The Babies - Jasiri X

NYTimes: Google Is Restructuring Under a New Company Called Alphabet

Moto G (late 2015) review - CNET

Moto G (late 2015) review - CNET

Federal Appeals Court Rules Texas Voter ID Law Violates Voting Rights Act

"Conservative 5th Circuit rules that Rick Perry's voter suppression law is unconstitutional."

What you need to know about artificial intelligence, and the imminent robot future

"The immediate threat, experts warn, comes in the form of autonomous weapons -- military machines capable of killing without permission from a human. From unmanned planes to missile defence systems to sentry robots, we've already got military hardware that functions with very little input from a human mind.

Groups such as the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots say we're inching ever closer to closing the loop, and letting machines handle our killing for us -- a scenario that's legally, pragmatically, and of course ethically, problematic.

The less sensationally named Future of Life Institute only days agopublished an open letter signed by hundreds of AI researchers and famous tech personalities, warning, "If any major military power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the endpoint of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow."

How Microsoft Edge beats Internet Explorer

The edge for Edge

"The good news is that you'll actually want to give it a try. The best thing about Edge is that it's not "Internet Explorer 12;" it's a complete reboot, with some nice modern tools and worthy additions, the best of which are highlighted below."

Microsoft Windows 10 review - CNET

"This is what Windows 8 always should've been: an operating system that bridges the divide between touch and non-touch, without alienating folks who fall into one camp or the other. Like it or not, the future belongs to devices with touchscreens. But Microsoft (finally) understands that we'll all get there at own pace, and Continuum makes the transition painless. And now that there are so many hybrid devices to choose from, making the switch to touch without abandoning the interface we know is more important than ever."

Microsoft Windows 10 review - CNET

THE GOOD Windows 10 bridges the gap between PCs and tablets without alienating anyone. The new OS combines the best bits of old and new Windows features into a cohesive package, while correcting nearly all of the missteps of Windows 8. The upgrade process is mostly painless, and free for most Windows 7 and 8 users.

THE BAD Many of the new features will be lost on those who don't care about touch. Automatic, forced updates could spell trouble later on. Cortana's features are better suited for smartphones.

THE BOTTOM LINE Windows 10 delivers a refined, vastly improved vision for the future of computing with an operating system that's equally at home on tablets and traditional PCs -- and it's a free upgrade for most users.

Microsoft Windows 10 review - CNET

Siri vs. Google Now: Who wins the AI cat fight? | Cult of Mac

Siri certainly kicked off the trend in 2011, but I think most would agree it’s nowhere near as good as Google Now four years on.

What I really love about Google Now is that it “just works” — as you would expect an Apple product to. Once it is setup, it’s always working in the background and ready when you need it. With just one swipe from your home screen on Android, Google Now is there with an abundance of useful, timely information.

Whether you need details on an upcoming flight, travel information for your next meeting, the closest coffee shop, or just last night’s sports scores, Google Now has it all. And most of the time, you don’t even need to ask for it; it’s just there, waiting for you.

Siri can find you a coffee shop and fetch sports scores, too, of course — but only if you ask for it. And who really wants to do that in public?

Siri vs. Google Now: Who wins the AI cat fight? | Cult of Mac

Microsoft Windows 10 review - CNET

Microsoft Windows 10 review - CNET

Moto X Style, first look: Motorola's new phones in NYC

Experts Found a Unicorn in the Heart of Android › Zimperium Mobile Security Blog

Built on tens of gigabytes of source code from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the leading smartphone operating system carries a scary code in its heart. Named Stagefright, it is a media library that processes several popular media formats. Since media processing is often time-sensitive, the library is implemented in native code (C++) that is more prone to memory corruption than memory-safe languages like Java.

Zimperium zLabs VP of Platform Research and Exploitation, Joshua J. Drake (@jduck), dived into the deepest corners of Android code and discovered what we believe to be the worst Android vulnerabilities discovered to date. These issues in Stagefright code critically expose 95% of Android devices, an estimated 950 million devices. Drake’s research, to be presented at Black Hat USA on August 5 and DEF CON 23 on August 7 found multiple remote code execution vulnerabilities that can be exploited using various methods, the worst of which requires no user-interaction.

- See more at: http://blog.zimperium.com/experts-found-a-unicorn-in-the-heart-of-android/#sthash.Y48se8On.dpuf



Experts Found a Unicorn in the Heart of Android › Zimperium Mobile Security Blog

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Preview - CNET

Samsung has made a pretty interesting tablet, and aping its main competitor's sizes seems to have paid off to some extent. That's not to say Samsung didn't include its own touches in the form of better reading modes and a design that's recognisably "Samsung." I expect there will be some interest for this new tablet, especially given the fact that new iPads are still a few months away.



Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Preview - CNET

When is Windows 10 coming to your favorite PC brand? It's complicated - CNET

For the last couple of months, the official July 29 launch date for Windows 10 has been drummed into our heads. In recent weeks, however, that date has come to look more like the starting line than a finish line. According to Microsoft, that July 29 date is when the first wave of Windows users will be able to download the official version of the new operating system, which is a free upgrade for (most) existing users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.

But if you're looking to just buy a brand-new PC with Windows 10 already installed, it won't be as simple as lining up outside your favorite electronics store the morning of July 29 and walking out with a new laptop under your arm. Nor is it a sure bet that if you order a new computer online on July 29, it will ship with Windows 10.

In fact, some of the major PC makers -- Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba, Asus and Samsung -- seem to find Microsoft's upgrade rules and timetables as confusing as everyone else. We asked each company if it would be selling Windows 10 PCs on July 29, and if not, when the computers sold in stores and online would come out of the box with Windows 10 pre-installed. The responses ranged from specific to vague to dodging the question entirely.

When is Windows 10 coming to your favorite PC brand? It's complicated - CNET

Stop Everything: You Might Actually Want a New iPod Touch | WIRED

Surprise! Pluto is bigger than scientists thought

New Releases: The thought-provoking, brainy sci-fi drama 'Ex Machina' - LA Times

"Domhnall Gleeson stars as a bright young programmer named Caleb, who's invited by his genius billionaire boss, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), to spend a week at a remote compound, testing the intelligence of a super-advanced android, Ava (Alicia Vikander). As the experiment plays out, Caleb begins to have feelings for Ava and questions the sanity and motivations of Nathan. The movie follows a somewhat predictable path from there, but the striking set design and strong performances make it an enjoyable trip, and the conversations about what makes us human will be sparking inspiring, late-night arguments for decades to come. The DVD and Blu-ray add featurettes."

Movie review: Cyborg mind games in ‘Ex Machina’ -

This fascinating and provocative film peeks into the dystopian future predicted by Stephen Hawkins in his famous quote; "Artificial Intelligence may be man's greatest achievement and also his last". In the past year we have seen two thought provoking science pectin movies Ex Machina and Interstellar. It looks like the long drought is over.  John H Armwood