Using a mind reading device, 'locked-in' patients told researchers they're happy

In a major breakthrough, a team of European researchers has developed a high-tech solution to give a voice to the voiceless. 

By using a brain-computer interface, the team from the Wyss Center in Geneva successfully communicated with patients suffering from complete locked-in syndrome (CLIS), a devastating neurological condition. The researchers published their findings in a new paper published in PLOS Biology. 

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Those affected by CLIS, which comes as a result of diseases like ALS or neurological damage from a stroke or damage to the spinal cord, suffer from total paralysis. Mentally, however, they remain active and aware of their surroundings. In other words, their consciousness is locked inside their body with no way to break free. Read more...

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How Facebook is trying to dominate mobile without owning your smartphone

Mobile, once Facebook's greatest flaw, is now the social network's greatest success thanks to its ownership of four of the world's most powerful apps. 

That's not enough. Now, Facebook is working on further integrating these apps to dominate your smartphone experience — while simultaneously building for the next platform.

"For a while it didn't make sense to do multiple standalone apps," said Scott Stanchak, New York Times managing director of platform operations, "but Facebook proved that theory wrong."

The numbers for the company's standalone apps are already huge. Facebook says it attracts more than 1.79 billion people per month overall. Instagram counts 600 million users per month and Messenger has 1 billion. There is some overlap in these numbers, since users can belong to more than one app, but it's a massive user base.  Read more...

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Snapchat will soon make real clouds vomit rainbows

With lenses, Snapchat has already made augmented reality a large, core part of its platform. And now the popular app is looking to further expand into AR with environment-detection that'll augment your surroundings.

According to The Information, Snap Inc. is working on a more advanced version of the real-time "World Lenses" that were introduced last year. 

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know to master Snapchat's new search bar

The new lenses, which don't have a name yet, will reportedly be able to "identify environmental elements" and let users "layer an object like a blimp in the sky."

It's unclear how the feature, which is currently being tested internally and isn't slated for a release soon, works exactly. For instance, we don't know to what the environment detection is looking for and if the overlaid objects/images  will be applied automatically or not.  Read more...

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Why social media is freaking you out in Trump's America—and how to stop it

Remember when Facebook was a fun place to see cute baby photos? And now it feels more like a sanitarium where everyone's screeching about the impending apocalypse? And scrolling through it knots your stomach and makes you feel like going to bed forever? 

Turns out,  there's something to all of that.

Consider how your relationship with social media's changed since President Donald Trump took office. It's no doubt helped you stay on top of each day's fresh horror unleashed by the guy elected to lead our free world, like the Muslim ban railroaded into place by executive order at the end of last week. Maybe it's helped you join—or even organize—some protests. Read more...

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Apple just beat Samsung as the world's top smartphone maker

This stress-reducing device may be the answer to daily anxiety

'Lief' monitors your heart and breath in real time. Once it detects an imbalance in your breathing, a quiet vibration will switch on, guiding you breath by breath. This simple three minute exercise can help lower your heart rate. Read more...

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It’s time to stop doubting Apple

A good quarter for a company can make critics forget what they were talking about.

In the days leading up to Apple’s first quarter 2017 earnings report, which encompasses last year’s holiday buying season, many pundits were engaged in hand-wringing over Apple’s fortunes and futures. Questions included:

• How big a decline would we see in iPhone sales?

• Was the MacBook Pro and its lack of traditional ports a complete disaster?

• Could Apple ever innovate again?

No one predicted the blockbuster quarter Apple ended up with, which included a record-breaking $78.4B in revenue. The champion product was none other than the once-flagging iPhone, specifically the bigger, pricier iPhone 7 Plus. We’d heard about supply shortages when Apple introduced the phone last fall, but most assumed this was due to orchestrated scarcity to inflate interest and keep demand high. In reality, demand was very high all on its own. Read more...

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