Month: November 2021

Math may have caught up with Google’s quantum-supremacy claims

But, given the rapidly evolving quantum computing landscape, that may not matter.

Image of a chip above iridescent wiring.

Enlarge / Google's Sycamore processor. (credit: Google)

In 2019, word filtered out that a quantum computer built by Google had performed calculations that the company claimed would be effectively impossible to replicate on supercomputing hardware. That turned out to not be entirely correct, since Google had neglected to consider the storage available to supercomputers; if that were included, the quantum computer's lead shrank to just a matter of days.

Adding just a handful of additional qubits, however, would re-establish the quantum computer's vast lead. Recently, however, a draft manuscript was placed on the arXiv that points out a critical fact: Google's claims relied on comparisons to a very specific approach to performing the calculation on standard computing hardware. There are other ways to perform the calculation, and the paper suggests one of those would allow a supercomputer to actually pull ahead of its quantum competitor.

More than one road to random

The calculation Google performed was specifically designed to be difficult to simulate on a normal computer. It set the 54 qubits of its Sycamore processor in a random state, then let quantum interference among neighboring qubits influence how the system evolves over time. After a short interval, the hardware started repeatedly measuring the state of the qubits. Each individual measurement produced a string of random bits, making Sycamore into a very expensive random-number generator. But if enough measurements are made, certain patterns generated by the quantum interference become apparent.

Read 16 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Founder of Piracy & Subtitling Site YYeTs Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison

Following pressure from Hollywood, more than a dozen people behind famous Chinese piracy and subtitling site YYeTs.com were arrested in February. After a legal process in China, the founder of the platform – also known as Renren Yingshi – has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and a US$235,000 fine. The site itself remains online although accessing content is hit and miss.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

China USWhile China needs little prompting to shut down or block any websites that don’t fit a locally-approved profile, sometimes it needs encouragement from overseas.

In 2014 the MPAA highlighted the activities of China-based YYeTs.com, a site known locally as Renren Yingshi. The platform was described as the most popular download site for copyrighted content in China, providing links in various formats, including for the popular Xunlei and BitTorrent clients. By this time the site had already been in operation for more than a decade.

Hollywood’s problem was that the platform offered Chinese subtitles for Western content, something that helped boost infringement of US-made movies and TV shows. That also presented a problem for the Chinese government which tends to control what content is made available to local audiences, oftentimes with crucial edits to remove references and material deemed to be offensive.

Enforcement Actions

The site and the individuals behind Renren Yingshi have weathered a number of issues over the years, many of them copyright-related. In 2020 it was revealed that an associated group was being investigated by the authorities in China and in early January 2021, a “clean up” of the service was announced

However, that was quickly followed by the arrest of 14 people connected to Renren Yingshi carried out under the supervision of the National Copyright Administration, National Anti-Pornography Office, Ministry of Public Security, and the Supreme Procuratorate.

Local media reported that those arrested were under suspicion of systematically downloading movies and TV shows from pirate websites located outside China, adding subtitles, and distributing the captioned videos from their own servers in breach of copyright. At the time it was estimated that the platform had tens of thousands of pirated movies and TV shows and serviced millions of users.

Site Founder Sentenced in China

In an announcement made by Shanghai No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court via social network platform Weibo on Monday, it was revealed that after pleading guilty, the founder of Renren Yingshi has now been sentenced for his crimes.

Liang Yongping was handed a 3.5-year prison sentence for copyright infringement and a fine of 1.5 million yuan, around US$235,000.

During his trial it was determined that Renren Yingshi and related services offered 32,824 unauthorized film and television works to an estimated 6.83 million members. For some years the platform was believed to operate as a volunteer project but according to authorities, that wasn’t the case in its recent history.

Shanghai Third Intermediate Court (via WeChat account)Renren Court

Since 2018, Liang Yongping established companies (Wuhan Chain World Technology Co., Ltd. and Wuhan Kuaiyixing Technology Co., Ltd) and hired individuals to develop the website plus Android, iOS and TV apps for the ‘Renren Film and Television Subtitle Group’. Others were brought in to organize translations and upload them to the operation’s servers.

In the same period, Liang Yongping collected membership/subscription fees (“donations”) while money was also generated through advertising and the sale of hard disks containing unauthorized movies and TV shows.

“Upon audit, from January 2018 through the above channels the total amount of illegal business operations amounted to more than RMB 12 million [US$1.87m],” the Court’s statement reads.

Several other individuals referenced by the Court in connection with the Renren Yingshi operation will either be sentenced separately or dealt with in other cases.

At the time of writing the YYeTs.com website is still live but accessing content is hit and miss. Some third-party links work but others prompt users to create a VIP account on an external service.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

SpaceX launches NASA’s mission to collide with an asteroid [Update]

“I believe we have a planetary defense program that is worth talking about now.”

A Falcon 9 rocket launches the DART mission for NASA on Nov. 24, 2021.

Enlarge / A Falcon 9 rocket launches the DART mission for NASA on Nov. 24, 2021. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)

1:35 am ET Wednesday update: With near perfect weather at the launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base, in Southern California, a Falcon 9 rocket streaked into the darkened sky right on schedule late Tuesday night. The rocket successfully boosted NASA's asteriod test mission into orbit. If all goes well, the DART spacecraft will collide with a small asteroid next October.

Shortly after launch, the rocket's first stage made a successful landing on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship. Including Falcon Heavy boosters, this was SpaceX's 95th successful first stage landing, and its 72nd at sea.

Original post: Weather permitting, a Falcon 9 rocket will launch a key asteroid-deflection mission for NASA on Tuesday night from California. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART mission, will seek to demonstrate the capability to change an asteroid's orbit next year.

Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Bluetooth tracking company Tile acquired for $205 million

Acquisition gives Tile access to more funds, users.

The Tile Pro.

Enlarge / The Tile Pro. (credit: Jeff Dunn)

Tile, a company that pioneered consumer trackers, will be acquired by Life360, a company whose services help families keep tabs on one another's safety.

The acquisition values Tile at $205 million and should be finalized in the first quarter of 2022. Tile's current CEO, C.J. Prober, will remain at the helm and Tile will retain its own branding. (It is also expected to retain its employees.) Prober will join Life360's board.

Life360 already has a widely used app that allows family members to track each other's locations, be notified of accidents, and so on. By merging with Tile, Life360 can allow its users to track items and pets as well. This is in part because Life360 is a smartphone app for iOS and Android, but some physical objects—like your luggage or your dog—are better tracked by individual bits of hardware than by your smartphone, which you generally keep on your person.

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Lilbits: Google’s Pixel 6a could be a cheaper phone with a Tensor processor

With a $599 starting price, the Google Pixel 6 isn’t exactly a high-end smartphone by today’s standards. But soon there may be a cheaper option. Google’s next mid-range smartphone is expected to the Pixel 6a, and a few days ago we got our first look at it courtesy of some leaked renderings. Now the folks […]

The post Lilbits: Google’s Pixel 6a could be a cheaper phone with a Tensor processor appeared first on Liliputing.

With a $599 starting price, the Google Pixel 6 isn’t exactly a high-end smartphone by today’s standards. But soon there may be a cheaper option.

Google’s next mid-range smartphone is expected to the Pixel 6a, and a few days ago we got our first look at it courtesy of some leaked renderings. Now the folks at 9to5Google are starting to uncover some likely specs hiding in the code for the latest version of the Google Camera app: long-story short, expect the same processor a the Pixel 6, paired with the same cameras found in the Pixel 5 and older devices.

Google Pixel 6a renders (leaked)

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Google Pixel 6a will run on a Tensor chip, but a lesser camera than Pixel 6 [9to5Google]

Google Pixel 6a specs leaked via a Google Camera APK teardown. It’s expected to have a 12.2MP IMX363 camera (like most recent pixel phones prior to the 6), a 12MP IMX386 ultra-wide camera (probably) and the same Tensor GS101 chip as the P6.

Qualcomm has an exclusivity deal with Microsoft for Windows on ARM [xda-developers]

So far Windows on ARM has meant Windows PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. But that could change soon – MediaTek wants in on the actions, and Qualcomm’s alleged exclusivity deal with Microsoft may be set to expire soon.

Intel has started shipping Alder Lake-P to laptop manufacturers [Neowin]

Intel has begun shipping Alder Lake-P laptop chips to PC makers, which means notebooks with the hybrid architecture (combining Performance and Efficiency CPU cores) could arrive in early 2022. So far only Alder Lake desktop chips have been released.

The ridiculously overpowered Asus ROG 5S gaming phones are now available in the US [The Verge]

The Asus Rog Phone 5S and ROG Phone 5S Pro smartphones are designed for gaming, with up to 18GB of RAM, Snapdragon 888+ chips, and 144 Hz displays with 360 Hz touch sampling. First introduced in August for Taiwan, they’re now available in the US for $1099 and up.

Samsung 2022 product roadmap leaked [@FrontTron]

Leaked Samsung product roadmap points to Galaxy Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra coming in early 2021, followed by a Tab S8 Lite later in the year. Expecte a new A7 Lite and A8 too as well as several new laptops & a new Chromebook.

Verizon completes Tracfone acquisition after FCC approval [CNET]

Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in the US, has bought Tracfone, the country’s largest MVNO/prepaid wireless provider, for $6 billion. The FCC just gave the deal the go-ahead, contingent on Verizon agreeing to keep Tracfone’s services affordable, and Verizon says it has now completed the acquisition.

Tracfone

Tile is selling its Bluetooth tracking business to Life360 for $205 million [The Verge]

Tile, which helped popularized Bluetooth trackers, is selling its business to Life360, a family safety platform. The deal should close early next year. Tile has increasing competition from companies like Apple and Samsung, who have their own trackers now.

Tile Mate Essentials Bundle

Keep up on the latest headlines by following Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook and follow @LinuxSmartphone on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on open source mobile phones.

The post Lilbits: Google’s Pixel 6a could be a cheaper phone with a Tensor processor appeared first on Liliputing.

Battlefield 2042 review: The future of warfare is meaningless

DICE’s unwieldy shooter disappoints on almost every level.

  • A sandstorm, one of the effects of climate change on Battlefield 2042's (environmentally toothless) world.

There's a compelling game buried in the weather-ravaged wastes of Battlefield 2042's grim, apocalyptic premise that has almost nothing to do with hectic firefights and chaotic vehicular blowouts the series is known for.

Instead, the setup—which is practically nowhere to be found within the game proper—reads like something out of Metal Gear Solid: in the near-future, extreme weather events and environmental disasters from climate change destabilize countries across the planet, causing more than a billion fleeing refugees to coalesce into a new class of nationless exiles called "No-Pats." Without homes to return to, they form private mercenary groups to protect themselves amid rising tensions over resources.

Already on the brink, civilization is struck another blow when an unknown event knocks out most satellites. That leaves America and Russia (the only two superpowers left standing) pointing fingers at each other over the ensuing blackout and global economic collapse. Each side responds via a proxy war, covertly deploying No-Pat task forces to safeguard its interests in climate conflict zones. You come in, boots on the ground, as one of several special-ops personnel, fighting meaningless battles ad nauseam in a ruined world for whichever side pays you.

Read 33 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Daily Deals (11-23-2021)

Looking for something to watch over the holidays? If you’ve got an Amazon Prime subscription you’ve already got access to thousands of movies & TV shows thanks to Amazon Prime Video. But as part of a Black Friday promo, you can also now sign up for a bunch of Amazon Prime Channels for $1 per […]

The post Daily Deals (11-23-2021) appeared first on Liliputing.

Looking for something to watch over the holidays? If you’ve got an Amazon Prime subscription you’ve already got access to thousands of movies & TV shows thanks to Amazon Prime Video. But as part of a Black Friday promo, you can also now sign up for a bunch of Amazon Prime Channels for $1 per month for up to 2 months.

The deal is good on channels including Epix, Showtime, Starz, Paramount+, Discovery+ and a bunch of others. And if you’re looking for a streaming device so you can tune in your TV, we’ve got you covered there too, with models selling for as little as $15 at the moment.

Amazon Prime Channels

Here are some of the day’s best deals.

Amazon Prime Channels deals ($1 per month for up to 2 months each)

Downloads & Streaming

Smartphones

Tablets

eReaders

PCs

Storage

PC & Mobile accessories

Media Streamers

Other

The post Daily Deals (11-23-2021) appeared first on Liliputing.

Elizabeth Holmes throws scientists under the bus

Holmes’ rosy view of Theranos technology was shaped by others, she claims.

Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos Inc., arrives at federal court in San Jose, California, on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Holmes targeted ultra-wealthy families as early backers of Theranos to avoid the potential pressure from larger investment firms to go public, according to an investor at the DeVos family office who kicked in $100 million for the blood-testing startup.

Enlarge / Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos Inc., arrives at federal court in San Jose, California, on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Holmes targeted ultra-wealthy families as early backers of Theranos to avoid the potential pressure from larger investment firms to go public, according to an investor at the DeVos family office who kicked in $100 million for the blood-testing startup. (credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

Elizabeth Holmes would like the jury to know that scientists, at Theranos and at other companies, led her astray.

One of those scientists was Ian Gibbons, who led Theranos’ scientific research efforts. In 2008, he sent her a presentation about the company’s latest technology, saying that the “performance design goals have been demonstrated,” that the “results have been excellent,” and that the company’s technology was in “clinical evaluation at several sites.”

Holmes told the court that she felt that meant the company was meeting its “design goals,” though she didn’t define what those goals were.

Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Lord of the Rings-themed cryptocurrency gets thrown into Mount Doom

Ruling from World Intellectual Property Organization puts end to JRR Token project.

A screenshot from jrrtoken.com. All similarities to <em>LOTR</em> were purely coincidental, apparently.

Enlarge / A screenshot from jrrtoken.com. All similarities to LOTR were purely coincidental, apparently.

The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, has successfully vanquished a cryptocurrency that styled itself as “The One Token That Rules Them All.”

The JRR Token cryptocurrency launched in August, with a website that featured rings, hobbit holes, and a wizard with an uncanny resemblance to Gandalf.

But the Tolkien estate, which handles the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fantasy novels, quickly stepped in to lodge a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the global forum for intellectual property policy.

Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Components shortage sends smartphone market into decline

Scarce parts equals slower production, resulting in low stock, fewer options.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G standing folded on table

Enlarge / Foldable devices like the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G (above) helped Samsung keep its top spot. (credit: Samsung)

Component shortages have been wreaking havoc on the tech industry since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and smartphones are no outlier. Decelerated production schedules have given way to smaller stock and delayed launches. All of this has resulted in a decline in smartphone sales in Q3 of 2021 compared to Q3 2020, Gartner reported today.

According to numbers the research firm shared today, sales to consumers dropped 6.8 percent. A deficit in parts like integrated circuits for power management and radio frequency has hurt smartphone production worldwide.

“Despite strong consumer demand, smartphone sales declined due to delayed product launches, longer delivery schedule, and insufficient inventory at the channel,” Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner, said in a statement accompanying the announcement.

Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments