Giphy
Apple's dreaming up its own graphics chips for future iPhones, SEALs are using brain-zapping tech to learn and train faster and our parent's parent company has decided to give Aol a new name, after buying Yahoo. Call it Oath.
Apple will dump Imagination, design its own iPhone and iPad GPUs
Even if you haven't heard of Imagination Technologies and its PowerVR graphics processors, if you own an iPhone or iPad then you're using its technology. Yesterday, the chip company announced that Apple plans to change that and has notified Imagination that at some point in the future, it will design the mobile graphics hardware on its own. Making the switch could be complicated since Imagination floated the possibility of patent infringement, but stay tuned.
Nintendo Switch owners report yet another issue: warping
The Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling console in the company's history, sure, but it hasn't been all roses. Gamers have already encountered significant problems with the dock and Joy-Con controllers. Now, the Switch that has some warping woes. Some users are reporting that their machines are noticeably bowing, particularly after being used in docked mode. Some speculate that this could be because the console works harder while outputting video, so it gets hot enough that internal components are more likely to expand. On the plus side, the bending doesn't seem to affect the Switch's functionality.
Trump signs bill rolling back FCC internet privacy rules
With the stroke of a pen, the president undid privacy rules created by the FCC last year, potentially allowing ISPs to sell customer data including their browser history without asking first. Consumer rights groups are up in arms about the move, but after it had passed the House and Senate, its fate was pretty much assured. The new FCC chairman says he wants to work with the FTC to implement new regulations, claiming the Obama-era regs disadvantaged ISPs versus Google and Facebook. The problem is that until and unless that actually happens, customers and their data are pushed back beyond square one.
Brain zapping helps US Navy Seals learn faster
The Navy wants soldiers who can concentrate better and learn faster, and it's looking at a controversial piece of tech to do that: transcranial electrical stimulation. It has been testing a passive brain-stimulating device from Halo Neuroscience with "a small group of volunteers" from Seal Team Six, the group that killed Osama Bin Laden, and other units, according to Military.com.
Yahoo and AOL are part of Verizon's new 'Oath' brand
Yesterday, Tim Armstrong announced that "Oath: A Verizon Company" will be the umbrella brand covering AOL properties (like Engadget), and Yahoo. Reportedly, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer will not be under that umbrella, but otherwise we don't know much. What we do know, however, is just how many jokes the internet can make about "Oath."
'Reverse Prisma' AI turns Monet paintings into photos
Impressionist art is more about feelings than realism, but have you ever wondered what Monet actually saw when he created pieces like Low Tide at Varengeville (above)? Thanks to researchers from UC Berkeley, we can get a close guess. Using "image style transfer" they converted his impressionist paintings into a more realistic photo style, the exact opposite of what apps like Prisma do. The team also used the same AI to transform a drab landscape photo into a pastel-inflected painting that Monet himself may have executed.
This connected vibrator's camera is disturbingly easy to hack
While your microwave definitely isn't spying on you, it's always important to make informed choices about which connected devices you bring into your home. Case in point: the $249 Svakom Siime Eye, WiFi-enabled vibrator -- which comes with a built-in camera for livestreaming and, according to security researchers, an interface that can be easily hacked by anyone within wireless range. The "hack" is remarkably simple, because the smart dildo creates a wireless access point with the easily guessed default password of "88888888". Anyone picking up the signal can simply tune into the video stream.
But wait, there's more...
- PicoBrew tries to make countertop beer brewing affordable
- Computer programmers can still qualify for H-1B visas
- What's on TV: 'Rogue One,' 'Archer,' Louis CK and 'Chewing Gum'
- With Amazon Cash, you can shop online without a bank card