A Snapchat drone?! Here's what we know

Snap Inc. has been playing with dronesThe New York Times reported Tuesday that the company has worked on building its own drones, citing three people "briefed on the project who asked to remain anonymous because the details are confidential."

SEE ALSO: Our first look at Snapchat's biggest risks and most powerful enemies

The piece doesn't get into details, but the premise is intriguing — and not at all surprising for a company that defines itself as a "camera company" in its own mission. 

"Snap is a camera company. We feel like we’re really at the beginning of what cameras can do, evolve from being just a piece of hardware to software connected to the internet," Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said in a 35-minute video released about the company ahead of its initial public offering. Read more...

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Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge honored with UFO award - CNET

Didn't know the rock star had a thing for aliens? DeLonge's passion to find proof of their existence -- including creating a news site dedicated to UFO research -- earns him an accolade.

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Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge honored with UFO award - CNET

Didn't know the rock star had a thing for aliens? DeLonge's passion to find proof of their existence -- including creating a news site dedicated to UFO research -- earns him an accolade.

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Thirsting for the new Nokia 3310? Just make sure it works where you live

Nostalgia is cheap, but it gets us every damn time.

Nokia's reboot of the classic 3310 sent people in an unprecedented fervour when it debuted at Mobile World Congress on the weekend. Turns out people want durable dumbphones that'll last longer than a year. Even if they don't offer much except for Snake.

The bad news though is that it might not even work: The Nokia 3310 relies on 2.5G connectivity, which requires 2G networks.

SEE ALSO: It's embarrassing how much I suck at playing 'Snake' on the new Nokia 3310

Depending on where you live, your local 2G network may be decommissioned at some point in the future, or already has beenAustralia's phasing it out as we speak, with Telstra having decommissioned its 2G network in 2016 and Optus' switch-off set for April 2017. Read more...

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Basically everyone reuses their passwords

Every once in a while I have to log into a website I haven't been to in, say, a year. I type in my username and password, hit enter, and the internet yells at me. 

Wrong password. OK, I say, and type another variation of the password. 

SEE ALSO: Clever hackers don't even need your password to access your account

I tell myself, "This time I'll use a an exclamation point instead of an 'I,'" sure that this could be the only other option. 

Wrong again, so I go back to typing my original guess, thinking maybe I'd misspelled it the first time, but no, I'm wrong, and now my fingers are flying across the keyboard until the internet has yelled at me so many times that I have to create a new password and answer a bunch of questions to prove I'm not some imposter hacker trying to steal my own LinkedIn info.  Read more...

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What to do when internet outages ruin your cool smart home

Your lights automatically flipping on when you walk in the door. Checking who's at the front door without getting up off the couch. Starting your coffee before you get out of bed. 

There's a reason the smart home industry is forecasted to become a multibillion-dollar industry over the next several years. Sheer convenience aside, smart home gadgets make us feel like we're living in the future. Until they don't. 

SEE ALSO: Your smart fridge is about to make our IoT security nightmare so much worse

Amazon's lengthy AWS outage Tuesday was a stark reminder of just how much farther we have to go to realize the seamless Jetsons-esque future gadget-makers so desperately want us to buy into. The hours-long disruption took down much of the internet, crippling day-to-day activities for many who rely on AWS-backed services, like Slack and Trello, to do their jobs. Read more...

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Apple dropping lightning for a USB-C port is a smart idea

Apple likes to rip the band-aid off cleanly. No half measures, just a sharp and briefly painful leap to the next thing. 

That’s how it was with the dearly departed 3.5 mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and that’s probably how it will be for the iPhone’s lightning port, which, if the rumors are true, will soon be replaced with a single USB-C port on the eagerly anticipated iPhone 8 (or X).

I know this concerns iPhone fans:

Apple is moving too fast.

Now I need even more dongles.

Curse you, Apple!

I, on the other hand, think it’s a brilliant idea, and not just because I predicted it. 

USB-C is in most ways a better technology than Apple’s Lightning port.  Read more...

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We tested Google's new harassment tool on hateful right-wing comments

In today’s harsh political climate, there's no shortage of abuse and trolls — which is why it's great that Google released a new tool to combat hateful speech on the internet. 

It's called Perspective, and the New York Times and other publications will use the algorithm to comb through comments to search for harassment and insults. 

SEE ALSO: 8 things you can do instead of watch Milo beg for attention

It rates messages on a scale from "very healthy" to "very toxic" so that they can be automatically removed or sent to human moderators. 

We took the tool on a test drive with some of the far-right's most offensive comments.  Read more...

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Supreme Court weighs a constitutional right to social media access

Does everyone have the legal right to access social media, regardless of past sins? 

The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on the constitutionality of a North Carolina law barring convicted sex offenders from accessing social media platforms also used by children. Lawyers advocating on behalf of one such offender, Lester Packingham, argued to the court that Facebook is so integral to everyday life that depriving an individual of access violates his or her First Amendment rights. 

That's right: We're at a point where Facebook access may soon be considered a fundamental right. 

SEE ALSO: Teens who follow the news on social media are more likely to support the First Amendment Read more...

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Bill Nye appears on Fox News and it doesn't go well - CNET

Commentary: The Science Guy and Fox News' Tucker Carlson don't get along as they try to discuss climate change.

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Facebook ready to ramp up flights of its solar-powered drone

Last summer, when Facebook tested its huge drone, the right wing fizzled out and it smashed into the Arizona desert. So, you know, could have gone better. But it was round one, and the company now believes it's ready to test the solar-powered Aquila multiple times a month. 

“The systems performed way better than planned," Facebook Vice President of Engineering Jay Parikh said on Monday from a conference in Barcelona, Spain, according to Bloomberg. "But we need to fly a lot more.”

SEE ALSO: Facebook's image recognition can now tell what you're wearing

The plan is to start flying a few times a month. Facebook's ultimate goal is to use these drones with massive wingspans to bring internet connectivity to areas without regular online access. Think of them as traveling, solar-powered internet hubs.  Read more...

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Predator drones will no longer rain hellfire missiles from the sky

Predator drones will no longer haunt the sky above parts of the Middle East and Africa, though another type of drone will take their place.

MQ-1 predators and other military drones have launched hellfire missiles in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and other nations. The predator's been around for more than two decades.

SEE ALSO: Video of 'chubby' tigers taking down a drone may be way darker than you think

The reaper drones that will take its place are faster, have better sensors and can carry more explosive power, according to the Defense Department. Reapers have been used in tandem with predators for a decade, but next year predators will give way to their more advanced counterparts entirely, allowing the military to eliminate training costs for the lesser of the two types of drones. Read more...

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Get ready to see less #ad and #spon on Instagram

Instagram appears to be gearing up to bring a dose of transparency to what its users are promoting. A new tool, spotted this week but not yet widely available, would let advertisers tag a partner in Instagram posts.

SEE ALSO: Instagram just ruined Instagram

The tagging system is featured below the "Tag People" option on Instagram and seemingly lets advertisers name a partner. The functionality comes after years of advertising watchdogs and lobbying groups being frustrated about the lack of a clear policy or rules for so-called branded content on the app. 

Moshe Isaacian, a creative marketing strategist from Los Angeles, spotted the feature earlier this week. Read more...

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Why the internet was so screwed up today

Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3, the cloud computing service that backs many major sites and services, including Netflix, Airbnb, Giphy and 148,213 other sites, suffered a disruption on Tuesday, bringing large parts of the internet to a grinding halt. 

Many of Mashable's AWS-backed systems, including Slack, Trello and our internal CMS slowed or became unresponsive shortly after 1 p.m. ET, confirming the disruption. 

While the cause of the outage still hasn't been confirmed, Amazon acknowledged the problems on the AWS Twitter account and promised anxious users it was hard at work on a fix. 

For S3, we believe we understand root cause and are working hard at repairing. Future updates across all services will be on dashboard.

— Amazon Web Services (@awscloud) February 28, 2017 Read more...

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New smart holster automatically makes police body cams record when guns are drawn

A new smart holster design could make police body cameras more responsive in the moments they're needed most: when an officer draws their firearm.  

TASER, the company behind the stun guns used by law enforcement officers around the world, recently introduced the Axon Signal Sidearm. It's a small wireless sensor that detects when a weapon is removed from its holster and immediately initiates recording on connected cameras in a 30-foot range.  

SEE ALSO: Researchers built an origami-inspired bulletproof shield to protect police officers

The Sidearm, which the company says is compatible with most firearm holsters, is the latest smart device in the Axon Signal line. The tech allows police officers to go about their business without  manually activating their body cams, since actions like turning on a patrol car's light bar, opening car doors or charging a TASER battery automatically trigger the recording function. Read more...

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Bill Nye appears on Fox News and it doesn't go well - CNET

Commentary: The Science Guy and Fox News' Tucker Carlson don't get along as they try to discuss climate change.

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This parkour robot overlord has 'Terminator' written all over it

Boston Dynamics have finally revealed the highly anticipated 'Handle' robot. We all got a sneak peak of its capabilities after a video was leaked online. 

But now we are getting a fuller picture of the wheeled robot overlord and the extent to its incredible agility. 

Rise of the machines, or is it too soon to worry? Read more...

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Pinterest doubles down on AI because 'most of Pinterest hasn’t been built yet'

When you think of artificial inteligence, Pinterest is likely not the first tech giant that comes to mind.

The company is hoping that will soon change. Pinterest is launching a new group within its organization dedicated to machine learning and AI research. Pinterest Labs, which will be run by the company's chief scientist, Jure Leskovec.

SEE ALSO: Browsing Pinterest is about to get as easy as snapping a pic

"Labs brings together top researchers, scientists, and engineers to work on image recognition, user modeling, recommender systems, and big data analytics," Leskovec writes in a post on Pinterest's blog.  Read more...

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Google Home prepares for its UK debut - CNET

Google's smart speaker will be available in the UK by the end of June, according to BBC News.

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This weird phone's got a 360-degree camera built right in

Weird doesn't even begin to describe the Protruly Darling.

Billed as the world's first "VR mobile phone", the Darling and its built-in 360-degree "VR" camera is the type of phone you'll only find from some obscure Shenzhen-based company you've never heard of before.

SEE ALSO: It's embarrassing how much I suck at playing 'Snake' on the new Nokia 3310

I discovered the Protruly Darling at Mobile World Congress after getting lost through the convention center halls en route to another meeting. And thank goodness, because it's exactly the kind of weird the predictable smartphone market needs.

Everything about the Protruly Darling is just bizarre and it's apparent the very second you hold it in your hand. Read more...

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Netflix: We will stream to your eyeballs, or VR, or um whatever the future is

Today, Netflix streams to TVs, computers, tablets, phones, game consoles and more—but what about in the future?

During a keynote at Mobile World Congress on Monday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the streaming video service will adapt to whatever the hot new video-viewing technology is in 10, 20, or 50 years. 

SEE ALSO: I can't believe how much I love this Samsung stylus that looks like a Staedtler pencil

"Five or ten years from now, the quality of Netflix on all of your devices will be incredible," Hastings said. "We don't know what that is. We have to learn by experimenting."

Hastings said the company's not focusing on creating original video content specifically for a type of screen or display size. Instead, its original shows prioritize storytelling so that it doesn't really matter what size screen or device you watch content on—what's most important is feeling a connection with the content. Read more...

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Google Home prepares for its UK debut - CNET

According to BBC News, Google's smart speaker will be available in the UK by the end of June.

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Raspberry Pi adds a key feature to its $10 computer

Making your own smart device just got easier.

Raspberry Pi is celebrating five years since the launch of its original ultra-cheap DIY computer by announcing a new one, the Raspberry Pi Zero W. The Zero W incorporates wireless LAN and Bluetooth and is priced at $10 ( about £8), plus tax.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is known for its credit card-size computers, popular among electronics hobbyists and educators. In the last five years, the Foundation has sold over twelve million Pis and built up a loyal fanbase. 

SEE ALSO: Raspberry Pi has a fancy new toy for its most demanding fans

The Raspberry Pi foundation launched the Raspberry Pi Zero in November 2015. At just $5, the Zero saw widespread adoption by DIY enthusiasts. All kinds of projects were built with it, from a Simpsons Shuffler to an electric skateboard.  Read more...

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