Weekends with Engadget: E3 2014, getting sweaty with Sony’s Project Morpheus and more!
This week, we stormed the floors of E3 2014, interviewed Shuhei Yoshida and Phil Spencer, took Sony’s Project Morpheus for a test-run and watched Amazon launch its Prime Music streaming service. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last seven days. Oh, and be sure to subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
Getting sweaty with the future of Sony’s virtual reality
Sony wants to be the one to take VR mainstream, but according to its senior director of R&D Richard Marks, that push won’t happen in 2014. Read on as our own Joseph Volpe investigates the company’s plans for Project Morpheus and, of course, takes the headset for a spin.
What you need to know about commercial drones
Drones have the potential to fundamentally change certain businesses and industries, so why aren’t the skies filled with commercialized UAVs? Well, mostly because they’re illegal. Read on as our own Steve Dent discusses the ABCs of drone flight in the US.
Xbox at E3 2014: an interview with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer
This week’s Xbox press conference was 90 minutes of games and more games, but that’s not to say Microsoft doesn’t have other irons in the fire. Watch our interview with Xbox head Phil Spencer as we discuss VR, Xbox 360 gaming on the One and more.
Open-world ‘Zelda’ game heading to Wii U in 2015
This week at E3, Eiji Aonuma announced that Nintendo’s reviving the exploratory essence of the original Legend of Zelda with a new, open-world title. This time, Link has new duds, better weapons and can go wherever he pleases.
Honeywell’s Lyric thermostat has the looks and smarts to take on Nest
Honeywell, the original thermostat manufacturer, announced this week that it’s taking on Nest with a brand new model called Lyric. The cylindrical device packs a proximity sensor and full connectivity via its own Android and iOS apps. What’s more, it will be available at the start of August for $279.
What you need to know about the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)
Earlier this week, we joined thousands of developers, publishers and video game fanatics in Los Angeles, California for one of the biggest industry trade shows in the world: the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Read on for everything you need to know about this gigantic three-day event.
PlayStation at E3 2014: an interview with Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida
This week at E3, our own Ben Gilbert sat down with Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida to discuss PlayStation Now. Launching as an open beta later this summer, the game-streaming service is just the beginning of Sony’s initiative to bring PlayStation games to many devices.
What you need to know about Amazon Prime Music
It looks like the glut of rumors were true: Earlier this week, Amazon launched its very own music streaming service. Exclusive to Prime members, Prime Music brings adless access to over a million tunes via the Amazon Music app.
How I got stabbed in the chest at E3 2014 (an Oculus Rift tale)
Demos are a thing of the past: Oculus Rift’s second development kit was running full-on games at E3 2014, and Ben Gilbert was there to take part in the action. He also got (virtually) stabbed in the chest by an alien.
Powerbeats2 are Beats by Dre’s first wireless earbuds
Beats by Dre is now in the wireless headset business. Dubbed the Powerbeats2, these cord-cutting $199 buds feature an adjustable hook-over-the-ear design and boast six hours of battery life. What’s more, you don’t have to worry about getting overly sweaty at the gym thanks to its IPX4 water resistance.
Toyota’s LED-lit concept car lets your kids customize the hood
If you complained about your family’s drab-looking car when you were a kid, you’re going to love the latest incarnation of Toyota’s Camatte concept. The vehicle lets children (and creative adults) customize the look by translating their drawings to nearly 7,000 LED lights on the hood; you could change styles at a moment’s notice without having to swap panels (as with the 2012 Camatte) or break out some paint. There’s no word on the possibility of this technology reaching production models, although we wouldn’t count on it in the near future — even if higher energy consumption isn’t a factor, a light-up hood could get quite expensive. Still, Camatte raises hope that cars will one day be as unique as their drivers.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Toyota
Watch Jiro dream of sushi with Hulu’s latest movie additions
Hulu is building up its fledgling collection of art house movies this weekend with a deal to offer Magnolia Pictures’ catalog. The team-up lets both regular and Hulu Plus viewers watch a slew of full-length features that might have slipped under the radar, such as Game of Thrones director Neil Marshall’s swords-and-sandals flick Centurion. The near future should bring a host of well-known (if not always popular) titles like Jiro Dreams of Sushi, 13 Assassins and Freakonomics. This isn’t a huge expansion of Hulu’s library, but it may be just the ticket if you’re eager to catch up on more than just TV this weekend.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Hulu Blog
Get features from the OnePlus One and CyanogenMod 11S on your device
It may be hard to come across an invite to buy the OnePlus One featuring the special edition CyanogenMod ROM, CM11S, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get some of the best features now.
The source code for the device has been released and a system dump has showed up online, so you can try out many of the apps, in addition to downloading the boot animation.
Over at XDA Developers forum, member iH8ra!n uploaded a system dump from CyanogenMod 11S build KVT49L_XNPH22Q, “a complete firmware dump of the OnePlus One” as well as some Nexus 4 compatible CM11S applications. iH8ra!n tested all of the apps on a Nexus 4, running the latest CM 11 nightly and said that all are working. It was also noted that you should be running a CM 11 build compiled on or after May 8, 2014.
Some of the apps include CameraNext, GalleryNext, Screencast, the Hexo theme (there are two APKs, one for the icons, the other for everything else such as the wallpaper, font, etc.) and the theme store, Theme Showcase. The app APKs are uploaded to Google Drive and can be downloaded here.
Not all of the apps worked on my Nexus 4 running the latest nightly, but the new CM camera is one that worked that’s pretty great and I’ve used the Hexo theme and GalleryNext.
If you would like to install the new Cyanogen boot animation, there are flashable .zip files at the source link below, as well as flashable zips for the apps if you would like to install them that way. Make sure when flashing the boot animation you download the right one for your device, according to your device’s screen resolution.
Although I wasn’t able to test them on another device, some may be able to be used on other devices, but that’s all up to you guys to try.
VIA: XDA
The post Get features from the OnePlus One and CyanogenMod 11S on your device appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Try these CyanogenMod wallpapers to liven up your custom Android experience
We all get sick of our wallpapers after a while and need a change. For the most part, the wallpapers included with CyanogenMod ROMs haven’t changed a ton.
Here are a few CM wallpapers that I found and used over the last year, most were found from people sharing them on Google+.
Enjoy!
The post Try these CyanogenMod wallpapers to liven up your custom Android experience appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung Galaxy F (S5 Prime) leaked showing possible release date
Details of a device which is suspected to be the premium version of the Galaxy S5, dubbed the Samsung Galaxy F or Galaxy S5 Prime, have been surfacing lately leading to belief that such a device actually exists.
The latest leak comes courtesy of @evleaks again which looks very much like a Galaxy S5 from the front, but shows what appears to be a a metal rear cover, or at least what looks like a metal cover which could easily be metal-looking plastic. However, given the S5 Prime is supposed to be a premium device, it is suspected to be a high-end metal back.
Further information on the leak seems to stem from the date shown on the screenshot which may suggest a release date. Press images tend to show the date in which the device will become available and this one shows 12th September (which is actually a Friday) and is two days after the IFA electronics show.
Whilst any leak must be taken with precaution, and especially any speculation of release date from a static date on an image, the Galaxy S5 Prime may have just been confirmed together with it’s release date.
The post Samsung Galaxy F (S5 Prime) leaked showing possible release date appeared first on AndroidGuys.
You can now tour baseball’s hallowed halls through Google Street View
So far, you’ve had to swing by Cooperstown to pay homage at the National Baseball Hall of Fame — not very practical if you’re a West coast fan. Thankfully, you can honor those sports legends from home now that the Hall of Fame and its museum have landed in Google’s Cultural Institute. The addition lets you browse through the museum’s classic jerseys and other memorabilia in Street View. If you’d rather not do the virtual legwork, there are two photo galleries that show how baseball has evolved over the decades. It’s doubtful that a virtual trip will evoke as much nostalgia as the real thing, but it’s certainly easier than booking a flight.
Via: Google+
Source: Google Cultural Institute
This purple, talking box can save you from an accidental prescription overdose
How’s this for a crazy statistic: according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more people die each year from drug overdoses than car accidents — and 70 percent of those deaths are caused by legally prescribed medication. Kaleo, a pharmaceutical firm, hopes it can change that. It’s creating a device called Evzio, a small, easy to use drug delivery system that can safely administer a life-saving dose of naloxone. This device could save the lives of thousands of patients who have been prescribed legal opiates to treat pain. Not sure how to use it? Don’t worry about it: it talks.
Typically, anti-overdose medications need to be administered via injection — but that’s not practical for home use. Many patients are afraid of needles, and the process of properly filling and using a syringe isn’t exactly user friendly. That’s why Kaleo equipped its device with not only clearly written instructions, but a voice: Evzio verbally tells users how to use it properly.
It sounds a little unconventional, but the company says it paid off: trials with the device showed that 90 percent of patients will be able to administer a life-saving dose correctly without having ever seen it before. Best of all, its not something patients will have to wait long for, either: doctors will be able to prescribe this at-home solution as early as this summer.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Wired
BMW and Mini make it easier for GoPro to record your road adventures
Sure, you can use GoPro with any car you want, but BMW and Mini owners will have an easier time controlling the device from inside their cars. Why? Because the action camera’s now tightly integrated with BMW’s infotainment system. When you pair up the two, you’d be able to configure the camera, choose from six pre-set modes and start and stop recordings right on the in-car system’s screen. The partnership comes with a few limitations, though: it only works on 2012 or newer BMW and Mini models loaded with BMW Apps or MINI Connected option, and you need to use a WiFi-connected GoPro — in other words, HERO3+ models. Also, you’ll need to connect an iPhone (4 or later) to the vehicle via a USB cable, because the camera can only communicate with the entertainment suite through GoPro’s iOS app. Come to think of it, that’s quite a lengthy list of requirements, but anything to record your on-road adventures, eh?
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Mobile
Via: Autoblog
Source: GoPro
Recommended Reading: sexist video games and origins of forensic science
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you’ll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.
Is ‘Assassin’s Creed’ Sexist? Is Link a Girl? And More Fun Questions From This Year’s E3
by Emily Yoshida, GrantlandPocket!function(d,i)if(!d.getElementById(i))var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);(document,”pocket-btn-js”);
The sad truth is, if Samus (the heavily armored hero in Metroid) made her debut today, her big reveal would probably be just as shocking today as it was in 1986. While attitudes towards women — even in the decidedly male-dominated world of gaming — have matured, putting a female protagonist in a video game is still something of a rarity. (And, if you believe representatives of Ubisoft, something of a technical challenge… but that feels disingenuous.) Emily Yoshida shares what it’s like to be a woman at E3, perhaps the most testosterone-drenched tech convention of the year.
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Murder in Miniature Forensic science is a field that is centuries old. But it wasn’t until the 1800s that it began to truly mature as a form of criminal investigation. And, if you ask some, it wasn’t until Frances Glessner Lee came along in the mid 20th century that our modern concept of it really took hold. The daughter of wealthy, but extremely conservative parents, Lee eventually earned the nickname “the mother of forensic investigation” after she used the family fortune to spread the gospel of “legal medicine.” Oh, and she built terrifyingly accurate recreations of crime scenes as training tools. Pocket!function(d,i)if(!d.getElementById(i))var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);(document,”pocket-btn-js”); |
Partial Recall Remember that movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Well, what if we told you it could become very real one day? Researchers like Daniela Schiller have begun to crack the complex molecular code that make up memories. But Schiller, like many in her field don’t want to simply blast away painful memories. Instead they want to break the chemical bonds between traumatic experiences and the emotional pain that surfaces when recalling them. In essence to rewrite, rather than erase, our memories. Pocket!function(d,i)if(!d.getElementById(i))var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);(document,”pocket-btn-js”); |
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The Nightmare on Connected Home Street Ten years down the road there’s a good chance almost everything in your home will be connected to the internet. Your alarm clock, your locks even your coffee machine. Of course, the connected home offers plenty of convenience, but there’s also terrible risk. Mat Honan lets his imagination run wild and explores a worst case scenario where entire neighborhoods get computer viruses that put poltergeists to shame. Pocket!function(d,i)if(!d.getElementById(i))var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);(document,”pocket-btn-js”); |
The 25 year journey of Wasteland 2 Before there was Fallout, there was Wasteland, the original post-apocalyptic RPG. Despite being both a critical darling and a commercial success when it was released in 1988, attempts at a sequel failed to come to fruition. Roughly 25 years later the creator of the landmark title, Brian Fargo turned to Kickstarter to give his magnum opus the proper follow up it deserved. |
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