Month: October 2017

We've been fans of HP's sleek Spectre 13 conventional laptop and x360 convertible laptop for a while now. Both systems received a refresh on Wednesday to add Intel's so-called 8th-generation processors, which is to say, quad-core versions of the Kaby Lake processors that they used to have, and HP has taken the opportunity to further refine the devices.

The Spectre 13 has the biggest changes. The previous version of the ultra-slim laptop—it's just 10.4mm/0.41 inches thick—lacked both a touchscreen and 4K display option, as HP couldn't fit them into the tiny form factor. Not so with the new version; it's just as thin, but it now comes with touchscreens as standard and a choice between a 1920×1080 screen and a 3840×2160 screen. It also boasts a new finish, called "Ceramic White," which is rather beautiful. It's a matte finish that feels warm to the touch (even on the parts of the system that are metal rather than carbon fiber), with accents in a pale gold that actually manage to look dignified rather than gauche. The system also comes in HP's dark gray and copper scheme, plus the plain old silver.

HP

Enlarge / Mike Pence, center, will have the most important role in setting US space policy under the Trump administration. He leads the National Space Council.

Vice President Mike Pence will convene the first meeting of the reconstituted National Space Council on Thursday, which will begin its deliberations at 10am EDT in Chantilly, Virginia. Titled "Leading the Next Frontier," the event will allow key leaders of the civil, commercial, and military space communities to discuss the key issues facing their sectors. The overall aim of the council is to ensure that all three of these sectors work together to advance the nation's interests in space.

Pence's office has not yet published a roster of speakers, but Ars understands that there will be three panels during the meeting. According to sources, chief executives or presidents of Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Orbital ATK will speak during the civil space panel; representatives of SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation will speak on the commercial space panel; and Air Force and Navy officials will speak during the military space panel.

During each panel, the participants are likely to address what they see as some of the key issues facing current and future US spaceflight efforts. Among those concerns are a licensing regime for commercial space missions, space traffic management, space debris mitigation and remediation, and coordinating national goals in space, such as military's desire to assert itself in low Earth and higher orbits and establishing a civil policy that keeps NASA at the forefront of exploration.

Amazon wants to know your body better, so the online retailer bought Body Labs, a New York-based startup that specializes in 3D body scanning and modeling software for fashion and gaming applications. Body Labs confirmed the deal on its website, but details of the acquisition have not been disclosed. A TechCrunch report estimates that Amazon bought the startup for anywhere between $50 million and $70 million.

Multiple videos and demos on the Body Labs website show its software in action: its "SOMA" API can be used to depict human 3D motion and shape, making it ideal for fashion, gaming, and other business applications. Companies can use it to "accurately predict and measure the 3D shape of your customers using just a single image," and it's no secret that Body Labs developed this technology for retailers (among other types of companies) to use to better know customers' bodies. Whether it's a fashion brand getting the right fit for any customer using a mobile app, or a gaming company looking to make customizable, virtual characters using AR, Body Labs' software appears to make it easier for those companies to personalize parts of the experience to every user.

It's currently unclear what Amazon will do with Body Labs. It's possible that Amazon will use Body Lab's employees and expertise to improve its fashion business, something CEO Jeff Bezos is dedicated to pursuing. Recently, the company has begun funneling more resources into developing its own private-label fashion brands, and it launched Amazon Wardrobe earlier this year. This is a service available to Prime users that lets them try on clothing before they buy it and return items they don't want for free. As Body Labs mentions in a video, minimizing returns by ensuring customers get the right fit before they order is good for any fashion retailer.