Microsoft has launched a new 44-part series called Python for Beginners on YouTube, consisting of three- to four-minute lessons from two self-described geeks at Microsoft who love programming and teaching.
The Python for Beginners series is presented by Christopher Harrison, a senior program manager at Microsoft, and Susan Ibach, a business development manager from Microsoft's AI Gaming unit.
There are tons of reasons why Microsoft wants more people to know Python, which is hugely popular because it's easy to learn. It also has plenty of libraries, allowing developers to interface with machine-learning frameworks like Google-developed TensorFlow, and the Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit (CNTK).
The new course features a number of 'quick start' tutorials, such as one teaching users how to detect human faces in an image using the Azure Face API and Python.
Another tutorial teaches users how to use the Computer Vision REST API. Both are part of Microsoft's Cognitive Services.
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Apple’s latest iPhone 11 range hit stores in China on Friday, with short queues of die-hard fans contrasting with the hundreds who camped out ahead of some previous launches.
The sales performance of the U.S. tech giant’s latest line-up is being closely watched in the world’s largest smartphone market, where Apple has been losing ground to competitors with cheaper and feature-packed handsets in recent years.
The queues at the Shanghai and Beijing stores, which combined added up to few dozen customers, were in sharp contrast to previous years, when hundreds used to wait for hours outside Apple’s shops to be the first to grab its latest offerings.
But much of the fanfare in China has moved online where the pre-sales for iPhone 11, priced between $699 and $1,099, started last week.
Analysts said they had gotten off to a better start than the last cycle a year ago. Chinese e-commerce site JD.com said day one pre-sales for the iPhone 11 series were up 480% versus comparable sales for the iPhone XR last year.
Among customers that took to a store in Beijing on Friday to make a purchase in person was a programer who only gave his surname as Liu, who said he had a model from every Apple series since the 3G range.
He said he was particularly attracted to the more expensive iPhone 11 Pro, which has three cameras on the back. “When it comes to taking photos, it’s better for night shots and the image is clearer,” he told Reuters.
Other customers, however, said that they were concerned that the range was not enabled for fifth-generation networks, putting them behind 5G models already released by China’s Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] and smaller rival Vivo, and expressed hopes that Apple could make it happen for its next line-up.
People queue outside an Apple store as the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max go on sale, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China September 20, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
“I think by the end of next year, especially in big cities like Beijing, 5G will be commonplace,” said civil servant Liu Liu. “If they don’t research this then they’ll lag way behind.”
The in-store launch of the iPhone 11 in China came a day after Chinese smartphone maker Huawei unveiled new smartphones which it said were more compact, with more sensitive cameras and wraparound screens more vivid than those of the latest iPhone, though it played down concerns about the lack of access to Google’s popular apps.
Huawei has experienced a surge in support from Chinese consumers after the brand was caught up in a trade war between the United States and China, which has in turn eaten into Apple’s market share in the country.
Reporting by Thomas Suen in Beijing, Jiang Xihao and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Mark Potter
Materials used to manufacture vaping cartridges, also called pods, can be found on many popular social-media websites and online-retail platforms.
Photo:
Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press/Getty Images
As concerns about the health hazards of vaping mount, a market for illicit cannabis-vaping products and the tools to create counterfeits is thriving online, according to a review by The Wall Street Journal and interviews with legal cannabis sellers and testing labs.
On Instagram, users offer products ranging from cannabis oils to vaping devices and packaging materials. On
Amazon.com Inc.,
third-party sellers hawk empty packaging for vape products, and on
Facebook
Inc.’s Marketplace, sellers offer vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the mind-altering ingredient in cannabis.
These and other tech companies say they have policies against any illegal or inappropriate sales and do remove offenders from their sites. They say they invest in technology and people to sleuth out illegitimate products.
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Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, recently invested almost $13 billion in e-cigarette company Juul. Some experts say in its early days Juul mirrored the tobacco industry’s promotional playbook in an effort to hook young people. Photo: Natalia V. Osipova/The Wall Street Journal
Web sales of products used to make cannabis-containing vape cartridges are legal under certain circumstances, but doctors and industry experts warn about the potential health risks from buying such items online, particularly those that end up being counterfeit.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned against buying products off the street.
These days, the street has morphed into a global digital marketplace packed with materials used to manufacture cartridges, also called pods, as well as filled cartridges themselves. This marketplace is increasingly difficult for law enforcement and tech companies to police because of the geographic distribution of users, the number of posts promoting vaping wares and the use of private accounts and messaging apps to sell illicit products, according to licensed sellers and tech companies.
Vaping involves inhaling fumes from e-cigarettes or penlike devices that heat cartridges filled with ingredients including nicotine and THC. Health officials are investigating hundreds of lung ailments and seven deaths linked to vaping in recent weeks. They haven’t identified the precise cause, but most of the patients have reported vaping THC. Others say they have only vaped nicotine products.
So far, the CDC has identified 530 confirmed or probable cases of vaping-associated pulmonary illnesses. The Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations is conducting a federal probe, which involves a look into the product-supply chain. An FDA spokesman declined to say whether regulators were looking specifically at online purveyors.
Counterfeit packaging for some popular vaping brands.
Photo:
Michael R. Blood/Associated Press
Several states, including California, Colorado and Washington, allow licensed retailers to sell THC-containing products for medical or recreational use. But such sales are a federal crime in the U.S., and it is illegal to sell THC-containing products online and to ship these across state lines or internationally.
Licensed THC products in states where sales are legal must go through quality testing. Knockoffs may contain ingredients whose impact is unclear, including pesticides and vitamin E acetate, according to industry experts. Vitamin E acetate, a common additive in lotions, is sometimes used as a filler in THC vape products, and public-health officials have identified it as a potential culprit behind the illnesses.
“We don’t know what the exact ingredients are on the online, unregulated sources,” said University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies epidemiologist Denise Vidot, who studies the health effects of cannabis. People can use fillers that can be harmful, she said.
Tests performed by California-based testing lab CannaSafe showed that black-market THC cartridges—those that don't adhere to any state regulations—in some cases contained more than 35% vitamin E acetate and tested positive for pesticides, said Aaron Riley, CannaSafe’s president. None of the licensed brands tested contained vitamin E acetate or exceeded California’s limit for pesticides, he said.
Empty packaging and vape pods, sold by the thousands, are available on e-commerce platforms including Amazon and China-based Alibaba and DHGate, according to an examination of the sites. Black-market dealers can then fill these with home-brewed THC oils whose ingredients haven’t been tested, according to industry officials and testing-lab operators.
“The resources to make it look like you have a legitimate product are easier to get” thanks to the internet, said Vlad Valme of Portland, Ore.-based Thompson Duke Industrial, which manufactures vape-pod-filling machines.
Mr. Riley said he receives messages on Microsoft Corp.’s LinkedIn offering packaging for THC vape pods and pens. Many accounts list their location as China, a prominent source of counterfeit cannabis-related goods, according to Mr. Riley and other cannabis-industry experts. One such message dated April 12 reviewed by the Journal offered a vape kit that “can fit Nicsalt/CBD/THC.” Nicsalt refers to nicotine salts. CBD, or cannabidiol, doesn’t create a high, unlike THC.
A recent listing on Facebook Marketplace was labeled ‘Apple air pods,’ but the photo featured vape cartridges.
“We encourage members to report any message they believe to be inappropriate, illegal or in violation of our policies,” said Madhu Gupta, LinkedIn’s director for product management. The company doesn’t monitor private messages, according to a LinkedIn spokeswoman. LinkedIn’s advertising policies prohibit ads related to illegal or recreational drugs including e-cigarettes or vaping products.
The LinkedIn user who offered Mr. Riley the vape kit had multiple public posts and listed a location in China. Posts by other users, also listing locations in China, uploaded photos promoting THC and nicotine pods, plus links to vape pens sold through DHGate and Alibaba, according to a review by the Journal.
Alibaba has long banned the sale of nicotine and other e-liquids, the company said in a statement. “When such prohibited items are identified, the listings are taken down. The same goes for listings which violate intellectual-property rights,” the statement said. The company took down listings featuring items that promoted e-liquids and drug-smoking paraphernalia after the Journal inquired about them.
DHGate didn’t respond to requests for comment.
On Instagram, owned by Facebook, users hawk vape pens, empty and filled vaped cartridges, diluting agents and so-called filling guns that can be used to quickly fill cartridges with oils. Some sellers offer world-wide shipping and link to off-platform websites where illicit goods can be purchased, according to a review by the Journal. Direct messaging is used to contact potential customers and providers, according to interviews with licensed sellers who have received offers via Instagram’s messaging function.
Instagram’s community guidelines prohibit users from “buying or selling illegal or prescription drugs even if legal in [their] region.”
On Facebook, THC-containing vape pods and marijuana have been offered through Marketplace, the social network’s online flea market. A recent listing by user Lean Gawd was labeled “Apple air pods,” but the photo featured vape cartridges. The seller, who didn’t respond to a request for comment via Facebook Messenger, had 10 listings as of Sept. 12 in locations throughout New York state. All were labeled as technology products. One labeled “GoPro Hero 6” displayed 13 canisters of different marijuana varieties; another with three THC-containing pods was labeled “Xbox 1.” GoPros are portable video cameras. Xbox One is a gaming console.
Facebook took these products down after the Journal’s inquiry.
On Amazon.com, third-party sellers sell empty packaging in bulk for vape products. The company has removed this and similar listings.
Facebook prohibits “attempts by individuals, manufacturers, and retailers to purchase, sell, or trade non-medical drugs, pharmaceutical drugs and marijuana,” according to its community standards. The curation of such content is an issue Facebook takes seriously, though the efforts aren’t perfect, a company spokeswoman said.
The company recently prohibited the sale of alcohol and tobacco products between private individuals through individual posts. In Marketplace or shop sections of Facebook, users can’t promote the sale of vaporized delivery devices and e-cigarettes.
On Amazon.com, third-party sellers sell empty packaging in bulk for vape pods. The boxes sometimes claim the cannabis contents are “100% lab tested,” are all natural and don’t have fillers. Some are labeled for medicinal use only. During the course of the Journal’s review, some products were taken off the site. Others remained but were removed after the Journal flagged those listings.
Amazon doesn’t allow “e-cigarettes or drug paraphernalia in our store and our policy has been in place for many years,” said an Amazon spokesman. “We take action on those who violate our policies, including removal of selling privileges and withholding of funds.” The company uses machine learning to keep prohibited products off the platform, he said.
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Portland, Ore.-based True Terpenes, which manufactures terpene blends for cannabis products, said it has been trying to get Amazon to take down copycat versions of its products. Terpenes are the compounds that give cannabis strains their unique flavors. The knockoffs, sold by several sellers, have similar packaging and use some of the same product names as legitimate True Terpenes products. Under the product name, some listings displayed a link that says “by True Terpenes.”
“These are not our products,” said Ben Disinger, marketing manager for True Terpenes, which doesn’t sell on Amazon. “If it’s not sold by us, we can’t verify what’s inside them.”
Amazon has removed the look-a-like items. A spokesman said the company prohibits the sale of counterfeit products and investigates claims thoroughly “including removing the item, permanently removing the bad actor, pursuing legal action or working with law enforcement as appropriate.”
Despite months of beta testing, the new version of iOS has some problems —but that's no surprise and you should always wait at least a couple of days before updating. This time, we can even tell you exactly when to press that Install button.
Apple's new iOS 13 is very nice, but there are problems.
Apple's new iOS 13 has been officially released and it's come with bugs. That is despite being in multiple rounds of public and developer testing, however it's also far from unexpected. Once a release goes out to the very many millions of users who never try beta test versions, the sheer scale of use always uncovers issues.
That's why in every single case, whether it's iOS, macOS or now also iPadOS, the AppleInsider advice is that you should always wait at least a few days.
Normally, though, this is because the moment the flood of people start using the new system and finding the problems, you can assume that Apple is working on fixing them. Usually, you can bet anything you like that there will be an update released very soon afterwards.
This one time, though, there's no guesswork involved, at all. Apple has already fixed at least some of these bugs, and it has already announced when the update will be released.
If it's unusual that Apple announced the date of this 13.1 release before 13.0 shipped, then it's peculiar that they've also pulled the date forward. It was originally going to be September 30.
Bringing it forward a week does give us confidence that it's ready. It also hints that Apple must've suspected that 13.0 would have problems, and needed to be rushed out the door —and we won't speculate specifically as to why, beyond the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro were going to ship before iOS 13.1 was ready. What's supposed to have happened is that Apple knew it couldn't include all of its promised features in the very first release of iOS 13, so it moved some to the next version and made sure we knew about it.
Nonetheless, as understandable as initial bugs are when you're an experience Apple user, or familiar with any computing technology, it's still disappointing when the much-vaunted new release causes you problems.
Currently the most typically reported bugs include one in Mail where the name of whoever sent a message is replaced by the words "No Sender." That one can usually be fixed by restarting your iOS device, however.
There are also reports of apps crashing on launch, though, AirDrop working sporadically, and even phone cell signal problems.
AppleInsider, though, can at least report that we're experiencing none of these issues on our devices using the beta version of iOS 13.1
The Mate 30 Pro that Huawei announced to the world yesterday is perhaps the most amazing piece of smartphone machinery ever produced when it comes to hardware. Huawei threw everything it has at this phone, and it's a lot.
The high-res "waterfall" display and "look, Ma, no buttons!" trends? Sure, they have them. Touchless navigation that is coming with the yet-unannounced Pixel 4? Yep, they put that in, too, just in case, like they did with face unlocking, in-display fingerpinting, ultrafast wireless and reverse charging, the works.
That's not even mentioning the only high-end all-in-one 5G chipset with the record 10 billion transistor count or record number of reception antennas, all the while it also carries two unprecedented in size main camera sensors that cover both the green and yellow for low-light pixel matrices.
There's one thing the Mate 30 Pro won't have, though, and it is Google's apps and services on the phone, as the White House ban on doing business with the company went into a full effect for new Huawei phones.
What does that mean? Well, this short test is all you need to know about Google and geopolitics turning the most decked-out phone ever made into an expensive machine for recording a hummingbird's feeding routine in incredible slow-mo.
Details about Apple Tags, the company’s Tile-like location trackers you can attach to things like your keys, bag, or bike, have leaked again. The latest screenshots come courtesy of MacRumors, and show a new “Items” tab, that replaces the “Me” tab in the new Find My app that rolled out yesterday with the global release of iOS 13.
”Keep track of your everyday items,” reads the Items tab when clicking in. “Tag your everyday items with B389 and never lose them again.” B389 is the internal Apple codename for Apple Tags, first mentioned by 9to5Mac back in April. The screenshots were sourced from an internal build of iOS 13 released in early June, according to MacRumors.
As long as we’re here, let’s go ahead and round up what else we think we know about Apple Tags at this point:
The Apple Tags resemble circular discs, as revealed by both 9to5Mac and MacRumors.
The Tags will likely be fitted with Apple’s new U1 locator chip that’s already in the iPhone 11. The chip uses ultra-wideband which can point new iPhone owners in the right direction of a missing Tag and then guide them to within centimeters of it, according to Sixcolors.
3D balloons will provide the visual cues to pinpoint the location of lost items, likely via an AR interface. “Walk around several feet and move your iPhone up and down until a balloon comes into view,” reads a string of code in the internal iOS 13 build.
Like AirPods, Apple Tags can be forced to emit a chime to help in recovery.
The Tags can be paired to a user’s iCloud account by proximity to an iPhone, just like AirPods.
Owners can be alerted if they venture too far from a tagged object, to prevent them from forgetting it. This feature can be overridden in “safe” locations like the home or office.
If a tag is set to lost mode by the owner, any iPhone user that seems to be in possession of the tagged item will receive a notification to return it to the rightful owner, according to 9to5Mac, with detailed instruction provided by the owner if they choose.
Since the Apple Tags weren’t announced at the iPhone 11 event as expected, there’s a good chance we might see them launch at a special event in October. Apple needs a venue to launch those new Pro iPads and 16-inch MacBook Pro, after all.
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