All posts by Geroge Jones

Google’s Self-Driving Cars (Steering Wheel)

The future of driving looks like a Disneyland ride, but less fun.

Google’s 10 Big Bets On The Future(Click image for larger view and slideshow.)Google hopes to get its self-driving cars ready for public deployment by 2018. And though reality and politics might push the date back, the company is pressing ahead with a new round of prototypes. Google calls its latest experimental vehicles “self-driving cars” but they don’t look much like cars on the inside because they’re missing many of the controls we expect in a car.

Chris Urmson, director of Google’s self-driving car project, in a blog post says the company is developing prototypes for fully automated vehicles. Unlike the Toyota Prius fleet that Google has been using to test its self-driving car systems, these new prototypes have been designed without steering wheels, accelerator pedals, or brake pedals because those controls won’t be necessary.

Sponsor video, mouseover for sound “Our software and sensors do all the work,” explains Urmson. “The vehicles will be very basic — we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible — but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button. And that’s an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people. “

[It’s come to this: Read Smartphoning While Walking: App Says Look Up!]

These prototypes will be no-frills cabins on wheels. Their speed will be capped at 25 mph and their interiors will be spartan. You’ll get two seats, luggage space, start and stop buttons, and a screen to display the route. Whether passengers will have much choice in selecting the route remains to be seen. Although Google suggests its cars can make roads safer, the company has enough doubts about the perfection of its systems that each seat will come with a seat belt, just in case.

According to Urmson, Google is building about 100 prototypes of this sort and plans to conduct tests in versions that retain the manual controls later this summer. Google hopes to take its testing to the next level with a small pilot program in California in a few years. The company recently discussed the progress it has been making with its sensor system.

Google sees its cars as liberating, allowing people to travel downtown for lunch without planning an extra 20 minutes to find parking, to assist seniors and others unable to drive on their own, and to free us from the risk of driving while drunk or distracted. If only our self-regulating selves worked better.

But many drivers will prefer to liberate themselves. For all that Google’s cars have to offer, they will also take something away, the opportunity to participate in one’s own journey. There’s something to be said for travel optimized by math and technology. But far more has been said, at least in American books and films, about the joy of the open road and the freedom to make choices, good or ill.

Being a passenger is fine. With your attention freed from driving, perhaps you’d like to listen to a few ads? But sooner or later, you’ll want to take the steering wheel and set your own course, if you can.

What do Uber, Bank of America, and Walgreens have to do with your mobile app strategy? Find out in the new Maximizing Mobilityissue of InformationWeek Tech Digest.

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, InformationWeek, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful … View Full Bio Building A Mobile Business Mindset Among 688 respondents, 46% have deployed mobile apps, with an additional 24% planning to in the next year. Soon all apps will look like mobile apps –and it’s past time for those with no plans to get cracking.

Here’s what Windows 9 could look like, in pictures

With a new release cycle of roughly each year, Microsoft is slated to supply its next-generation version of its desktop operating system, likely named Windows 9, by fall 2014.
Recent reports suggest the software giant will slim down its line-up down from three versions — Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Phone — to two or fewer.
But one thing for sure is that Microsoft will keep dishing out its desktop operating system as it has for the past two decades. Windows 9 will likely run on desktops, notebooks, tablets, and perhaps even phones.
With little to go on and plenty of speculation and rumor, designers have mocked up a number of concepts — fitting with previous releases — to detail what they expect the upcoming software to look like.
Here are just a few examples of some of the most visually stunning and detailed designs we’ve found.
Credit: Jerry Jappinen/EiskisView larger (pop-up)
Credit: Jerry Jappinen/EiskisView larger (pop-up)
Credit: Jerry Jappinen/EiskisView larger (pop-up)
Credit: Jerry Jappinen/EiskisView larger (pop-up)
Credit: Jerry Jappinen/EiskisView larger (pop-up)
Credit: Jerry Jappinen/EiskisView larger (pop-up)

Google gets into the robot game, with former Android chief Rubin

What’s the hidden link between SCHAFT, a Japanese maker of muscular robots, Holomni, a Mountain View, Calif.-based smart wheel designer, and Bot & Dolly, a San Francisco firm that made next-gen studio gear for the film Gravity? All have been secretly acquired inside latest months by Google because the net giant brings together its plans for a robotic future.

Perhaps as a response to Amazon’s frankly ridiculous flying-drone delivery “plans” (a terrific PR boost ahead of Cyber Monday), Google has decided to take the wraps off its corresponding – and infinitely more workable – vision. In an interview with the New York Times, Andy Rubin recommended Google’s newest “moonshot” involves robots for the production plus logistics markets.
Andy Rubin was the man behind Android until March of this year, when he unexpectedly stepped down to take on a mysterious new role within the company. Now we know what that role entails.
Rubin wasn’t terribly specific in his NYT interview – indeed, it appears Google hasn’t even figured out yet whether to continue the effort in-house or angle off a subsidiary. Work takes destination inside Palo Alto plus Japan, plus Rubin is hiring roboticists plus diverting many Googlers off their existing jobs.
The article suggested Google’s robots could assemble electronics and also take on home delivery, perhaps in conjunction with Google’s existing driverless car project. There are doubtless further applications on the boil, too, and the best shot we outsiders have of piecing together that future is look at the firms Google has bought for its robot play:
  • SCHAFT was developing humanoid robots (pictured above) that can carry heavy weights.
  • Holomni made powered casters for vehicles that can roll in any direction.
  • Bot & Dolly‘s IRIS robot platform controls movie cameras with high precision and also automates much of the set.
  • Autofuss was Bot & Dolly’s sister company (so probably came as part of that package). It focused on “design based media and visuals” that involve “machining, engineering, camera, saws and software”. The firm made a launch commercial for Google’s Nexus 5 smartphone.
  • Meka made humanoid robots for researchers.
  • Redwood Robotics was working on robotic arms for the manufacturing and distribution sectors.
  • Industrial Perception worked on robotic vision and artificial intelligence, again for the logistics sector.
Google’s desire to get into manufacturing comes as a surprise. Logistics is less of a shock. Whereas Amazon’s putative drones are an impractical idea — they won’t be able to carry much weight, and the economics of sending them out on a per-parcel basis don’t even begin to add up — it does make sense to imagine an autonomous vehicle driving down the street, with humanoid robots trundling out to make deliveries along the way.
It’s a scary vision on many levels (from Terminator-phobia to concern for yet more thousands of individuals being put from work) yet it really is at smallest workable.
Here’s a video of Google human-robot interaction (HRI) researcher Leila Takayama, formerly of Willow Garage, speaking at our recent Roadmap 2013 conference:

 

Microsoft working on redesigns for Xbox, Yammer, Skype and Bing

From Evernote:

Microsoft working on redesigns for Xbox, Yammer, Skype and Bing

Clipped from: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/28/microsoft-working-on-brand-redesigns-for-xbox-yammer-skype/

Microsoft working on redesigns for Xbox, Yammer, Skype and Bing

by Sean Buckley, engadget.com
April 28th 2013 3:14 PM

Considering Microsoft’s efforts to rebrand, redesign and rebuild its Windows platform, it’s no surprise to hear the company is tweaking the visual aesthetics of its other brands, too. Speaking at Design Day 2013, Wolff Olins creative director Todd Simmons and Windows Phone design studio manager Albert Shum talked about the challenges of rebranding a company like Microsoft. “We’re still trying to figure out how to put a consumer face on this brand, as an ecosystem,” Simmons said, explaining how the team wanted to get away from the idea of Microsoft being a top-down, monolithic entity. The discussion touched on the creation of the Windows 8 logo, but also shed light on efforts to revamp other Microsoft brands. “Other brands are coming along too,” Simmons explained, teasing the audience with a pair of sketches. “Bing, Skype, Yammer, Xbox — everything is under development.” With Microsoft’s next generation gaming hardware lurking just around the corner, the time for a new logo might just be nigh. Read on to see the pair’s full 45-minute presentation for yourself. Sadly, the presentation was deleted from Vimeo a few hours after we wrote this article. Check out the source links for a brief summery of the presentation.

Don’t miss the recap of our first ever consumer electronics expo, Expand!

Original Page: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/28/microsoft-working-on-brand-redesigns-for-xbox-yammer-skype/

Shared from Pocket

jailbreak iOS 6.x untethered iPhone, iPad, iPad mini

jailbreak iOS 6.x untethered iPhone and iPad

Now, after waiting months since the last Untethered Jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1, yesterday Evad3rs team released evasiOn tool which made untethered jailbreak available for iOS 6 & later.

Jailbreak Arena will give you today a full guide for how to jailbreak your device by evasiOn without any problems.

Supported Devices:

iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S & iPhone 5

iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4 & iPad mini

iPod Touch 4G & iPod Touch 5G

Supported iOS:

iOS 6, iOS 6.0.1, iOS 6.0.2 & iOS 6.1

Requirements:

  1. Download EvasiOn tool for Windows, Mac or Linux.
  2. 5 minutes of your time to make the jailbreak.
  3. PC running Windows XP or later, Mac OS 10.5 or later, Linux.
  4. iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch running iOS 6, iOS 6.0.1, iOS 6.0.2 or iOS 6.1 you can know that from Settings>General>about. You will see beside version the version number of your iOS.
  5. USB cable to connect your device to computer.

Important Advices:

  1. Make Backup for your device by iCloud or iTunes before using evasiOn tool to avoid data loss.
  2. Preferred to save SHSH file by Tinyumbrella. You can download it for Windows from here or for Mac from here.
  3. Disable the lock passcode before using evasiOn tool.
  4. Be patient when you jailbreak your device.
  5. Don’t run iTunes or Xcode during the jailbreak and be sure to close iTunes or Xcode before using evasiOn tool.
  6. Don’t touch your computer during the jailbreak to get the best results.
  7. If you face any error during the jailbreak by evasiOn tool, please restart evasiOn tool or your iDevice (if necessary, you can press and hold home button and power button until turn off your device then turn on again).

How to jailbreak iOS 6.1:

Step 1: Download evasiOn tool for Windows, Mac or Linux.

Step 2: Extract the file and run evasiOn tool.

Step 3: After running evasiOn tool, connect your iPhone , iPad or iPod Touch to computer by USB cable.

Step 4: The evasiOn tool will detect your device and define your iOS, after that click the word “Jailbreak” and don’t touch your computer until finish the process.

Step 5: Your device will restart many times and the evasiOn tool will ask you to unlock your device

Step 6: After you unlock your device you will see an icon called “Jailbreak”, click it on time and you will see a black screen then the home screen return and the process will continue on your computer

Step 7: In the end the message of “Done” will appear on your computer. After that your device will be restart, be patient in this step. Some backgrounds will appear on your device and one of these backgrounds may be delayed a little bit until disappear, after that you can say your device became jailbroken.

Step 8: Congratulations your device became jailbroken and you can see Cydia installed and enjoy it.

The final step: Don’t forget to share this article with your friends and you can see the following video below:

See Video:

Don’t forget to subscribe in our page on Facebook and Twitter to be informed with the latest news of jailbreak.

Original Page: http://jailbreakarena.net/how-to-jailbreak-ios-6-x-untethered-iphone-ipad-ipad-mini-ipod-touch/

Of Course Nokia Is Building a Tablet

From Evernote:

Of Course Nokia Is Building a Tablet

Clipped from: http://allthingsd.com/20130204/of-course-nokia-is-building-a-tablet/

Of Course Nokia Is Building a Tablet

If there was clearly any question which Nokia has a Windows 8 pill inside development, when not inside the pipeline absolutely, it dissolved now with certain forthright remarks from CEO Stephen Elop.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Elop conceded that Nokia is interested in the tablet space, but stopped short of offering any hard details on where that interest might lead.

“We haven’t announced tablets at this point, but it is something we are clearly looking at very closely,” Elop said. “We are studying very closely the market right now as Microsoft has introduced the Surface tablet, so we are trying to learn from that and understand what the right way to participate would be and at what point in time.”

Presumably, the “right way to participate” would involve extending Nokia’s smartphone partnership with Microsoft to tablets. And Elop noted that this would likely be the case, though again he stopped short of committing to anything.

“It is important to note that the opportunity for companionship is something that any user is looking for,” Elop said. “So, when you think about the Lumia 920, running on Windows phone, having a Windows tablet or PC or Xbox is something that will give us the opportunity to have a pretty integrated experience. Our first focus on what we look at is clearly in the Microsoft side. But we have made no decision.”

So Nokia will keep its options open for the time being. But as Elop has said in the past, the company’s immediate focus will continue to be devices running Microsoft’s mobile operating systems.

Original Page: http://allthingsd.com/20130204/of-course-nokia-is-building-a-tablet/