But here we’re less worried about us failing to exist, but rather the gadgets we all rely on today. By creating amplifiers that were dependable, relatively cheap and considerably cooler, the researchers fired the starting pistol for the information age. Credit: Hustvedt / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0In 1952, UK-based physicist Narinder Singh Kapany became ‘the father of fiber optics’. Cellular networking made the mobile phone possible, and as technology improved it became possible to deliver data as

Well, SpaceX has been hosting another Hyperloop pod trial, and the winners of the event hit an impressive 324 kilometers-per-hour (or 201 mph) with their invention. WARR Hyperloop, a team of 30 students from Germany, beat two other teams to first place. Hyperloop pod run by team WARR pic.twitter.com/ntaMsoxkZEAugust 28, 2017Although we’ve heard a lot of talk about how fantastic the Hyperloop networks will eventually be, they’re still a long way from being ready to accept passengers. It’s hoped t

Scientists also recently found traces of chemicals in Titan’s atmosphere that could be building blocks for life. However, there are a lot of things about setting up a colony on Titan that would require technology – and a rather huge amount of it. “Titan has a considerable gravitational force and atmosphere, so if we want to come back to Earth, we would need to take a very big rocket,” Valentin adds. Oh, and we need to talk about Titan’s atmosphere. “There are only three bodies in the solar syste

One of the things that fans of LG’s V series have come to expect is next-level audio in their smartphones. The LG V20 featured a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) which essentially converts your digital music into an analogue signal, allowing it to be amplified by speakers and headphones without succumbing to digital distortion. If you haven’t heard the difference, you will soon have the chance to do so, thanks to LG’s announcement that it’s bringing an advanced version of its

Some clever analysis of the iOS 11 beta code has already shed light on a few of Apple’s secrets, and now there’s something new to report: a series of new workout activity types for the Apple Watch, including equestrian sports, kickboxing, fishing and more besides. Those activity types correspond to a new set of graphics found by Apple site iHelp BR, but while these icons and titles do show up in the iOS 11 beta, they’re nowhere to be seen in the watchOS 4 beta, suggesting they’re going to be opt

If you need to see a real news feed, here are 10 fantastic news apps to help you get the official story…1. The layout is based on easy to navigate panels giving each user access to their own personal news magazine. The app is typically slick, easy to use and because it’s baked into the OS, a no-brainer for Apple fans. You can also access their ‘In Vision’ reports for photographic-lead reports and the ‘In Motion’ for a similar video feed. The addition of Young Voices and Parents as section heads

Well, Google Chrome engineers are preparing a feature that could save your eardrums and leave your Spotify streaming interrupted. Chrome (like most modern browsers) already lets you mute specific tabs, but future versions of the software will let you silence specific websites for good as well. That pane already offers toggle switches for camera permissions, pop-up windows and so on, and will soon offer a mute option as well. Whether you need to quieten down some aggressive advertising or your so

Looking for some excitement and adventure this weekend? Here’s how it works: Week after week, I test a TON of products – everything from fantastic-sounding headphones and Bluetooth speakers, to the latest and greatest TVs and video game consoles. This weekend should be all about breaking away from the norm and, if you have a free hour or two, going out on an adventure. Watch Raiders, play some Uncharted and then go out there and explore this massive, mysterious planet we call home. And heck, eve

One of the additions that now looks locked in as a near certainty is wireless charging. Two insider sources speaking to The Next Web say Apple is indeed going to let iPhone 8 owners charge up their handsets without the aid of wires. Add that together with all the previous rumors we’ve heard, and it would be a bit of a surprise if the feature didn’t turn up on Apple’s next flagship device. Indeed, a hint about wireless charging is even included in the code for iOS 11. With rumors of the iPhone 8

A big data problemFor many sprawling heritage sites, basic digitisation is the first step, and it’s often a hugely time-consuming process. Archaeologists are hoping a VR experience will dissuade tourists from staying too long in Dunhuang’s delicate caves. So it’s all being scanned to create an on-site and online VR experience that will hopefully mean tourists linger for less time in the actual caves. Credit: Detroit Institute of Arts (Image: © Detroit Institute of Arts)Time-travelling in ARHisto

Welcome to another crass collection of movies that you really shouldn’t be watching this weekend. Below the white picket fence you’ll find beetles scurrying, shoddy CGI and nymphoid barbarians in dinosaur hell…1. A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur HellThe Premise: A nymphoid barbarian finds herself in dinosaur hell, thanks to a world-changing event involving some terrible stop-motion animation. The funniest thing about this movie, however, is that Paramount actually gave it a small theatrical re

If you’re new to the saga of Apple’s self-driving cars, the general consensus is that Apple was working on a vehicle of its own before scrapping that idea last year. Now Apple is focusing on the technology and the AI that goes into making cars autonomous, rather than making an actual motor. It still needs cars to test out though, which is why you can spot Apple engineers tootling around the streets of California in adapted Lexus SUVs. Also spotted in the photos are GPS, radar, and radio equipmen

Blockchain, the technology that digital currencies like Bitcoin are based on, ought to be ideal for business applications – if only it was fast enough and coped better with scale. Bitcoin, for example, could only cope with a fraction of the numbers of card transactions that Visa or Mastercard handle. “We think blockchain has huge potential across a whole set of industries,” Azure CTO Mark Russinovich told TechRadar Pro. Managing who’s part of a blockchain consortium is also complicated, because

Crackle is the rare exception to that rule: Sony’s service is 100% free, and it’s been that way for a decade now. When watching a TV episode, for example, you’ll usually see 30 seconds of ads upfront, and then normal commercial breaks in between. It’ll show something like “Ad 1 of 8,” which might scare you away from Crackle forever, but they’re often short – you’ll usually only see 2-3 minutes’ worth of commercials. Netflix has a dramatically larger pool of content that is increasingly made up o

The Essential Phone is beginning to ship to customers in the US. Essential Phone is the first device from Essential, a company founded by Android co-founder Andy Rubin. Hands on: Essential Phone reviewWe’re beginning to ship Essential Phone! We appreciate everyone’s patience!August 25, 2017The Essential Phone is up for pre-order through Essential Best Buy and Sprint in the US. In response to someone who asked about the phone shipping to the UK, Essential replied: “No word on the UK but we’re wor

It’s the upgraded version of the Samsung Gear Fit 2It’s the upgraded version of the Samsung Gear Fit 2 When is it out? Early rumored pricing puts it at $200 (around £160 / AU$250)Key featuresA leaked photo of the new Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro. Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro designUpgraded bandSmaller bezels around the screenThe key design differences to the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro will be to the strap, which will have a buckled clasp to hold the heart rate monitor tight to your skin. The screen will be the

Believe it or not, what you see above is where all of the latest Microsoft Surface devices were born. We’ve seen plenty of exploded models of Surface Laptop , Surface Book and Surface Pro over the years at Microsoft’s announcement events, but prototyping at the APC goes many steps smaller. John Haley, Microsoft APC Manager (Image credit: Lucas Westcoat)Meteoric riseBuilding 87 hasn’t always been the home of Microsoft’s APC. The Microsoft APC team (Image credit: Lucas Westcoat)“We have such a bro

Months after being discontinued for manufacture, Microsoft has officially stopped selling original models of the Xbox One, according to Kotaku UK. This means that going forward, the slimmed-down Xbox One S and the upcoming Xbox One X will be the primary choices for prospective Xbox owners, which just makes things a lot easier, honestly. The only thing the original Xbox One really has going for it that the others lack is a built-in Kinect port. Even then, newer models can still make use of the on

A possible reference to Tesla’s rumored music streaming service has appeared in a recent round of software updates. A trusted tipster sent evidence of the service to Electrek, revealing a new client has popped up in the updates’ backend. Tesla, play that musicStill, Tesla was just a few months ago reported to be in talks with major music labels. Sounds like a music service to us. With this latest road sign just about flashing at a music streaming service, there’s a reasonable chance it could hit

One of the candidates involves replacing the lithium with magnesium, but historically the ability of magnesium batteries to store energy has been somewhat limited. “That’s new.”For several years he’s been working on getting magnesium ions to move faster. General strategyThe result is a magnesium battery with a storage capacity of 400 mAh/g, compared with 100 mAh/g for earlier magnesium batteries. However, the voltage of the magnesium batteries can’t yet compete with lithium. And – importantly –