least initially.
Google already aggregates product pricing information and offers sellers a way to promote their stores through Google Shopping. However that experience kicks you off the page and elsewhere when it's time to actually buy something. By comparison, you could buy things from this new system without ever actually visiting a store's site — something that's caused worries from companies that want control over customer information, as well as having people visit a site where they might end up buying other things. The Journal says Google is attempting to fend off both complaints by providing an option for shoppers to share their data (including payment credentials) with the stores, as well as for other items from those retailers to pop up on the special store pages. One of the first partners could be Macy's, which sells just about everything.
These new ads could be showing up in "the coming weeks."

Write on Any Surface with This Smart Pen

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea but no paper in sight? Phree, a fully backed Kickstarter campaign from OTM Technologies , is a pen without ink that can write on any surface (like your pillow), allowing you to take notes on the fly, add comments to digital documents, and even send text messages in your own handwriting. Bluetooth technology connects Phree to your phone, television, computer, or tablet, and works with a number of programs and apps including Microsoft Office, Adobe Illustrator, Evernote, Google handwriting keyboard, and Acrobat. 

Phree relies on the patented Optical Translation Measurement (OTM) technology to precisely track your hand motions while you write and between strokes. The tip of the “pen” holds an optical sensor for “real-time on-screen digital ink rendering,” ensuring that the writing appears almost immediately. And when you’re looking at a screen, a cursor appears so you know where you’re writing.
Phree also works as a Bluetooth enabled headset and computer mouse, and has a small touch screen display window to show notifications and for switching functions. You can even connect multiple Phrees to the same device through the operating system, letting an entire team collaborate on a single surface.
It should be noted that Phree doesn't double as a stylus, and while lefties can use it, they will not be able to see the screen while writing.
Right now, pledges above $148 get you a Phree, and those above $169 include a specially designed case that transforms into a smartphone stand.

Drone Smaller Than A Hand To Be Put To Use By Military

A drone that is smaller than a human hand is being developed by the military to eavesdrop on enemy troops and locate submarines beneath the water. A version of that same drone will also be available for purchase commercially.
The GPS-guided drone, dubbed the Cicada, or Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft is just that. It’s designed to be dropped from a plane or a larger, unmanned drone. The Cicada drone then flies down to its target where it essentially crash lands and listens to the enemy. This new mini-drone doesn’t sound terribly sophisticated, but it actually will provide a leap forward in intelligence gathering.
Aaron Kahn, a flight controls engineer from the Naval Research Laboratory, talked about the idea behind the mini drone.

“The idea was why can’t we make UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that have the same sort of profile. We will put so many out there, it will be impossible for the enemy to pick them all up.”

Currently, the drone costs about $1,000 to produce, but estimates say that the price could soon fall to less than $250. When the United States military spends billions of dollars yearly on national defense, it’s a sure bet that the Pentagon won’t bat an eyelash at spending a few million for several hundred-thousand mini Cicada drones.
When dropped from high in the sky, the Cicada drone glides down to Earth in a pattern that looks very much like a bird. When several are dropped at once, the group looks like a flock of birds heading towards the ground and are practically impossible to pick up via radar or even at long distances with the naked eye.
Tests were done on Cicada drone prototypes in Arizona in 2011. Flying, or rather gliding, the drones sail down through the air towards the earth at about 47 miles per hour. The drones were dropped from over 57,000 feet, and they managed to land within 9 feet of their intended target.
According to Daniel Edwards, an aerospace engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory, the drones are extremely durable.

“They are robotic carrier pigeons. You tell them where to go, and they will go there. They’ve flown through trees. They’ve hit asphalt runways. They have tumbled in gravel. They’ve had sand in them. They only thing that we found that killed them was desert shrubbery.”

As to how the Cicada drones would be used, Edwards elaborated.

“You equip these with a microphone or a seismic detector, drop them on that road, and it will tell you ‘I heard a truck or a car travel along that road. You know how fast and which direction they’re traveling.”

Apple Confirms Acquisition of GPS Company Coherent Navigation

Apple has confirmed that it has acquired Coherent Navigation. Among the company's focuses include an enhanced version of GPS, which uses both normal, high-altitude GPS satellites and lower-altitude voice and data satellites (from Iridium) to increase the accuracy of a GPS reading from the ground.
Just how accurate? According to Macrumors, which was the first to report the acquisition, Coherent Navigation can allegedly pinpoint a GPS tracker down to a few centimeters. It's unclear just what, if anything, Coherent Navigation's technology might bolster over at Apple, as it's also possible that the acquisition was for the talent of the team behind the "iGPS" tech. CEO Paul Lego is now working in some capacity on Apple Maps, whereas Coherent Navigation's co-founders are working in location-themed engineering roles, reports Macrumors.
And if you were expecting Apple to clarify its intent behind the acquisition, you just don't know Apple that well.

"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesperson said.
We also don't know how much Apple spent to acquire the company, nor even the exact timeline for the acquisition. According to Linkedin, Lego started working for Apple in January, whereas the company's co-founders seemingly jumped on board in April. It's certainly possible that they actually started at Apple earlier, and just didn't update their Linkedin profiles until they absolutely could do so. As Macrumors notes, the nameservers for Coherent Navigation's were officially updated to point to Apple servers at the end of April, adding a bit more evidence to the possible April timeline for an acquisition.
Of course, said acquisition has once again ignited talks about Apple's alleged electric car research—especially since said electric vehicle, which is rumored to have a 2020 release date, is supposed to have a certain amount of self-driving capabilities. Having a super-accurate GPS setup could certainly assist in that endeavor. Of course, having a super-accurate GPS setup could also assist normal smartphone users in getting around the world.

Prosthetic electrodes will return amputees' sense of touch

For all the functionality and freedom that modern prosthetics provide, they still cannot give their users a sense of what they're touching. That may soon change thanks to an innovative electrode capable of connecting a prosthetic arm's robotic sense of touch to the human nervous system that it's attached to. The device is part of a three year, $1.9 billion DARPA project and is being developed by Daniel Moran and his team at Washington University in St. Louis. The electrode, technically called a macro-sieve peripheral nerve interface, is comprised of a thin contact lens-like material less than 20 percent the diameter of a dime. It reportedly allows its users to feel heat, cold and pressure by stimulating the ulnar and median nerves of the upper arm.

© Washington University However, Moran's team must first determine how much sensory information is actually encoded in natural systems before they can begin incorporating them into people. They'll do so by implanting prototypes into the forearms of "nonhuman primates" and monitoring the stimulation of peripheral nerves using a technique known as current steering. "We want to see what they can perceive," Moran said in a statement. "If we stimulate this sector of the nerve, that tells them to reach to one side in a standard reaching task. We want to figure out how small we can make the stimulation so they can still sense it." With that data in hand, the team expect they'll be able to develop more accurate sensor suites in future prosthetics, like the Luke Hand that DARPA is already building.

iPhone 6S could feature 12 megapixel camera

© Provided by IBT US iphone Camera
For four generations, the iPhone’s processor has gotten more powerful and screens have grown bigger, but camera resolution has remained the same. Apple Inc.’s anticipated "iPhone 6S" may break that streak.
The next Apple smartphone could see a camera boost to 12 megapixels, according to sources speaking to IHS China chief executive Kevin Wong. To achieve that, Apple may use a sensor with smaller pixels. This has certain benefits and drawbacks. While image resolution may be larger with a high-megapixel sensor with small pixels, a sensor with larger pixels usually results in low-light images with less "noise," according to GforGames. That’s only part of the equation.
Apple also has a number of camera-related patents, including one that packs a compact high-resolution sensor and lens design into a thin smartphone body. But as with many of Apple’s patent filings, it’s unknown if or when it plans to use them in future devices. In April, it also acquired Israeli camera technology company LinX, which could help accelerate its camera research.
Wong’s post on Chinese social media site Weibo comes after a top tech securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, also suggested an upgraded camera in a research note on Tuesday.
Aside from an improved camera, the iPhone 6S is expected to come with a number of new features, including an A9 chip with 2GB memory and Force Touch screen, such as that found on the Apple Watch. The technology allows a touch screen to detect the difference between a light tap or hard press, enabling new gestures and touch controls.

Quantum Computers Will Make Your Laptop Look Like an Abacus

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The race to make the first quantum computer is becoming as important as the race 75 years ago to get the first nuke. It could change the balance of power in politics and business.
Quantum computers have long been theoretically possible but a kind of futuristic fantasy, like Interstellar-style wormhole travel, or zero-calorie Hershey Bars. I first wrote in the 1990s about the quest for one. Now breakthroughs are coming faster, and scientists say we’re 15 to 20 years away from fully functional, programmable quantum computers.

7 Most Surprising Things About Owning an Apple Watch

I've had an Apple Watch for a little over a week now. The most common question people ask you when you've got Apple's wearable computer on your wrist is, "Has it changed your life?" Which is an odd question to ask about a gadget that starts at $349 and is, in large part, an accessory to your phone.
But the question points to the peculiar state Apple and its customers find themselves in at the moment. Anticipation and chatter about the Watch is high, but few people have actually seen one in the wild. The Watch's rollout is unique compared to previous Apple products in that customers can, for the most part, only order it online and that initial supply appears to be extremely limited.
So has the Apple Watch changed my life? No. But it is an incredibly well-designed, compelling product. (I'm wearing a 38-millimeter stainless-steel model, which retails for $949 with a matching link bracelet.) A full review is coming—once the blush of newness has worn off—but in the meantime, here are the most surprising things about using an Apple

Spectacular photos from space

    It is one of the more massive galaxies known. A mere 46 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC 2841 can be found in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. This sharp view of the gorgeous island universe shows off a striking yellow nucleus and galactic disk. Dust lanes, small, pink star-forming regions, and young blue star clusters are embedded in the patchy, tightly wound spiral arms. In contrast, many other spirals exhibit grand, sweeping arms with large star-forming regions. NGC 2841 has a diameter of over 150,000 light-years, even larger than our own Milky Way and captured by this composite image merging exposures from the orbiting 2.4-meter Hubble Space Telescope and the ground-based 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope. X-ray images suggest that resulting winds and stellar explosions create plumes of hot gas extending into a halo around NGC 2841.
    In June 2000, swarms of earthquakes and a massive volcanic eruption rocked Miyakejima, a small Japanese island about 110 mile) south of Tokyo. At the height of Oyama’s activity, lava fountains gushed from the summit, hot gas and rock rushed down its slopes, layers of ash blanketed the surrounding landscape, and toxic gases leaked from the ground. By September 2000, Japanese authorities had ordered a mandatory evacuation of all Miyakejima’s residents. Most of the 3,600 people living on the island relocated to Tokyo. But by 2005, with the intensity of Oyama’s volcanic activity diminishing, authorities began to relax the evacuation order. Thousands of people have returned. By 2015, the island had a population of 2,775 residents. In many respects, life has returned to normal. Fishing, farming, and tourism are Miyakejima’s primary industries. Six elementary and junior high schools operate in its towns and villages. But normal is a relative term. Since Oyama still periodically emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide, residents and tourists are supposed to carry a gas mask with them at all times. One third of the island remains off limits. A system of alarm sirens is ready to sound off should sulfur dioxide levels get too high. The Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 captured this image of Miyakejima on February 11, 2015. While forests have recovered somewhat, broad barren patches of ash remain around Oyama’s caldera. The island’s towns and villages are arranged in a ring along a highway that traces Mikayejima’s coast. Several ports and an airport are visible, facilities that would be crucial if Oyama were to awaken and force another evacuation.
    This image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the Orion Nebula and the process of star formation, from the massive, young stars that are shaping the nebula to the pillars of dense gas that may be the homes of budding stars.

Facebook to start hosting other sites' content this May

Facebook might start natively hosting full Buzzfeed, National Geographic and The New York Times articles and videos as soon as this month, according to The Wall Street Journal. This new feature is called "Instant Articles," and the social network has been working on it since March, at the very least. Facebook is reportedly offering news organizations special ad models that maximize their earning potential to entice them to sign up. One of the models it's proposing will even allow publishers to keep 100 percent of what they earn from ads they themselves sell, as well as 70 percent of the revenues from ads Facebook sells for them.
The report says Facebook doesn't mind earning almost nothing from the arrangement, because this project was never meant to earn the company money -- it's more of a tactic to get people to stay on the website for longer hours. The social network is hoping users would prefer reading posts and watching videos on their news feeds over loading website links, which apparently takes around eight seconds every time.

Nintendo apologizes for amiibo frustrations, promises to do better, reissue toys Polygon

Last month a crush of online Nintendo fans looking to snag new amiibo figures apparently brought down GameStop's website, leaving fans frustrated with the process and seemingly limited supply of the toys.
As rumors of a silver Mario amiibo hitting this month continue to mount, Nintendo today released a statement apologizing for frustrating fans and promising to do better.
Specifically, the company says it plans to reissue some of the out-of-stock toys in the future.
"We appreciate the enthusiasm that our fans continue to show toward amiibo. Sales for the product have exceeded our expectations. We understand how frustrating it can be at times if consumers are unable to find certain figures, and we apologize for that," according to the statement sent to Polygon. "W e're trying to meet the demands of our fans and consumers by increasing the amount of amiibo we manufacture and ship to retail. We may continue to see consumer demand outpace supply levels for certain characters at times, but we will do our best to prevent that from happening.
© Provided by Polygon silver mario amiibo (lightly watermarked) "As our library of amiibo continues to grow, some figures will be easier to find than others. We are constantly looking for the opportunity to reissue amiibo and are already making plans to bring back some currently out-of-stock amiibo figures. Stay tuned for details."
In January, Nintendo officials said they were planning on releasing  more of the Marth Fire Emblem figures in the U.S. sometime this year.
This statement seems to extend that sentiment to other hard-to-find toys. We've followed up with Nintendo for more clarification and will update this story when they respond.
The company also writes that it plans to make it easier for consumers to know when new amiibo are on the way through "press announcements, timely updates on our social media channels and working closely with retailers."
"We remain committed to keeping amiibo affordable and easy to access as a platform to enhance game-play experiences," according to the statement. "These plans include Animal Crossingamiibo cards that will become available by the end of 2015, and a free-to-download app for Wii U called amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits that launched on April 30, 2015, that lets consumers enjoy playable scenes from certain NES and Super NES games with amiibo."

Facebook launches open Internet.org platform amid net neutrality debate in India Reuters

Facebook Inc opened up its Internet.org platform to new websites and applications from developers on Monday, a move the social media giant said would boost efforts to get people online in low-income and rural areas in emerging markets.
However, the decision drew criticism from some online activists in India who expressed concern over Facebook's control over all data accessed on the service and said it violated the principles of an open web.
Internet.org offers free access via mobile phones to pared-down web services, focused on job listings, agricultural information, healthcare and education, as well as Facebook's own social network and messaging services.
It has been launched in nine countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, including India, bringing over 8 million people online, said Chris Daniels, vice president of product for Internet.org, who was in New Delhi to speak with partners and operators.
The platform will be open to all developers who meet certain guidelines, including that they produce content that can be browsed on both basic mobile phones as well as smartphones and is accessible in limited bandwidth situations, Facebook said.
The U.S. company partnered with Reliance Communications (RLCM.NS) to launch Internet.org in India in February.
But a number of e-commerce firms and content developers pulled out of the service after activists claimed it violated principles of net neutrality - the concept that all websites on the internet are treated equally.
Nikhil Pahwa, volunteer with pro-net neutrality campaign group savetheinternet.in, said the service would cause a permanent shift in the way the internet works.
"Did we give unlimited free calls to people so that more people start making calls? So why this almost patronizing approach to the Internet. You're effectively disadvantaging other companies and broader usage of the web," said Pahwa, who is also the founder of Medianama.com, a New Delhi-based digital media publication.
But Daniels said Internet.org was open to mobile operators and involved no payments, either to or from the developers.
"The principles of neutrality must co-exist with programs that also encourage bringing people online," he told Reuters.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a video post: "Access equals opportunity. Net neutrality should not prevent access. We need both, it's not an equal Internet if the majority of people can't participate."

Microsoft is working on two high-end Lumia phones for Windows 10

Microsoft is working on two new high-end Lumia phones for Windows 10. A flagship device, codenamed Cityman, is currently being developed, alongside a high-end handset codenamed Talkman. Unleash the phones first reported details on Cityman and Talkman, and The Verge can confirm the codenames are accurate. We understand Microsoft is taking a similar approach to Apple with two devices that have bigger displays, but similar specifications.
Cityman is the true flagship Windows 10 phone
Cityman is designed to be the true flagship phone for Windows 10, and it will reportedly include a 5.7-inch QHD display, Qualcomm octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 20-megapixel camera at the rear. Microsoft is planning to use a removable rear cover for access to the battery and microSD slots, despite the presence of 32GB of internal storage. Cityman will support the new Continuum for phones feature to transform a phone into a PC, and Microsoft is planning to bundle some additional hardware with the phone to enable this.
Microsoft’s second Talkman Lumia will be slightly smaller than Cityman. It will reportedly feature a 5.2-inch QHD display, a Qualcomm hexa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 20-megapixel camera. While most of the specifications are the same as Cityman, the processor appears to be the big change. Both handsets are also expected to include a triple-LED flash to support different tones for photos, alongside a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Microsoft revealed last week that Windows 10 will ship for PCs in the summer, but that the phone version of the operating system will come later. Both of Microsoft’s new Lumia devices are expected to ship with Windows 10 later this year.

Samsung and Samsonite are working on smart luggage

There have been more than a few efforts at smart luggage, but this is one you're likely going to notice. Samsung and Samsonite (appropriately enough) are teaming up to develop smart bags that will likely be easier to buy and more accessible. They should include include loads of location and mobile notification features, such as GPS tracking, anti-tampering alerts and warnings when you wander away.

However, that's just the start. Samsonite is working with airlines on baggage that checks itself in -- drop them off and they'd tell the airport about your airline, the weight and your destination. Also, Samsung is experimenting with self-propelled luggage that follows you around the airport.

That last technology is still too cumbersome to be practical (the engine takes up a third of the size), but the days of having to lug (and worry about) your belongings across the airport may soon be over.