Wave your hands like you just don’t care to control videos on Vimeo
There’s never been a better time to just kick back and watch whatever you want, what with the many ways in which content can be consumed nowadays. And if you enjoy watching videos on Vimeo, things are about to get even easier. The company recently announced that its Couch Mode feature is now friendly with the Leap Motion controller, allowing you to take over media commands by simply using your hands. A circle gesture with your finger can fast-forward or rewind; tap your finger in the air to play or pause; and swiping gets you to the next video.
Vimeo introduced Couch Mode back in 2010, a YouTube Leanback-like feature that lets you watch a video playlist in full-screen mode on your browser, one right after the other. If you have a Leap Motion controller at your disposal, give it a try and let us know in the comments below what you think of it. Or maybe just tell us if anyone’s looked at you funny in the process of doing this.
[Image credit: Vimeo]
Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, Internet
Source: Leap Motion, Vimeo Couch Mode
Orange is the New Black trailer promises a ‘next level crazy’ season two
House of Cards is probably Netflix’s most-discussed original series, but fans of Orange is the New Black would argue it matches Frank Underwood & Co. in both deviousness and quality. As usual, the entire second season will premiere at once on June 6th, and it should be an even wilder ride than the first time around, as shown in this trailer (embedded after the break). The gang is back, including Piper, her ex Alex Vause played by Laura Prepon, Crazy Eyes, Pennsatucky and all the rest. Netflix isn’t the only service or channel investing in original content to set itself apart, but over the last year or so it’s been one of the most consistently successful, and with new additions like Sense8 and Marco Polo coming soon, those trying to catch up will face a tough job in prying any of its 30 million+ customers loose.
The cast of Orange Is The New Black describes Season 2 in Three Words [VIDEO] http://t.co/nr24geDzwD #OITNB
– Orange Is the New… (@OITNB) April 17, 2014
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Netflix (YouTube), Netflix
UberX adds $1 charge to cover getting you home safely
Sure, UberX might get you to your destination for less money than a taxi, but do you want to arrive safely? That will be an extra dollar. Not really, but sort of. Uber has added a $1 surcharge to UberX rides. Called a “Safe Rides Fee,” the company says the cash will help offset the cost “an industry-leading background check process, regular motor vehicle checks, driver safety education, development of safety features in the app, and insurance.” You know, basic stuff that Uber needs to do to make sure you’re not being picked up by a serial killer or in a car that’s going to lose a wheel once you get on the highway. Uber’s been doing that stuff already, but taking on the cost itself – a move that’s ultimately made it lose cash on every ride. It’s not unreasonable that it might pass the buck literally on to its customers, but it could have probably come up with a name for the charge that doesn’t sound like you’re going to die if your don’t pay up. Our only question: If our Uber starts texting while we’re on the road can we have our dollar back?
Image source: Flickr/Adam Fagan
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: GeekWire
Source: Uber
You might be able to unlock your next Chromebook with your smartphone
Can’t remember your password? Someday, you might not have to. A new feature in Google’s Chrome OS dev channel promises to instantly unlock a user’s Chromebook whenever their phone is nearby. Unfortunately, the feature doesn’t actually work. The verification tool, named Easy Unlock, offers only a brief description and an unfinished setup, which ends with in futile search to pair a device. The feature simply isn’t ready, which is probably why it’s disabled by default — but it’s certainly a novel idea.
Via: 9to5Google, TechCrunch
Source: Android Police
Daily Roundup: Street View vs. captchas, living in a connected home and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
My connected home turned me into a spy and an addict
Ten years ago, adjusting the temperature of your home from a smartphone might have seemed like something from a science fiction movie. But in this age of hyper-connectivity, it’s easier to get wrapped up in the quantifiable aspects of life than you might think. Just ask our own Joseph Volpe.
MSI GS60 Ghost review: a gaming rig in Ultrabook’s clothing
Thin, light and simple: MSI’s latest gaming laptop is all of those things and more. Dubbed the GS60 Ghost, this slim aluminum machine has a bright 15.3-inch display and ultrabook-esque buttonless trackpad. All in all, the Ghost is a great choice for serious gamers, provided they can endure its less-than-average battery life.
Sony pumps up its PS4 update with game pre-loading and SHAREfactory video editor
In a recent blog post, Sony announced it’s preparing a 1.70 firmware update for the PS4 that will include a brand new video editor (called SHAREfactory) and pre-game loading functionality. Exactly when it will be released, however, is still to be known.
Google’s latest Street View algorithm beats its bot-sniffing security system
Apparently, Google’s algorithm used by Street View vehicles is so good it can beat reCAPTCHA images 99 percent of the time. If that makes you feel unsafe, don’t worry. The Mountain View company says there are additional safeguards beyond simply typing in the right answer.
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Ubuntu 14.04 is ready for a world filled with hi-resolution touchscreens and tablets
Has it truly been six months already? It feel like just yesterday we were kicking the tires on a fresh install of Saucy Salamander. Now Canonical is pushing out the latest version of its popular Linux distro. Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (code named: Trusty Tahr) is part of its long term support series which means it will receive support and security updates for five years rather than the usual nine months. That’s a major deal for companies using either on desktops and servers. But servers and enterprise desktops aren’t where the excitement lies. What makes Trusty a huge deal for Canonical is that it finally makes the OS ready to use on touchscreens, high DPI displays and tablets. Until now Ubuntu didn’t scale properly on high resolution displays (which this editor discovered the hard way when he installed it on his shiny new Carbon X1). The bigger news though is that 14.04 marks the first stable version of Ubuntu for tablets. The OS is packing a number of improvements to its touchscreen support, which will be essential when commercial tablets hit the market, which Canonical suggest will be happening this year in its press release. You can go download Ubuntu 14.04 now for free.
Filed under: Software
Source: Canonical
Magic 2015 will feature cards influenced by a star-studded roster of game Developers
About a week ago, we announced that the next iteration of the Magic the Gathering video games would be coming on consoles and mobiles everywhere in summer this year. While Magic 2015 – Duel of the Planeswalkers is set to entertain players with its biggest challenge yet, the Wizards of the Coast are also planning some cool little tidbits for fans of video games in general to enjoy when they are playing the game.
Announced at PAX East earlier this week, the Wizards of the Coast have said that Magic 2015 will feature 14 guest-designed cards. And not just any guests either; accompanying the announcement at PAX, the Genesis Hydra card designed by George Fan (yes, George Fan, designer of Plants vs Zombies) was shown off. Of course, there are another 13 famous names to join Fan’s contribution including:
- George Fan: designer of Plants vs Zombies
- Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkins: Gabe and Tycho, creators of Penny Arcade
- Markus Persson: “Notch,” creator of Minecraft and founder of Mojang
- Richard Garriot: “Lord British,” creator of the Ultima series
- David Sirlin: designer on Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Yomi
- Rob Pardo: chief creative officer at Blizzard, lead designer of World of Warcraft
- Isaiah Cartwright: lead game designer for Guild Wars 2
- Justin Gary: designer of Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer and Solforge
- Stone Librande: lead designer at Riot Games, designer of Diablo 3, creative director of SimCity
- Brian Fargo: founder and CEO of inXile Entertainment, director of Bard’s Tale, Wasteland, executive producer of Fallout
- Mike Neumann: Gearbox Software, creative director on Borderlands
- James Ernest: owner and lead designer for Cheapass Games, designer of Kill Doctor Lucky
- Edmund McMillen: indie designer of Super Meat Boy, featured in Indie Game: The Movie
- Brad Muir: game designer at Double Fine Productions leading Massive Chalice, project lead on Iron Brigade
That’s a pretty impressive list, to say the least. To top it off, there is going to be one more card included in Magic 2015 which was created by the Magic community during the “You Make the Card” event. I think it’s pretty cool that the Wizards of the Coast are including these custom designed cards in Magic 2015, and while they might not particularly add anything specific to the actual gameplay, it’s always cool to see that there are so many people in the gaming community supporting one of the most timeless trading card games.
What do you think about these custom designed cards? Are you more tempted to get Magic 2015 now? Let us know what your thoughts are.
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Google’s digital art prize winner is a poem you control with your body
Google asked artists to prove that code could be beautiful with its DevArt competition, and hundreds delivered on that promise. However, there can only be one winner: The Metamorphosis of Mr. Kalia, a visual poem from Cyril Diagne and Béatrice Lartigue. The project lets you use your body movement to control Mr. Kalia as he undergoes strange, symbolic transformations throughout his life. Metamorphosis is using little more than a standard Kinect sensor to track your motion and send it to a Chrome browser, so it’s easy to both play with and set up — it even works over a basic internet connection.
The win gives the creators both £25,000 ($42,000) as well as an exhibition at London’s Barbican, where it will sit alongside commissioned digital artwork starting on July 3rd. It’s doubtful that you’ll have an opportunity to see this in person, but the good news is that you can try it yourself. In addition to the video you see here, you’ll find both the code and guidelines below — it’s possible to produce your own masterpiece at home.
Source: DevArt
Titanfall pushes Xbox One sales to 5 million total, but it can’t pass PlayStation
Sony and Microsoft’s console sales were neck and neck for awhile, but the gap is starting to widen: according to the latest NPD numbers, Sony is winning the race. Yesterday, the Japanese hardware manufacturer announced that it has moved more than seven million PlayStation 4s worldwide — today Microsoft countered with a total of five million, trailing Sony in both monthly and lifelong sales. A stark difference, sure, but it’s not all bad: the Xbox exclusive Titanfall is the industry’s top-selling title right now, and the second highest selling for the platform overall. The new console is also outpacing the Xbox 360′s first-year sales by more than 60 percent; it’s doing well, it’s just not top dog. The latest inFamous game (a PS4 exclusive) ranked the second highest selling game for the month of March, followed by multiplatform titles like South Park: The Stick of Truth, Call of Duty Ghosts and Dark Souls II.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony, Microsoft
Via: Joystiq
Source: Xbox
RunKeeper gets into the step-tracking game with Breeze
When it comes to being fit, it’s really the small stuff that counts. You can go to the gym as much as you want, run five miles every morning — but if you eat like crap, drive yourself to the corner store and take the elevator every morning to your 2nd floor office, it’ll be all for naught. RunKeeper can already help track each training session as you make your way from couch to 5K, now it’s trying to motivate you to keep moving between runs with Breeze. The iOS-only app uses the iPhone 5s’ M7 chip to track your movements and count the number of steps you take. Of course, pedometer apps are quickly becoming a dime a dozen. Breeze attempts to set itself apart through simplicity and minimizing user interaction.
The biggest part of the app are its notifications. If you’re sedentary for too long a motivating message pops up to get you off your ass. Every morning you’ll get a daily goal pushed to your phone and you’ll get an occasional status update to let you know how close you’re getting. It can even map out when the most active parts of your day are and where you are at those times. It’s not all notifications though, there is an actual app that you can launch and poke around in. The UI is stunningly simple, making it easy for the uninitiated to find their way around. But you won’t find the same depth of features and reporting here that you would with companion apps designed for wearables like Fitbit and the Jawbone UP.
RunKeeper is already planning for the future as well. The company is promising that its flagship activity tracker will integrate with Breeze. And while only the iPhone 5s is supported at the moment, other devices are on the horizon. Though we have no specifics about what phones will be supported or when.
Source: RunKeeper
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