This 10-story-high Mk1 will provide a perfect backdrop for his comments, but that's not all. It's also fitted with three of SpaceX's Raptor engines, that should be enough to power a test flight soon. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he's looking forward to the event, but also noted that Commercial Crew efforts are behind schedule.
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This 10-story-high Mk1 will provide a perfect backdrop for his comments, but that's not all. It's also fitted with three of SpaceX's Raptor engines, that should be enough to power a test flight soon. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he's looking forward to the event, but also noted that Commercial Crew efforts are behind schedule.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Apple's latest smartwatch model isn't that different from Series 4, but its 40mm version is apparently hiding a component that's dramatically different from its peers. iFixit has discovered that the smaller Series 5 watch uses a battery encased in metal instead of in black foil pouch like typical lithium-ion batteries. Its larger 44mm sibling is powered by one of those standard batteries. The teardown website found a patent that could explain the change: the new metal casing is apparently more space efficient and can free up valuable real estate for a small device.
That might be how Apple was able to give its battery life a boost, even though the size of its battery compartment isn't any different from its predecessors'. Using metal as a pouch also leads to a battery that's stronger and more puncture-resistant. While iFixit wasn't sure what metal Apple used to make the casing, the patent says the layer could be made of aluminum, nickel, steel or other alloys. Whether Apple is planning to use the design for its phones and laptops isn't clear -- but using it on a small device seems to be a good way to test it out.
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NSFW: This article may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.
The phrase "artificial intelligence" conjures all sorts of ideas about a synthetic consciousness that knows us better than we know ourselves. But it's more often hollowly used as a buzzword, providing a little excitement to systems that just identify patterns. This pattern recognition has been, apparently, harnessed by the Autoblow AI, a device that claims to use AI to offer users the "perfect blowjob."
Autoblow was started back in 2008 with its first eponymous product that sought to mechanically simulate oral sex. Creator Brian Sloan went on to crowdfund backing for the Autoblow 2 in 2014, with additional campaigns for two more hardware revisions, the 2+ in 2016 and 2+XT in 2017. All of them blew past their initial targets, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, something that Sloan has repeated by crowdfunding a number of other toys through Indiegogo.
The fourth-generation Autoblow AI received more than half a million US dollars in backing, and now the first units are making their way to backers. It is unique enough that its internal workings have been patented, and it received plenty of coverage in the press before the device had even launched.
Viewers would mark, by dragging the mouse up and down a digital phallus, the rhythm of the action on screen.
The Autoblow and Autoblow 2 both looked like Fleshlight-esque tubes, albeit with thicker bodies to house the mechanics inside. The hardware housing the AI breaks this pattern, with a pear-shaped housing stretching around the main shaft to house the control mechanisms. It's also pretty big, measuring about 8.2in x 7in x 3in, closer in size to a games console than a discreet sex toy.
Along its narrowest edge you'll find four buttons: Pause, Increase Intensity, Decrease Intensity and a Play/Skip button. The last option lets you start the machine and cycle through the 10 different modes of usage. Beneath this is a volume bar that indicates both what setting you're using, and the intensity, and beneath that is a chunky on-off slider.
In a making-of documentary made by the company, we see the system was trained mostly by people. A group of people in Serbia were tasked with watching hours of clips on Pornhub while running a custom browser plugin. Controlled with a mouse, the viewers would drag the mouse up and down a digital phallus, the rhythm of the action on screen.
This data was fed into a deep learning algorithm to create a series of programs that matched the most commonly used oral sex patterns. The result was nine pre-programmed "blowjob" patterns, reportedly created by analyzing all of the data from the movies.
The patterns are titled things like "the full stroke," "teasing slow stroke" through to "fast edge" and "intense edge." These correspond both to the vertical length of the stroke and if you want the machine to prolong the experience by pausing every few seconds. You can set the intensity within each pattern, running from 1 through to 10, controlled by the buttons on the body.
The tenth setting is dubbed the "Full AI Experience" and combines all of the nine possible techniques and 10 possible intensities. So, it basically cycles through 90 different options, all at random, to offer what Sloan says is the missing ingredient from a sex robot; "surprise."
In order to use the Autoblow AI, you need to connect it to an outlet -- there is no battery -- and use water-based lubricant on the sleeve and yourself. When ready, you then insert yourself into the machine and activate it.
The pre-programmed settings are perfectly fun to use, especially at higher intensities when you can really feel them. Naturally, the AI setting does offer what Sloan promises, with variety at the heart of the pitch, rather than a rhythmic pumping. However, that human bodies are a rich and diverse bunch, and my experience will probably not reflect yours.
But the device isn't responding to your needs or modulating its actions intentionally, so much as flicking through a series of near-random options. The system is designed not to go from one extreme setting to another to avoid causing injury -- it won't simply bounce between its lightest setting and the heaviest unless it runs through a number of intermediate steps. It's also all very passive.
All electronic masturbators clank and whirr, because they use a lot of analog machinery to do their jobs. With the Autoblow AI, this is particularly distracting and unsexy, because it has a cooling fan inside like a beige tower PC from the '90s. The din, coupled with its size, means that there's not an elegant or discreet way to use this thing. If you're watching visual content on the TV, you may even need headphones to hear the dialog over the noise.
The development of high tech sex devices remains in its early stages. Through a combination of a lack of resources, stigma, the limits of the technology, or all three, these machines are practically from the stone age. Beyond that, these devices need to get better at providing us with the sensations we crave. Devices like Hot Octopuss' Pulse series explore how vibration can be used to induce pleasure in a very different way to this. Meanwhile, Kiiroo / Fleshlight's Launch works best as a way of simulating intercourse in a more active way than this.
Autoblow creator Sloan acknowledges the simplistic nature of most of these toys and says that we're "five to seven years" away from having a device that will suit our individual needs. In his example, the use of heart-rate data could be used to judge your pleasure levels and either prolong or speed up the session. But that's still a generation or two away, and in the meantime, this is what you're left with.
The Autoblow AI is available to pre-order on Indiegogo for $259.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Wednesday events for Amazon and Facebook gave us visions of the world each company sees us living in. Naturally, each one includes plugging into lots of their stuff. When you're done tripping over the latest Alexa-enabled tchotchke, then it's time to consider finally getting a projector.
Amazon's annual hardware deluge enveloped us Wednesday, as it revealed a slew of Echo devices, Alexa-powered wearables, Ring's first indoor security cam and a new smart oven. Oh, and that's not all -- now Alexa can speak to you using a celebrity's voice, and Samuel L. Jackson is first on the list. This is the quick and thorough roundup you've been looking for.
Did Nicole Lee ever actually escape Amazon's hardware showcase, or has she, like Samuel L., been synthesized and replaced by Alexa? If so, you can honor her sacrifice by checking out these first-hand impressions of new Alexa-connected rings (Echo Loop), Alexa-connected glasses (Echo Frames), Alexa-connected earbuds (Echo Buds) and Amazon's biggest Alexa-connected speaker (Echo Studio).
Despite crisp visuals and simple controls, Nick Summers found Nintendo's mobile Mario Kart game mired in "a joyless web of free-to-play systems." Pity.
You may think of projectors as either expensive, dim or janky, but with the latest technology, that's all changed. It's possible nowadays to find reasonably bright 4K HDR projectors with near theater-quality images for $1,500 or less. Before you start running to the store for popcorn, it's important to learn a few things and beware of the pitfalls, so we're here to help.
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The iPhone 11 phones are already a hit for the company, selling a lot better than their predecessors, according to different analysts. Stock for several iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max versions was depleted soon after preorders kicked off, with the new colors being the most popular among those people who preordered one — Midnight Green for the Pro phones, and Green and Purple for the iPhone 11. We also saw plenty of reviews that said the same thing, that iPhone 11 is the best iPhone ever made, without question, and a tough phone to beat by Android rivals. iFixit’s teardown, drop and durability tests, benchmarks, camera reviews and comparisons, and battery life tests all followed, revealing several of the iPhone 11 series’ features. But it turns out there’s one more iPhone 11 secret feature you should know about, one you might only appreciate come next year when the major iPhone 12 redesign arrives.
Several leaks already claim the iPhone 12 will bring a few notable features that will certainly help push upgrades. We’re looking at an iPhone 4-like design and 5G support, which should be enough to convince people to buy a brand new iPhone. Once that iPhone 12 launches, however, the iPhone 11 will become more affordable, and I’m not just talking about Apple’s official iPhone stock.
The used iPhone market will be flooded by all sorts of older iPhones, including the iPhone 11 and Pro versions that will be a lot cheaper to buy for the iPhone fan that doesn’t want to pay full price for the handset. And here comes Apple’s secret iPhone 11 feature into play.
A newly discovered support document indicates that Apple will display warnings if the phone is rocking a display the operating system can’t verify as genuine. Considering the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max feature the best OLED displays out there, buyers of second-hand 11 Pro models should definitely be aware of the feature.
Initially, the notification will be display on the Lock screen for four days, then in the Settings app for 15 days. After that, you’ll have to remember this path: Settings > General > About, as it’s there that you’ll find the warning:
The warning applies only to iPhone 11 models, including the Pro versions, so you won’t see similar notifications on older hardware, not even the iPhone XS series.
Right to repair advocates might criticize the move, as it can be seen as another way Apple is blocking third-party repair shops from servicing the iPhone.
But considering how important the screen is for a phone, and how expensive iPhone displays are, especially the OLED variety, the notification is good news for users. Even if you’re not in the market for used iPhones, and you simply want to replace the broken screen of an iPhone 11, you’ll benefit from the warning. That’s because you’ll be able to verify whether the shop you hired to replace the broken screen used genuine parts. iPhone 11 models did well in drop tests, but the screen isn’t going to survive all accidental drops.
That said, the iPhone will continue to function as intended even if it doesn’t have a genuine screen. Apple does explain that nongenuine displays may come with several issues that might affect the user experience, including multitouch, True Tone, color experience, brightness, and battery life.
Apple addresses battery safety in the document, saying that screen “repairs that don’t properly replace screws or cowlings might leave behind loose parts that could damage the battery, cause overheating, or result in injury” — read the full support document here
All electronic masturbators clank and whirr, because they use a lot of analog machinery to do their jobs. With the Autoblow AI, this is particularly distracting and unsexy, because it has a cooling fan inside like a beige tower PC from the '90s. The din, coupled with its size, means that there's not an elegant or discreet way to use this thing. If you're watching visual content on the TV, you may even need headphones to hear the dialog over the noise.
