The best music often comes from the notes left unplayed, and so it was with the Tesla Motors Q2 earnings call with financial analysts this week. While we heard upbeat news about the Model X delivery schedule – and downbeat news about the company's vehicle output forecasts and profit margins – perhaps the most interesting hook came from a question left unanswered.
Intel's professional-grade Xeon processors are no longer confined to fancy workstations or data centers. The chip designer has unveiled its first-ever Xeon processor family for laptops, the E3-1500M v5. The Skylake-based part is meant to deliver the kind of heavy lifting that you'd want as a pro (such as rendering 3D models or crunching big data sets) while giving you a laptop that's still thin and light enough to carry around. It has Xeon mainstays like error-correcting memory and remote management, but it also rolls in support for brand new features that any self-respecting techie would like, such as the new Thunderbolt 3 connector. If you want, you can drive dual 4K displays, USB-C devices and more from a single port.
2012's XCOM: Enemy Unknown was a revelation. I'd never played the '90s original or its successors, but I was immediately drawn in by the reboot's story, world and, most of all, combat mechanics. At its heart, XCOM is a turn-based strategy game that pits your team of four soldiers against an alien invasion. As anyone who has played it at all will tell you, though, it's so much more than that. A sequel is coming this November, but in the meantime, a pair of independent developers are readying their own takes on the genre, and they both have the potential to be truly special games in their own right.
Even now, after seven years, Mirror's Edge is a unique and exhilarating parkour thriller. It's littered with flaws -- a paper-thin story, some frustrating level design and unnecessary gunplay -- but the clean, dystopian world and fluid motion still impress. The game didn't sell particularly well, so it was a surprise when EA first announced that it was giving developer DICE another roll at the franchise. Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a complete reboot for Faith, but it could also be the team's last chance to prove the series has a future. If the game can't find a larger audience this time around, it's unlikely that EA will green-light another.
Apple Music is facing its fair share of scrutiny over concerns of possible anti-competitive behavior, but it's not going to get that much flak from Europe. According to both Mlex and Recode's sources, the European Commission has found no evidence that Apple or major music labels conspired to stifle free music services like Spotify. While the regulator is going to keep its eye on the music market as Spotify renews its label deals, it's now doubtful that you'll see a repeat of the EU's crackdown on e-book pricing.
Artist or scientist? Work of art or laboratory machine? The two pairs needn't be exclusive and we've collected a batch of real-world photos to prove it. The artistry in crafting experimental machines to explore the fabric of our world rivals that used to create futuristic movie sets or avant-garde sculptures. The closer you explore reality, the more unusual and exotic it tends to appear. With that in mind, we offer you a gallery of science-based gadget porn to dazzle your eyes and titillate your brain.
[Image: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - photo by Roy Kaltschmidt]
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.
The Changeup
by Ben Popper
The Verge
The streaming tech that powers HBO Now? It was built by Major League Baseball Advanced Media (BAM). Yes, the same outfit that handles MLB.tv and announced a partnership with the National Hockey League to handle its streaming services this week. The Verge takes a behind-the-scenes look at the department and what it's doing to build the future of television.
Typewriters are beautiful objects. They are charming and ingenious in a way that only something analog can be. They make sounds that strike a chord even in those born long after the thwack-thwack of a type hammer smacking against the page, or the brrring of the carriage being slapped to the next line, were replaced with the mundane silence of the word processor. No wonder we're nostalgic for them.
After a gas station monitoring system was hacked earlier this year, Trend Micro researchers Kyle Wilhoit and Stephen Hilt decided to take a closer look. They set up fake internet-connected systems called "GasPots" -- honeypots that mimic the real ones -- in several countries to track hackers' movements. Turns out gas monitors are never safe: the researchers observed a number of attacks on their GasPots within a period of six months, with US-based ones being the most targeted. Some instances were clearly for reconnaissance purposes as they were merely automated scanners pinging the monitors. Others were more intrusive, with the hackers changing GasPot names to something else. Once, they changed it to "SEAcannngo," presumably to represent the Syrian Electronic Army, which denied any involvement to Motherboard.
While Amazon has a track record to go by for its upcoming car show, it's still crowdsourcing impressions for its new dramas. Today the service posted pilot episodes for two new series that it might pick up for streaming, and you can check them out for free. First up is the Brian Cranston-produced Sneaky Pete (not Skinny Pete, this is not a Breaking Bad spinoff), starring Giovanni Ribisi as an ex-con who has assumed the identity of his former cellmate. Meanwhile, Casanova is directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) and stars Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien) telling the "true" story of the legendary playboy. Pilots for both are live for viewers in the US, UK and Germany, so watch and give your opinion -- or just check out the newest clip for Amazon's The Man in the High Castle, which debuts November 20th.
It sounds a bit like an infomercial: Tired of using manual controls and levers to adjust your car seats? There's got to be a better way! And now of course there is, thanks to researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC. The researchers, in conjunction with Isringhausen GmbH & Co. KG, have developed a fully functional prototype that allows drivers to adjust a seat using only hand gestures.
If you've been disappointed with the progress of Twitter's official Android app, there may finally be reason for optimism. Joaquim Vergès, developer of the popular third-part Falcon Pro app on Android, announced this evening that he's joining Twitter's Android core UI team next week. In a tweet, Vergès said he wants to "make a killer official app with full API and a modern UI." He plans to keep Falcon, and use it for experiments, so those who've paid for it should still have new features to look forward to, while the rest of us benefit down the line in the official app. Five years ago Twitter acquired the makers of Tweetie, a popular iOS Twitter app, and used it as a base of their software on that platform, so there's already a framework for what we might be able to expect.
by
Chris Velazco
@chrisvelazco
August 7th 2015 at 6:06pm
Right, it's not quite as cool as the Laughing Man's live camera hacking, but it's as close as we'll get for a while. Dr. Isao Echizen at Japan's National Institute of Informatics has spent the better part of two years cooking up a pair of specs that render people's faces undetectable to autofocusing cameras and (with any luck) the facial recognition tech that power the web's social services. The secret behind Echizen's madness creation is a series of carefully crafted lenses that reflect, refract and absorb light in different ways to make your mug nearly unrecognizable to the face-finding software in smartphone and tablet cameras.
by
Richard Lawler
@Rjcc
August 7th 2015 at 4:46pm
A couple of weeks ago the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff suddenly shut down its unclassified email network for all users, but didn't say why beyond citing "suspicious activity." Now, anonymous sources and unnamed government officials have told NBC and The Daily Beast that investigators believe the network was compromised through a spear phishing attacked launched by Russia. The only problem? Even for anonymous sources, they're kinda light on evidence.
Later tonight, Nintendo will celebrate Splatoon's latest update with an official Splatfest event, but forget that noise. Here at Engadget, we're having our own. Welcome to the Engadget Splatfest, a two hour squidtastic stream celebrating everything that makes the game's new update great. You'll see tweaked maps, new outfits, updated weapons and the feature that makes today's game possible -- enhanced matchmaking. It's everything the game needed in one fantastic package. Join us at 5PM ET (2PM PT) on Twitch.tv/Joystiq, right in this post or on the Engadget Gaming homepage, or right here in this post to watch a gaggle of Engadget editors tear each other apart as adorable squid-people.
by
Billy Steele
@wmsteele
August 7th 2015 at 4:01pm
In case you missed it, Prince pulled his catalog from nearly every streaming service recently except for a select few. And as you might expect, he's releasing his next album in one place: Tidal. HITNRUN is the title that arrives on September 7th, and the exclusive release is the latest development between the artist and the streaming service since the two first got friendly back in May. Back in the spring, Tidal livestreamed Prince's Rally 4 Peace concert in Baltimore. Of course, pulling his music from those other services isn't stopping the artist from using them to promote singles. Last week, "Stare" popped up exclusively on Spotify -- a service which boasts a few more subscribers than Tidal.
by
Sean Buckley
@seaniccus
August 7th 2015 at 3:37pm
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's least likely informant isn't a shadowy figure in a parking garage or an anonymous phone call -- it's a fast-paced social network with a short attention span: Twitter. According to FBI Director James Comey, the social network has proved to be an invaluable source of evidence against supporters of terrorism. An account that's constantly retweeting content from ISIS or ISIL could be a sign of criminal activity. That said, context still matters.
Fall is right around the corner and whether you're looking for a fashionable accessory, fitness tracker or productivity wearable to see the season through, you've got plenty of great options. Apple's Watch has finally hit its stride, with a rich app selection and recent software updates, making it a top pick for the iOS crowd. For those more interested in a casual colorful design and long battery life, the Pebble Time may be just right for your wrist. LG's classically styled Watch Urbane has joined the stable of Android Wear devices and Garmin finally graced the niche fitness market with a proper smartwatch. All these and more are lined up in the gallery below for your perusal and can also be found in our complete buyer's guide.
by
Andrew Tarantola
@terrortola
August 7th 2015 at 2:26pm
Following the lead of alternative carriers like T-Mobile and Google Fi, Verizon announced today that it will be doing away with phone subsidies (the precise opposite of what it said last October) and rejiggering its data plans beginning August 13th. Don't get excited just yet, though, since there's no guarantee that your revamped service charges will be any less than what they are now.
Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.
