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FTC shuts down four major robocall operations

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The four organizations involved in the FTC crackdown include:

  • NetDotSolutions, a massive robocalling operation that pitched unsuspecting consumers everything from auto warranties to home security systems and supposed debt-relief services. The company was accused of leaving unlawful prerecorded messages, calling numbers on the Do Not Call registry and using spoofed caller ID to trick consumers into picking up. The company faces a $1.35 million fine.
  • Higher Goals Marketing, a company that used robocalls to promise consumers it could lower their credit card interest rates. The operators of Higher Goals Marketing were previously part of another robocall operation, Life Management Services, that was shut down by court order. The organization received a $3.15 million fine as part of the recent settlement.
  • Veterans of America, perhaps the scummiest of the operations involved in the FTC’s sting. The company was part of an alleged charity scam run by Travis Deloy Peterson that convinced people to donate cars, boats, and other things of value. Peterson is accused of selling those items and keeping the profit. He now faces a fine of just under $550,000.
  • Pointbreak Media, a company that is accused of falsely claiming to represent Google in an attempt to get small businesses to purchase services that would improve their page rank and position in search results. The company had no real affiliation with Google. The company was hit with a $3.62 million fine.

While the FTC’s attempts to stamp out individual robocall operations are valiant, it’s unlikely they’ll make a real impact on the number of robocalls that people receive. According to YouMail’s Robocall Index, there were more than 4.9 billion automatic calls placed during February. That figure has been rising most months since a US court axed a Federal Communications Commission rule designed to curb robocalls. Legislators are working on new laws that may help slow the rate of the calls and carriers are finally giving consumers tools to help squash the unwanted messages, but for now the calls persist.

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Watch Samsung bend the Galaxy Fold hundreds of times

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Samsung claims its $2,000 device can withstand at least 200,000 folds and unfolds, which, if you fold it 100 times a day, works out to be about 5 years of use. But the problem doesn’t seem to be simply whether the Samsung Galaxy Fold can fold properly, but whether users can get around two glaring problems with its aesthetics: the fold gap when the device is folded and a display seam when the device is unfolded.

When folded, the two phone parts of the Galaxy Fold sit at roughly an 85-degree angle. This means the display won’t be entirely flat when your folded Galaxy Fold is resting on a desk or another flat surface. Early viewers of the Galaxy Fold have also spied a display crease that appears when the device is unfolded. (You can get a glimpse of the crease in the image below.)

Galaxy Fold

It’s unclear whether such flaws in the device’s display will impact sales, at least at first. Owners may decide the novelty of owning a tablet that doubles as a smartphone outweighs the Samsung Galaxy Fold’s less than immaculate design. The Galaxy Fold will be available for sale in the US on April 26, and pricing starts at $1,980.

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Turing Award winners include AI giants from Facebook and Google

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Hinton, for instance, proved that a then-rare backpropagation algorithm could help neural networks solve problems that were previously unfeasible. LeCun was instrumental to developing technologies behind modern computer vision, while Bengio helped foster generative adversarial networks (that is, pitting a creative network against another that serves as a kind of quality control) that can create original images.

The trio will formally receive the award at an event on June 15th. While all three are well-known in their field, the recognition says a lot about both their work and the evolving nature of the industry itself. Where earlier prizes typically went to pioneers in general computing, it’s now AI taking center stage — the technology has become a cornerstone of search engines and social networks, and it’s only likely to become more important as autonomous vehicles and robots come into play.

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‘Dance Central’ arrives on Oculus this spring

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The new Dance Central will have 32 songs, which is an upgrade from its Xbox One days when it launched with just 10 tracks. And this time around, it’s an online multiplayer game, so you’ll be able to meet up and dance with friends in a VR lounge.

You have a few chances to see Dance Central in action before its spring launch. Harmonix will stream Dance Central tonight at 5pm ET on Facebook, Twitch and Mixer. You can also take the game for a test drive at the Oculus booths at PAX East. In the meantime, the company shared a YouTube clip that gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

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FarmWise and Roush are making autonomous vegetable weeders

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The weeding robots could prove to be a major help for Michigan farmers. The autonomous vehicles will be designed to perform high-precision weeding and thinning and will be able to operate around the clock, saving farmers from having to perform the time-sucking tasks. The bots will also be built to seamlessly adapt to different crops as they move through the farm.

While the partnership between FarmWise Labs and Roush may end up creating an important new tool for farmers, automation on the farm isn’t a new idea. Many farms utilize robots to perform tasks like seeding, fertilization and chemical application. In 2017, researchers in England even managed to sow and harvest a field of barley using nothing but robots. Farms across the US and in other countries have come up short on production when there aren’t enough laborers on hand to perform the necessary tasks. Autonomous bots might be able to once again bridge the gap between the supply and demand.

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Electric seaplanes could soon ferry passengers in the Pacific Northwest

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Harbour Airlines, the largest seaplane airline in North America, will first convert its six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver. It plans to test the aircraft later this year, and if all goes well, the company will convert its entire fleet. It will target flights under 1,000 miles, like it makes between its Seattle and Vancouver, Canada, hubs. According to magniX, such “middle mile” trips made up 75 percent of worldwide airline flights in 2018.

Harbour Airlines certainly isn’t the only company looking to go electric. The aviation industry currently contributes 4.9 percent of global carbon emissions, and in the US, air traffic is responsible for 12 percent of carbon emissions. Earlier this year, Boeing completed the first test-flight of its autonomous electric aircraft. Uber hopes to get a hybrid-electric flying taxi off the ground around 2023, and NASA has an electric aircraft “testbed” in Ohio. We’ll see who flies past the finish line first.



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Infinity is the latest attempt at a movie ticket subscription

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If Infinity’s premise sounds as formulaic as a summer blockbuster, that’s because it is. Paying a monthly fee for an unlimited or capped number of movie tickets isn’t exactly a novel concept in 2019. Frequent moviegoers can choose between MoviePass, Sinemia, AMC Stubs A-List and Cinemark Movie Club. But business isn’t exactly booming among Infinity’s competitors, and it’s unclear how the new service plans to define itself.

MoviePass encountered numerous bumps on the road after launching its too-good-to-be-true $10 per month deal in 2017. Showtimes were quickly scooped up, and customers complained about not having access to popular movies at all. Following several changes to their price model that didn’t work, MoviePass reverted to its $9.95 a month plan earlier this month. Sinemia was down for three days this past week, shutting its members out of Us and Captain Marvel. Last year Sinemia faced a lawsuit over processing fees that forced the service to switch to a physical membership card.

Infinity hasn’t yet announced which partner movie theatres have signed up for the service. The service is expected to be formally revealed at CinemaCon in April. But the official launch isn’t for another several months; Infinity anticipates rolling out to U.S. moviegoers on Labor Day. Given how volatile the theatre subscription market is, it’s entirely possible that Infinity will run into problems of its own either prior to or after its release.

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Microsoft mercifully puts an end to April Fools’ Day gags

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There’s certainly evidence to back up those claims. Google had to apologize after its Mic Drop gag created very real havoc in Gmail, for example. And strictly speaking, it’s difficult for these stunts to elicit much more than a chuckle. Companies can’t afford to create genuine confusion for customers, so they frequently play it safe lest a gag blow up in their faces.

Microsoft wouldn’t be the only tech firm refusing to participate in April Fools. Apple was born on April 1st and it doesn’t do anything. However, it might start a trend that sees more companies backing away from the tradition in favor of business as usual.

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Tesla says its Osaka station Powerpack is Asia’s largest energy storage system

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Tesla says the 7MWh project makes it the biggest energy storage development in Asia, and like its giant Australian Powerpack system, it was completed with eye-watering speed — the hardware was apparently installed in just two days.

Osaka’s trains are some of the busiest in Japan, transporting millions of people every day, so Tesla’s Powerpack will undoubtedly prove a blessing during power interruptions. While the company’s energy division tends to take a backseat to its EV work, its 2018 figures show it’s playing an increasingly prominent role not only within the Tesla empire, but across the energy storage landscape in general. Last year the company deployed 1.04Gwh of energy storage, nearly triple the 358MWh rolled out in 2017.



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GameStop gets into esports with ‘Performance Center’ in Texas

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The GameStop Performance Center will share a location with the Dallas Cowboys (Complexity Gaming is owned in part by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones) and will host a wealth of gaming equipment for the esports organization. It will also play home to a public gaming area where fans and sponsors can come in, play their favorite competitive titles and connect over games and esports. GameStop is planning to host gaming clinics that will teach players how to improve their performance in popular games like Fortnite, Overwatch and Call of Duty. Fans will also be encouraged to partake in amateur tournaments that will be held at the venue over the course of the year.

In addition to building a physical gaming arena, GameStop is also getting involved in other efforts to connect with esports aficionados. The company is partnering with the Collegiate Star League to host online and on-campus esports tournaments and is planning to host Overwatch watch parties in a number of major markets across the United States. Those events will feature exclusive content, merchandise and other promotions — though they’ll have competition in Philadelphia, where the $50 million Fusion Arena is being built specifically to host Overwatch League matches.

The move into esports appears to be the first of GameStop’s attempt to pivot away from being just a brick and mortar store for games. Earlier this month, the struggling company announced the hiring of a new CEO, George Sherman, to oversee a shift that envisions GameStop as the creator of “cultural experiences” specifically for gamers.

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