Blog

Your emoji selection will become more gender-inclusive this year

[ad_1]

The transgender flag and symbol are also coming to devices as part of the new batch. Google and Microsoft backed the proposal to add the trans flag and symbol last year, and in it the tech giants wrote: “[We] believe that adding an emoji illustrative to our life experiences isn’t just about creating technology that should be accessible to everyone — it’s about fostering culture that is inclusive of users around world.”

Other notable additions are the ninja emoji, the realistic looking heart and lung emoji and the bubble tea emoji. It’s still unclear when the new batch is making its way to users. Just take note that they may look different from the samples seen here, depending on your device and the platform or website you’re using.

[ad_2]

Source link

The Nintendo Switch has passed the SNES in lifetime sales

[ad_1]

Nintendo sold 10.81 million Switch consoles last quarter, bringing lifetime sales to 52.48 million. That’s a 15 percent increase on the 9.41 million units it sold in the same quarter 12 months prior, and the best three-month period since the console launched in 2017. With over 50 million lifetime sales, the Switch has now surpassed the iconic Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The console’s next target is the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which managed 61.91 million sales back in the 1980s. With one quarter to go, Nintendo is also 250,000 units away from hitting its financial year target of 18 million Switch sales.

Hardware sales were undoubtedly buoyed by the Switch Lite, Nintendo’s cheaper and handheld-only system. The Nintendo 3DS family, though, is effectively retired — it managed just 260,000 sales during the quarter.

New releases such as Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 probably helped, too. Nintendo highlighted Pokémon Sword and Shield in particular, which have already sold 16.06 million units since their release last November. They’re now the fifth best-selling Switch release of all time, behind The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. These titles, alongside smaller games such as Little Town Hero, pushed software sales to 64.64 million during the holidays.

With the holidays far behind us, Nintendo’s momentum will slow down again. The Switch faithful have plenty of new releases to be excited about this quarter, though. The company has just published Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, an updated version of the Japanese role-playing game that originally came out on Wii U. The company is also prepping Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, a remake of two games, Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, that were released for the Nintendo DS and Game Body Advance respectively in 2005. Finally, Nintendo has the highly anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons dropping on March 20.

[ad_2]

Source link

Facebook settles lawsuit over its use facial recognition for $550 million

[ad_1]

After years of wrangling in courts, Facebook has settled a lawsuit over its use of facial recognition. Last year it agreed to stop turning on the tech to scan photos by default, which built a template of your facial data, and automatically suggested tags in photos based on it. During an earnings call on Wednesday afternoon to announce that Q4 profits grew to $7.3 billion giving it a profit of over $18 billion for 2019, CFO David Wehner gave a one-line mention to the fact that they have a settlement in principle to pay $550 million to resolve the suit.

Plaintiffs sued based on the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, arguing that its service did not receive “explicit consent” from users before collecting their data. Asked about the settlement, a spokesperson responded “We decided to pursue a settlement as it was in the best interest of our community and our shareholders to move past this matter.” ACLU attorney Nathan Freed Wessler pointed to the result as an example of what other states should do, saying “this case is a great example of how states can take the lead to protect their residents’ privacy rights despite Congress’ failure to do the same.”

According to one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, Jay Edelson, “Biometrics is one of the two primary battlegrounds, along with geolocation, that will define our privacy rights for the next generation. We are proud of the strong team we had in place that had the resolve to fight this critically important case over the last five years. We hope and expect that other companies will follow Facebook’s lead and pay significant attention to the importance of our biometric information.” The settlement will still need to be approved by a judge.

[ad_2]

Source link

Google Earth adds views of outer space on mobile

[ad_1]

You’ll see images of the Milky Way as you rotate the globe, all captured by the European Southern Observatory. Since you’re looking at our planet from the outside, you’ll be able to see the stars as they’d appear to someone that’s 30,000 miles above the planet. And that sounds awesome if you ever wanted to play space explorer as an adult.

Google says adding stars to Earth is part of its efforts to make the program look as realistic as possible, which is why it also previously added animated clouds to show weather patterns around the world. “Realism is important to us,” program software engineer Jonathan Cohen wrote. “[W]e want people using Google Earth to see our planet in context with our place in the universe.”

[ad_2]

Source link

Microsoft backs AI in healthcare with a $40 million program

[ad_1]

The money will go toward a mix of nonprofits, researchers, industry pros and governments, giving partners access to AI and cloud tools, Microsoft data scientists and “select” cash grants. Existing projects aim to improve the understanding of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, boost efforts to fight leprosy, upgrade tools to limit preventable blindness and widen access to cancer information. Microsoft is also growing its cooperation with BRAC, PATH and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to accelerate developments in areas like maternal mortality, tuberculosis and childhood cancer.

As the company pointed out, some of this work could be vital. Healthcare workers are frequently overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients they need to deal with, but AI is seldom there to help out. Just three percent of AI pros work in health organizations, Microsoft said. While $40 million isn’t a massive amount of funding given the scale of healthcare issues around the globe, it could still help doctors treat more patients and upgrade the quality of care.

[ad_2]

Source link

Netflix is turning manga and anime ‘One Piece’ into a live-action series

[ad_1]

In addition, the series is a co-production between Netflix and Tomorrow Studios. If you’ll recall, Tomorrow is also behind the streaming giant’s Cowboy Bebop adaption, which cast John Cho as bounty hunter Spike Spiegel and, more importantly, a real corgi as Ein. Steven Maeda (CSI: Miami, Lost, The X-Files) will serve as the series’ showrunner, while Matt Owens (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Luke Cage, The Defenders) will serve as a writer and executive producer.

One Piece was first published in 1997, and its impressively long-running anime series that’s still ongoing premiered way back in 1999. It revolves around the main protagonist named Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate whose body has the properties of rubber. He’s on a quest to find the legendary treasure “One Piece” to become the Pirate King. It’ll be interesting to see how Luffy’s rubbery and stretchable limbs will look in a live-action show, though we’ll have to wait for more information to find out when the series will start streaming.



[ad_2]

Source link

UN confirms it suffered a ‘serious’ hack, but didn’t inform employees

[ad_1]

Sometime this past July, a group of hackers took advantage of a flaw in Microsoft’s SharePoint software and an unknown type of malware to gain access to dozens of servers at the UN’s Geneva and Vienna offices, as well as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The three offices employ approximately 4,000 staff between them.

“The attack resulted in a compromise of core infrastructure components,” a spokesperson for the UN told The New Humanitarian. “As the exact nature and scope of the incident could not be determined, [the UN] decided not to publicly disclose the breach.”

After reading over the report, Jake Williams, a former hacker for the US government, told the Associated Press, “the intrusion definitely looks like espionage.” The hackers reportedly attempted to cover their tracks by deleting the logs that would have documented their entry into the UN’s servers. “It’s as if someone were walking in the sand, and swept up their tracks with a broom afterward,” an anonymous UN official told the publication. “There’s not even a trace of a clean-up.”

The hackers reportedly downloaded approximately 400GB of data. The servers they breached contained sensitive employee information, but it’s not clear exactly what they were able to download. The UN doesn’t know the full extent of all the damage yet. Sometime after the attack happened, it told employees to change their passwords but didn’t share full details on the situation.

This isn’t the first time the UN has failed to disclose a cyberattack. In 2016, Emissary Panda, a group with ties to the Chinese government, accessed servers from the International Civil Aviation Organization. The UN only shared information about the breach after the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on it. According to The New Humanitarian, the UN’s unique diplomatic status means it doesn’t have to disclose data breaches like other government agencies in the US and EU, something that puts it at odds against cybersecurity best practices.

News of the attack also comes at a time when state-sponsored cyberattacks have seemingly become more brazen. Last week, The Guardian reported that the phone of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was hacked by a WhatsApp account associated with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. A day after the report came out, the UN called for an investigation into the hacking.

[ad_2]

Source link

Nest thermostats will warn of possible problems with your AC or furnace

[ad_1]

People in a handful of cities (Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Las Vegas and San Diego) will also get help contacting professionals through Handy, so you might not have trouble booking a service appointment.

HVAC warnings aren’t completely new. Users have received alerts for more immediate problems. However, Google is now focusing on symptoms that may take a long time for humans to spot. In a sense, it’s offering a peek at a future where your smart home does more to anticipate problems and help fix them before it’s too late.

[ad_2]

Source link

Tesla moves the Model Y release date up to ‘spring 2020’

[ad_1]

The good news continued on Wednesday when the company released its Q4 2019 earnings and 2020 financial forecast. Thanks to a quick turnaround in building its Shanghai Gigafactory, which was completed in just 10 months, Tesla can now focus on ramping up production of its new crossover SUV, the Model Y, at its existing production plant in Fremont, California. The Ys, which were expected to begin shipping in Fall of 2020 are now slated for delivery by the end of Q1 instead. The company also announced that it is boosting the range of its $51,000 Model Y AWD variant from 280 miles to 315. Tesla did not note whether the $47,000 long-range version, the AWD or the $60,000 performance version are being built first.

Tesla plans to have a 500,000-unit production capacity of Model 3s and Model Ys at the Fremont plant by year’s end. That makes sense since the 3 and Y share more than 75 percent of their components.

Additionally, the company announced that its solar power business is booming. Tesla 54 MW of solar capacity in Q4, 26 percent more than in the prior quarter. Over the course of 2019, the company rolled out 1.65 GWh of energy storage, more than the previous four years put together.

[ad_2]

Source link

Interior Department permanently grounds Chinese-made drones

[ad_1]

Interior Secretary David Bernhanrd told the Wall Street Journal he believed the department would be “very able” to complete its objectives “without sacrifice,” although he also hoped domestic drone makers would replace Chinese equipment at some point.

It’s not certain that the fears are justified, however. DJI, which makes many of the Interior Department’s drones, has maintained that the Chinese government has never asked for drone data. Moreover, the company allows operators to limit data access and even worked with the Interior Department to tighten restrictions on data transmissions. Whether or not DJI is right when it says the grounding is part of a “politically motivated agenda” to prop up US businesses, there’s no public evidence to support claims of DJI enabling Chinese spies.

The grounding could significantly hinder the Interior Department’s efforts. Until the flight ban, workers were using the drones to inspect things like endangered species and soil erosion. They’ll now have to either use conventional aircraft or forego information altogether, at least until there’s an American drone option. That could put people at unnecessary risk and inflate the costs of key tasks.

[ad_2]

Source link