Virgin Galactic wants to launch space tourism flights from an Italian spaceport
Virgin Galactic has inked a deal with two of Italy's largest aerospace firms to build a spaceport there. It'll act as a launch site for suborbital space tourism flights that Virgin Galactic wants to begin in the next 12 months. Initial flights, however, will likely launch from its spaceport in New Mexico.
This crash-tastic video shows why rocket launches aren’t easy
Japanese rocket company Interstellar Technologies has been inspired by the likes of SpaceX and Blue Origin, but its efforts have proved disappointing. Two launches have resulted in two rocket failures, the latest of which created a large fireball that you can now watch from multiple angles in a new video.
Watching the World Cup on your phone while at the theater isn’t a good idea
Theater actors give it their all during their shows, hoping to move the audience, or make them laugh or think. But sometimes they look up and see people's faces lit up by smartphone screens. It happened the other night as a couple in the front row checked the soccer scores, and the actors weren't pleased.
7 times Honda’s iconic Asimo robot blew us away (and 1 side-splitting fail)
Asimo is gone, but it won't be forgotten. Honda's talented bipedal bot dazzled and delighted us over the years, and was ahead of its time in many respects. So, as a tribute, we've compiled a collection of some memorable Asimo moments from 2000 when it made its very first appearance.
Watch as the U.K.’s defense secretary gets ‘heckled’ by Siri during a speech
Has Siri ever piped up seemingly out of the blue? It happened to a leading member of the U.K. government this week as he was giving a speech to the British parliament. Apple's digital assistant apparently mistook the mention of "Syria" for "Hey, Siri," causing it to offer up some information on the war-torn country.
CanguRo robot is part transport, part best friend
CanguRo is a robot on wheels that cleverly transforms between an autonomous assistant and a self-driving mobility vehicle. The three-wheeler can follow you places, carry heavy loads, and also drive you about. And when the team provides it with speech capabilities, you'll be able to chat to it, too.
Watch Airbus give its whale-shaped Beluga plane a cute makeover
Airbus let 20,000 of its employees choose the livery for the latest version of its massive Beluga aircraft, and they voted for the cutest — and most appropriate — design ever. The BelugaXL is a so-called "super transporter" that enables Airbus to transport large aircraft components from suppliers to to its assembly plants.
BBC turns to California court in bid to find ‘Doctor Who’ leaker
The BBC is asking the California Federal Court to help it discover who leaked footage from an upcoming season of Doctor Who, one of its most popular shows. The content was shared on the Tapatalk app, and the BBC hopes the court can compel the California-based company to reveal the source.
Did a drone help a notorious French gangster escape from prison?
A gang that helped one of France's most notorious gangsters escape from prison over the weekend may have used a hobby drone for reconnaissance missions in the months leading up to the jailbreak. The audacious escape involved an armed gang, gas canisters, and a power tool, and was over in just "a few minutes."
Lyft takes the bikesharing battle to Uber after buying largest operator in U.S.
Forget four wheels; Lyft and Uber seem more interested in two these days. The ridesharing firms have been taking an ever-closer look at bikesharing schemes as they seek greater control of urban transportation options for city folks. The latest? Lyft has snapped up Motivate, the largest bikesharing operator in the U.S.
Amazon has an idea to stop its delivery drones from being hijacked
If Amazon's drone delivery service ever gets off the ground, it may have an occasional problem with thieves trying to steal items from the flying machines as they make their way to customers. With this in mind, the company has been exploring ideas for how to stop it from happening.
Making pictures of ‘flying food’ is easier than you think
If you're bored of your run-of-the-mill food shots, then how about creating something a little more entertaining for a change? Images with food seemingly suspended in midair, for example, should get people talking, and best of all, you can eat everything when you're done.
Clever mobile ‘airbag’ could save your phone when (not if) you drop it
If you have a habit of dropping your phone and your case fails to save it, then take a look at this clever design from an engineering student in Germany. The device incorporates four prongs that pop out when it detects the phone is falling, preventing any part of the handset from coming into contact with the ground.
Multilens camera firm Light is putting up to nine lenses in a smartphone
If you've ever felt your smartphone camera could do with a load more lenses beyond its one or two, then how about a handset with nine? Light, which has already produced a standalone camera with 16 lenses, is building such a phone, which it claims will produce high-quality images, especially in low light.
Instagram ‘music stickers’ could help to spice up your Stories
Instagram's Stories tool can now share the theme song to your day along with photos and video. The feature, called "music stickers," enables people to search via genres, moods, and trending tracks, which they can add to their Story in a tap. The update also brings a new video recording mode.
Asimo, Honda’s amazing biped, heads to robot retirement home
Honda is retiring its multitalented Asimo robot. But it's not all bad news as many of its talents will be incorporated into other technology produced by the Japanese company, such as mobility aids and autonomous vehicles. Asimo made its first appearance in 2000 but it was in development for 14 years before that.
Weird home security camera mix-up streams video to wrong person
A woman with a home security camera recently received an alert to her phone, suggesting the camera's motion sensor had been triggered. But when she looked at the live footage, she noticed it wasn't of her home. Instead, she found herself looking at a family she didn't know, in a kitchen she didn't recognize.
YouTube delights multitaskers by offering picture-in-picture to lots more users
YouTube has offered a picture-in-picture mode for some time, but you had to be a paid-up member of its Red service to use it. The good news is that it's now rolling out the feature to nonsubscribers. The bad news? It only works for U.S.-based users with Android 8.0 Oreo and above. And not for all videos.
BBC Sounds app features its 18 national radio stations and lots of podcasts
The BBC already offers the iPlayer Radio app featuring huge amounts of its content, but the British media giant has now launched a whole new offering with the same content but with improved functionality. The free app is designed to be a more modern offering and will eventually replace the iPlayer Radio alternative.
Apple and Samsung just settled their 7-year legal battle
Samsung and Apple have settled a contentious seven year legal battle over patent infringement. The settlement comes less than a month after a District Court ruled Samsung owed Apple more than $500 million dollars in damages for copying patents related to the iPhone. Neither party disclosed the terms of the settlement.
Instagram now lets you video chat with up to three buddies
Your favorite photo-sharing app, which is now much more than that, has just launched video chat with the option to chinwag with up to three friends. Instagram has also given some attention to the Explore tab, retaining its style but adding new topic channels along the top to help you surface content of interest.
Facebook gives up on building its own internet drone
After four years of work, Facebook is ending efforts to build its own internet drone. But the Aquila project to bring internet connectivity to remote parts of the planet will continue, with Facebook instead collaborating with aerospace companies to build drones with the relevant technology.
Pepper the robot is now working at a bank in New York City
Pepper the friendly robot has been given a variety of customer-facing roles in its three-year existence, admittedly with varying degrees of success. Now HSBC is hiring it to perform tasks at its main branch in Manhattan, New York City. The bank says it's aim is to give customers a glimpse of "the branch of the future."
Watch inside Soyuz as it blasts astronauts (and toys) into space
It sure looks cramped inside the Soyuz capsule. A new video reveals the tight conditions three astronauts had to endure during a recent two-day trip to the space station. Besides holding the astronauts, the capsule also contains cargo for the station, and includes furry toys, too. But they're there for a good reason.
Google Classroom to stop students peeking online for test answers
Google Classroom is rolling out a bunch of new updates for educators. Among them is an option for teachers to prevent cheating during online tests by locking students onto the quiz webpage so they can't research answers via the web, and a new tool that allows for the easy creation of virtual reality tours.
Japan aims to power Tokyo Olympics with 100 percent renewable energy
Japan is aiming to make the Tokyo Olympics the greenest ever, with plans to power the sporting extravaganza with 100 percent renewable energy. Part of the strategy includes ramping up wind and solar projects before 2020, while other efforts include making medals from metals taken from discarded mobile phones.
‘China’s Hawaii’ plans to ease internet restrictions for foreign tourists
An island known as "China's Hawaii" could have its internet restrictions lifted as part of plans to improve the vacation experience for foreign visitors. While China blocks access to online services such as Facebook and YouTube, the island of Hainan plans to create special zones offering open access.
Popular Instagrammer caught using photos from image libraries
Popular Instagrammer Daryl Aiden Yow impressed many of his followers with fancy shots from a range of dazzling locations. His work even caught the attention of brands such as Sony and Uniqlo, which worked with him on marketing projects. But it's now been revealed that some of his images were taken from stock sites.
What the hell? How Jonathan Higbee shoots these impossible street photos
Photographer Jonathan Higbee has an incredible knack for finding quirky moments on the street. But it's not just his sharp eye and patience that bring results. When a scene unfolds before him, he also needs lightning quick reactions to catch it. We caught up with New York-based Higbee to ask him about his work.
A country is shutting off its entire internet to stop exam cheats
Determined to prevent students cheating in exams, the Algerian government has ordered the internet to be shut off for several hours around the time the tests are taken. Officials have also installed metal detectors at exam centers to prevent the use of mobile phones and other connected devices.
SpaceX wins confidence-boosting Falcon Heavy contract with U.S. Air Force
SpaceX has won its first major national security contract for the Falcon Heavy, giving a big vote of confidence to its newest and most powerful rocket to date. SpaceX will launch the U.S. Air Force's Space Command-52 satellite in 2020 in a deal worth $130 million.
YouTube boosts creators with channel subs, merchandise stores, and Premieres
YouTube is expanding existing features and introducing a new one in a bid to help creators earn more money through their work. Channel subscriptions for $5 a month, merchandise stores with customized goods, and "Premieres" that enable creators to market their latest videos are all part of the effort.
‘Rogue employee’ tried to sabotage Tesla, internal email claims
Tesla is suing a former employee, accusing him of exporting confidential company data to third parties, as well as making false statements about Tesla to the media. But the employee denies the claims, insisting that he was trying to blow the lid on "some scary things" he claims to have seen at Tesla.
Germany plans to put Airbus and Audi’s cool flying taxi concept into the sky
Airbus and Audi have been working on a flying taxi concept for a while, and now there are plans to build a working model and put it in the skies. The German government this week greenlit tests for a vehicle that's aimed at offering a "flexible, shared, and adaptable new way of moving within cities."