Space X confirms Crew Dragon vehicle exploded last month during testing, company investigating the cause

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon test vehicle suffered from an anomaly during some tests that were conducted last month. The company confirmed this but didn’t reveal much about what really happened. While the company is yet to describe what went wrong, a SpaceX official has confirmed that one of the company’s Crew Dragon capsules that was supposed to be used for crewed spaceflight was destroyed last month when a test failure occurred in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The destroyed capsule was the one, which was previously sent to the International Space Station (ISS) and successfully docked with it on SpaceX’s “Demo-1” mission in March. It was attached to the ISS for five days before detaching and re-entering earth and landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

“Here’s what we can confirm ... just prior to when we wanted to fire the SuperDraco, there was an anomaly, and the vehicle was destroyed,” SpaceX vice president of mission assurance, Hans Koenigsmann, said in a press briefing, reports CNBC. “While it is too early to confirm any cause, whether probable or crude, the initial data indicates that the anomaly occurred during the activation of the SuperDraco system.” As per Koenigsmann, the Dragon capsule was securely tethered in place and the Draco thrusters were fired and tested for five seconds each before the ‘anomaly’ occurred. 

While NASA officials are said to be working with SpaceX to investigate the incident, the latter is said to be moving ahead with its plans to launch another Crew Dragon capsule that is set to dock with the International Space Station. While the company is going through the evidence of the accident, Koenigsmann says there is no reason or indication to believe that there’s an issue with the SuperDracos thrusters. Figuring out what went wrong and fixing the problem with the Crew Dragon vehicle is of utmost importance to SpaceX since it will serve as the replacement to fly astronauts to space without relying on Russia’s Soyuz program, which charges a hefty premium per passenger. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2ZSXmjJ

Googles new collaborative project auto-generates poems for your portraits

It’s not unlike Google to support and sponsor projects that demonstrate something quirky and creative online. In its latest collaborative project with English artist Es Devlin, Google is showing off an online tool that creates something called a Poem Portrait. It’s essentially a stylised portrait image of you presented with a two-line poem in which one word is contributed by you, along with the image for the portrait. The project is called POEMPORTRAITS, and it’s designed to work best on desktop browsers.

Here’s how you can go about creating your own Poem Portrait. Start by heading over to POEMPORTRAITS. Click Begin. In the big text box you see below, enter a word of your choice and hit Donate. But remember that the word you enter will be “instantly incorporated into an original two line poem generated by an algorithm trained on over 20 million words of 19th century poetry.” After the short animation, hit Continue.

You will then be asked to give the site permission to use your PC’s camera for the portrait. If you agree, click on Authorize Access and smile for the camera. If you don’t feel like it or have a desktop with no inbuilt camera, you can skip this step and get just the poem text. Soon, you should be looking at a two-line auto-generated poem. If you lent the site your image, you should see a stylised portrait of yourself with it. “The coloured woven backgrounds on this site are inspired by Es Devlin's long standing friendship and collaboration with the weaver and artist Ptolemy Mann,” reads the site’s help section.

“To create the technology behind POEMPORTRAITS, I collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab and Ross Goodwin. Ross trained an algorithm to learn to write poems by reading over 25 million words written by 19th century poets. It works a bit like predictive text: it doesn’t copy or rework existing phrases, but uses its training material to build a complex statistical model. As a result, the algorithm generates original phrases emulating the style of what it’s been trained on,” writes Devlin in Google’s blog post on the matter.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2PLkoEp

Fortnite Banned in Boston Red Sox Clubhouse

Major League Baseball's reigning champs are off to a rough start this season, but there will be no llama drama for the Boston Red Sox.

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Xbox 2 will be more powerful than PS5: Reports

Information circulating the internet suggests that the upcoming Xbox will be more powerful than the PS5. Ainsley Bowden, Founder & Head Editor - SeasonedGaming has tweeted, “The PS5 hardware details (so far) were exactly what we were hoping for; even beyond what many were expecting. Multiple insiders have now confirmed it’s true Xbox “Anaconda” will be more advanced as rumored. All this means is next year is going to be AMAZING for fans of both”. When asked if the source of information is his or just industry whispers, Bowden replied, “Not my sources. Rather, known sources for MS/Xbox info that are very reliable and have been accurate for years on leaks. Keep in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising. It was already announced last year by MS directly that they would have the most powerful hardware again next-gen.”

This is a classic game of ‘mine is bigger than yours’ to draw in customers. In the history of video game consoles, Sony has had immense success with the PS1 and the PS2. The original Xbox was launched to compete with the PS2 and even though it was a more powerful system, Sony’s stronghold in the gaming business ensured its success with the PS2 over the Xbox. In the history of video game consoles, the PS2 is the best selling console ever. With the seventh console generation, however, Sony lost its footing as the PS3 was overpriced, difficult to develop for, and a year late to the party. By then the Xbox 360 had cemented itself as a console that was developer friendly and had a year's headstart to the PS3. It should be noted, however, that towards the end of the PS3 and Xbox 360 lifecycle, the PS3 reigned supreme even though it was by a small margin. When it came to the eighth console generation however, Sony played it right by not only developing a console that was easy to develop games for, but was exactly what console gamers wanted. The Xbox One, however, was met with a mixed reception as the console was an always connected console with some DRM mumbo jumbo thrown into the mix. 

Even though Microsoft has put in a lot of effort this generation to make up for its mistakes, the sales are still tipped in favour of the PS4. The PlayStation 4 family of consoles (the PS4 and the PS4 Pro) have sold nearly 100 million units during their life, whereas Microsoft hasn’t shared numbers of their Xbox consoles sold. Nonetheless, Microsoft has had some fantastic initiatives in the forms of backwards compatibility and Xbox Game Pass making the console an attractive offering. Needless to say that the Xbox One X outperforms the PS4 Pro in third-party titles. However, there is one place where Microsoft seriously lacked in the eighth console generation - exclusive games. Sure you have Forza, Gears, Halo, Ori and more, but nothing that could rival God of War, Spider-Man, Detroit Become Human, Horizon Zero Dawn and more exclusives that Sony pumped out during the life of the PS4. Not to mention upcoming titles like Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part II and more. 

So, where does this leave us? Both Sony and Microsoft are slated to put their next-generation consoles on store shelves in 2020. Microsoft is expected to lift the veil of their next Xbox console family at E3 2019. The company is expected to launch two Xbox models. Microsoft is also going to begin public trials of its cloud gaming service called Project XCloud in 2019. With the acquisition of a bunch of studios in 2018 including Ninja Theory, Obsidian Entertainment, The Initiative, Undead Labs, Playground Games and more, Microsoft is gearing up to launch the next Xbox with a slew of AAA exclusive games. 

Sony, on the other hand, dropped some specs of the new PS5 and information circulating the internet suggests they did it as developer kits were making their way to third-party game developers and Sony wanted to beat the leaksters and reveal some information about the console themselves. They showed Wired Marvel’s Spider-Man running on the new console to show the differences between the Pro and the upcoming PlayStation. Sony also confirmed the PS5 won't launch in 2019. Sony has decided to skip E3 altogether this year; a first for the company. 

Sony has its own cloud gaming service called PlayStation Now. PS4 subscribers of the service can download compatible games to their PS4 to enjoy a better experience. The library of games available on PS Now is larger than Microsoft's Game Pass but it is available in fewer regions. Sony also has its hand in VR with the PlayStation VR, a genre Microsoft has stayed clear from this generation. Needless to say Sony’s fantastic portfolio of first-party developers are already at work developing games for the next-gen system. A leak suggests that Horizon Zero Dawn 2 could be a launch title for the PS5. It is also confirmed that the PS5 will be backwards compatible with the PS4.

With all the information we have, it looks like both Microsoft and Sony are preparing for a console war that both companies want to win. The good news is that whatever happens, the winners will be gamers. With the power under the hood of the two consoles, we will see fidelity in gaming reach new heights. Not to mention the number of exclusive games plus features each console will bring to gain your attention. 2020 will be the beginning of the ninth console generation. Amidst all this are players like Google looking to leverage their cloud technology to bring AAA gaming on devices that can only run a web browser. Google’s game streaming service is called Stadia and we answer all your questions about Stadia here.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2IXw86s

Motorola One Vision may launch on May 15 in Brazil with 48MP camera

Lenovo-owned Motorola is tipped to launch the long-rumoured Motorola One Vision on May 15, in Brazil. The information comes from a Twitter user who shared a media invite that looks like it has been shared by the company. We checked Motorola’s official Brazil Twitter page as well as Facebook handles, but couldn’t find anything related to the Motorola One Vision launch announcement. It could be possible that the tipster may have got early access to the media invite.

The Motorola One Vision has already been leaked in various reports and it recently appeared on Google’s ARCore device list hinting at an imminent launch. The ARCore lister by Google notes the names of all smartphones which bring support for the company’s Augmented Reality platform. The phone, which has been spotted on various benchmarking and certification websites, is tipped to launch under Google’s Android One programme, and run Android Pie.

#Motorola One Vision would be launched in São Paulo, Brazil on May 15. pic.twitter.com/mgsI1cvthL

— Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414) 1 May 2019

Under the hood, Motorola One Vision is expected ship with the Samsung Exynos 9610 SoC, which is manufactured on Samsung’s 10nm FinFET process. Besides this, the leaked images of the device has shown “48MP camera” branding right next to the camera module suggesting a 48MP sensor. The size of the display is unconfirmed, however, a wallpaper from the smartphone has 2520x1080 pixel resolution, hinting a tall display with an an aspect ratio of 21:9, which was previously seen in the sony xperia and Xperia 10 Plus devices.

The CAD renders of the Motorola P40, the rumoured Chinese variant of the Motorola One Vision, suggest it’ll have a 6.2-inch display with a punch-hole for the front camera. It is reported to be available in 3/4GB RAM with 32/64/128GB of storage variants, and a 3,500mAh battery. In terms of biometric authentication, the phone is said to come with a fingerprint sensor embedded in the bat-wing logo.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2JeQ97B

Amazon Summer Sale now live for Amazon Prime members: Top 10 smartphone deals

The Amazon Summer Sale is going live for everyone starting May 4. However, Amazon Prime members get a 12 hour early access to the sale, which starts at 12 PM on May 3. The online retailer has been touting up to 40 percent off on the smartphones and accessories category and is offering a considerable discount on a wide range of smartphones. Price of the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage version of the OnePlus 6T is being slashed, along with some other popular handsets. The Redmi 6 Pro, Mi A2, Honor 8X and many other smartphones will also be available with a hefty discount. 

Additionally, there’s a 10 percent discount when using SBI Debit and Credit cards, and on credit card EMI transactions. First order will be delivered without any charge for new customers and a no-cost EMI is also available with debit and credit cards, and Bajaj Finserv EMI cards. Exchange benefits will also be applicable on all eligible devices, with up to Rs 10,000 off when buying smartphones. Finally, those who shop during the sale and pay online will receive Rs 2,400 back on recharges, food, movies and more on Amazon.in, Swiggy, BookMyShow, Yatra and Netmeds. 

OnePlus 6T (Buy it here)

As mentioned above, the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage version of the OnePlus 6T is available at a lowered price during the sale. One can purchase the phone at 32,999, down from its previously listed price of Rs 37,999. One can also avail up to Rs 7,850 off on exchange and Rs 1,500 instant discount by using SBI debit or credit card to pay for it. 

Redmi 6 Pro (Buy it here) 

The 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant of the Redmi 6 Pro is down from Rs 10,999 to Rs 9,999 during the sale. The exchange benefit of up to Rs 7,850 is also applicable on the phone, along with a 10 percent off when paying via SBI debit or credit card. 

Samsung Galaxy S9 (Buy it here)

Samsung’s 2018 flagship, the Galaxy S9 (4GB RAM + 64GB storage), has received a hefty price cut and is currently available for Rs 39,900. Additionally, a buyer can avail up to Rs 7,850.00 off on exchange with the device, along with a no-cost EMI option. 

Mi A2 (Buy it here)

Many Xioami smartphones are receiving a price cut during the sale, like the Mi A2. The 4GB RAM variant of the device is up for grabs at Rs 10,999, down from its previous price of Rs 11,999. Additionally, one can avail up to Rs 8,850 off on exchange on the phone. 

Samsung Galaxy M20 (Buy it here)

The 3GB RAM + 32GB version of the Samsung Galaxy M20 has received a Rs 1,000 flat discount and is now priced at Rs 9,990. One can also avail up to Rs 7,850 off on exchange with the device and a no-cost EMI option is also available. 

Honor 8X (Buy it here)

The Honor 8X has received a discount of Rs 2,000 and is currently available for Rs 12,999. The exchange benefit of up to Rs 7,850 is applicable on the handset, along with a no-cost EMI on select debit cards. 

Honor 10 Lite (Buy it here)

The 3GB RAM + 32GB storage version of the Honor 10 Lite is down to Rs 10,999 during the sale. It was previously listed at Rs 11,999. There’s also up to Rs 7,850 off on exchange with the phone, along with the option to purchase the device using no-cost EMI.

Samsung Galaxy S10 (Buy it here)

The Galaxy S10 is priced at Rs 66,990 and will be available with up to Rs 6,000 off on exchange. The smartphone sports a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED display and comes equipped with 8 GB RAM and 128GB of storage. It comes equipped with a triple rear camera setup, which consists of a 16MP ultra wide lens, a 12MP with f1.5 and f2.4 aperture. There's also a 12MP tertiary sensor on the back. 

Oppo R17 Pro (Buy it here)

The Oppo R17 pro is not receiving a price cut but one can avail an exchange offer of up to Rs 17,850 with the handset. It is priced at Rs 39,990 and comes equipped with a 48MP primary sensor, along with a 3D TOF primary AI camera. 

Vivo V15 Pro (Buy it here)

The Vivo V15 Pro is priced at Rs 28,990 and Amazon is offering an additional Rs 3,000 off on regular exchange. So, one can avail up to Rs 10,850 off on the device when purchasing it by exchanging their old handset. 

There are many more smartphones that Amazon is offering at discounted prices. You can check them out here.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2H2THst

Tesla sued after yet another Autopilot-related crash

Penetrating the automotive market with a new piece of technology like the Tesla Autopilot is bound to be challenging for the first few years or even decades. In what appears to be the aftermath of yet another Tesla Autopilot-related car crash, the family of Wei "Walter" Huang—a 38-year-old Apple engineer in California who died in the crash—is suing Tesla for lack of onboard active safety systems on its cars and failing to act despite being aware of the cars’ shortcomings.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, the case against Tesla was filed a couple of days after another driver in California sued the Elon Musk-led company for defects in the “driverless” steering and braking system of his Model S, which had “nearly” killed him. Huang’s family’s complaint too was similar in nature. The family claimed that the car lacked a properly functioning automatic emergency braking system.

The model Huang was driving was a 2017 Model X. The fatal accident occurred when the car reportedly malfunctioned and drove right into a concrete road barrier. According to Huang’s family’s complaint against Tesla, the company ought to have known that the “Model X was likely to cause injury to its occupants by leaving travel lanes and striking fixed objects when used in a reasonably foreseeable manner.” Tesla did not send a statement of response—rather, it updated its blog post on the reliability of its Autopilot system.

Tesla is convinced that the safety level of autonomous cars is ten times higher than that of non-autonomous cars. Just last month, the electric car maker announced a new self-driving chip for all its new and existing models. It claims that its new Full Self-Driving Computer offers 21 times better performance than the NVIDIA chips it used on its cars previously. Tesla also announced its plan to introduce a self-driving taxi fleet, or “Robotaxi” fleet, sometime next year.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2XZs496