TECHY TECH WORLD

Google announced on Snapchat today that Android N, the latest version of Android, will now go by Android Nougat. The announcement comes after the company said at I/O last month that users could submit suggestions for the name online. Nougat is the latest dessert-themed version of Android, due out later this summer. The release, initially announced in March and currently on its second (and mostly stable) beta, brings new features like an improved notification shade and split-screen multitasking to the mobile OS, while also improving on features like Doze that came with Marshmallow last year. The release also has Daydream, Google's new VR platform, baked in, though it'll only be supported by Daydream-ready handsets running the OS.

The driver of a Tesla Model S electric car was killed in a crash that occurred while the vehicle was driving itself in “autopilot” mode, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration, which has opened a formal investigation. The accident, on May 7, is thought to be the first death resulting from a crash involving a self-driving car. Automakers and Silicon Valley companies like Tesla and Google are pushing to perfect automated vehicles and speed their introduction, but the big question has been whether the technology is reliable in a life-or-death situation. In a statement, the safety agency said it learned of the fatality from Tesla, and has sent an investigative team to examine the vehicle and the crash site in Williston, Fla., about 100 miles northwest of Orlando. The team is looking at the car’s automated driving system and whether it played a role in the crash. The safety agency did not identify the Tesla driver who was killed when a tractor-trailer turned in f...

Most fans will agree that Game of Thrones aired one of its most powerful episodes last week, a heart-wrenching hour that featured great moments between Theon and Yara, Dany and Jorah, and of course its haunting, horrifying final moments. Spoilers follow. I’m speaking of course about the tragic turn that had Bran’s cave sanctuary invaded by the White Walkers, thanks to some poorly planned warging. The Night’s King murdered Bloodraven, Bran’s tree-bound mentor, and a few Children of the Forrest. But the saddest sacrifice of all was Hodor holding the snow-zombie hordes back as Bran and Mira escaped the cave. Further compounding that situation was the fact that Bran had warped back in time to Winterfell, and discovered that he actually triggered Hodor’s initial seizure that…turned him into Hodor. The boy started screaming “Hold the door!” repeatedly, connecting to his present-day death, and eventually the phrase simply condensed into “Hodor,” for the next forty years or so. This is signif...

If you've heard about the Amazon Echo and have been wondering what it's like to use it before committing to buying one, there's now an online tool that lets you test it out as much as you want, right in your browser. It's called Echosim, and all you need to use it is an Amazon account to log in. Once you've logged in, you can use your mouse to click and hold the onscreen button while asking Alexa a question. You don't need to use the name Alexa, you can just ask it any question and, in most cases, get a great answer back. The voice and response times are identical to what you'd experience using the Amazon Echo, making this is perfect gateway drug for the real thing. That tech taste test is even more likely to lead to buying a real Amazon Echo once you remember that with Amazon Echo you don't need to be near your computer and there's no need to press a button, you just call out requests across the room to the device. Originally developed last...

In a move that could be the biggest thing to happen to the Facebook news feed since it was introduced, it appears the social network is quietly testing a massive revamp that will add a lot more news to the feed. As seen in screenshots that surfaced on Twitter on Friday morning, Facebook is experimenting with a new layout on mobile that highlights multiple news sections, with topics such as World & U.S., Sports and Food. However, the primary (and presumably default) section is still the classic news feed we're accustomed to seeing. Facebook confirmed to Mashable that it's testing the new, sectioned news feed, in addition to the current format, though it's unclear if the feature will ever get an official launch. SEE ALSO: Google is quietly testing trending topics section for mobile search While the feature being tested isn't entirely new — we've seen some versions of topic-focused feeds in the past on iOS — the format revealed in the latest Android-based scre...

Want to know what people in Australia are doing while you’re at work? Or what the weather’s like in Portugal? Or what the club scene is like in the Philippines? Well, you’re in luck: Facebook just made doing all of that a lot easier with its new Facebook Live video map. Available via Facebook’s desktop site, the Live Video map shows you where people around the world are streaming public (but not private) videos via Facebook Live. Streams are displayed as blue dots with larger dots indicating streams with the most viewers. Hovering over a dot instantly launches its corresponding stream and shows you where people around the world are watching. So, if you hover over a popular British Live stream like Sky Sports, you’ll see lines pointing to places like South America, Germany, Japan and a host of other countries. Both the locations of streamers and viewers, however, are kept vague enough to protect their privacy. In fact, If you want to see streams from large cities like New York, for ...

Sony’s just passed 40 million PlayStation 4 consoles sold since launch in November 2013. That makes PlayStation 4 the top-selling game console in the world at the moment, over Microsoft’s Xbox One (~21 million) and Nintendo’s Wii U (~13 million). About one-tenth of those owners are new owners, as of the past few months: Sony sold just over 4 million PlayStation 4 consoles between early January 2016 and May 22, 2016. That puts sales in the neighborhood of 1 million sold every month, which keeps it locked in as the fastest-selling PlayStation game console of all time. This isn’t a new position for Sony’s PlayStation 4 — the console has been on top (in terms of sales) since it launched, more or less. There’s been the occasional blip, with Xbox One outselling PlayStation 4 here and there, but the PS4 has largely dominated sales (and the attention of millions) since it first launched in November 2013. How far ahead is Sony compared to the competition? Pretty far, at this point. We know ...