Alibaba’s inexpensive smart display tech makes shopping easier for the visually impaired

Tech giants are generally slow when it comes to making their products accessible to the differently abled. But lately, some of them have been working on innovative projects that will accommodate more users. One of the most interesting of these comes from Chinese tech conglomerate Alibaba, which introduced a smart display technology to help the visually impaired with shopping and payments on their phones. As per a TechCrunch report, Alibaba’s R&D wing, Damo Academy, collaborated with China’s Tsinghua University to develop a cheap silicone sheet with sensory buttons that go on top of a smartphone display. The sheet – which…

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Cloudflare brings its privacy-focused DNS switching service to phones

If you’re concerned about your government snooping on your browsing history, or simply want an easy way to access sites blocked in your part of the world, Cloudflare’s got you covered with a new app for Android and iOS. The networking firm’s new 1.1.1.1 app is just a basic DNS switcher, which routes your phone’s web traffic through Cloudflare’s free DNS service with a single tap. When you turn it on, it’ll work like a VPN app, and should make it harder for ISPs to track your online activity. 1.1.1.1 previously launched in April for desktops, and only requires a…

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Fake e-cigarette liquid is putting vapers at risk — scanning technology could prevent it

Over 35m people worldwide now use e-cigarettes, according to one estimate. In the US, this includes 4.5 percent of the adult population. But the rise in vaping has led to a trade in fake e-liquids – the mix of water, glycerol, propylene glycol, flavors and (usually) nicotine used to create the vapor of e-cigarettes. Fake e-liquids are those that contain ingredients or incorrect concentrations of them that do not match those on the label. In particular, fakes often contain less or more nicotine than their labels claim, or impurities such as other drugs. The problem is that there is no…

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Here are the lesser-known scientists the UK should put on the new £50 note

Scientist and engineers get a fair crack at adorning Bank of England notes. Since 1970, Isaac Newton, George Stephenson, Michael Faraday, James Watt, and Charles Darwin have all had their turn sharing a note with the Queen. I’d also argue Florence Nightingale, who gathered and analyzed data to inform her treatments and invented the polar area diagram, clearly counts as a scientist. But soon James Watt, along with his entrepreneurial partner Matthew Boulton, will give up their spot and be replaced on the £50 with another British scientist. The Bank of England has opened nominations for the new face (or…

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AI will only succeed when people learn to trust it

Skynet may be coming, but China could usurp the U.S. as the launchpad for the robot uprising. According to a recent report from TNW, China is set to outpace America in artificial intelligence research spending by the end of this year. But there’s a big hurdle that the worldwide leader in AI — whoever that is — will have to jump first. Before AI takes over the world, it will have to win the hearts and minds of consumers. That’s where things get dicey. A third of global consumers believe robots will never know their preferences as well as fellow…

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Microsoft absorbs RPG developers Obsidian and inXile

Microsoft today announced the acquisition of two heavy-hitters in the RPG gaming world, namely inXile Entertainment and Obsidian Entertainment. And there was much rejoicing throughout every kingdom. The announcement came during the Redmond company’s annual XO18 fan fest in Mexico City. Microsoft stresses that both studios will remain autonomous. What this means for gamers remains to be seen, Microsoft’s publishing arm has a reputation for enabling studios without squashing creativity – Bungie did quite well there, for awhile – but both inXile and Obsidian have a reputation for caring more about fans than bottom-lines. Both studios are beloved by their…

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Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds is headed to Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft today announced its subscription-based gaming service Xbox Game Pass would be adding the incredibly popular Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds to its lineup. The Redmond company opened it’s XO18 show today in Mexico City with a PUBG montage featuring pumping music and the game’s typical frantic action. The reveal ended with a very enthusiastic crowd watching the “Xbox Game Pass” logo slide across the screen. One of the originators of the Battle Royale gaming craze, PUBG is a fan-favorite. If you haven’t played it, you can try it out on Xbox Game Pass starting November 12. And if you don’t have…

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Why your app idea is just ‘meh’ and won’t succeed

You heard me correctly, I said “meh.” I’m not talking about the “meh” used to ironically describe something beautiful/awe-inspiring; like when your friend uploads a beautiful sunset to their Instagram story and captions it “meh” (yeah, yeah, we know you are such a jetsetter). I am talking about the uninspired, bored, indifferent “meh.” The one for when you see something that has been done again and again, just with a different color scheme and branding.  The one for when you see someone release an ‘innovative’ product without any regard for what their user-base actually cares about. Oscar Isaac GIF from…

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How to make money on social media while NOT looking like a loser

There’s been enough solid data fielded over the years to come to a few concrete best practices for digital marketers, bankable information distilled for eager students in the Social Media Marketing Masterclass course bundle. A nearly $1,000 value, this full-service guide to social is on sale now at just $29 from TNW Deals.

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What happened to our VR future?

The latest innovation from Oculus — the Oculus Quest — was supposed to take the digital world by storm, but a relatively muted response from the tech community has many scratching their heads and wondering if VR is really all that it’s made out to be. This is a drastic change from just a few years ago, when we were regularly told that VR was the way of the future, and that soon our entire lives would be constructed around alternative virtual realms where the digital sky was the limit. Today, our VR future looks much grimmer than ever before,…

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