Chrome OS adds pinch-to-zoom for regular users, Pixel owners rejoice
When Google launched the Chromebook Pixel, we weren’t really sure what to make of the premium device’s touchscreen. Sure, finger-friendly displays were trendy, but Chrome OS just wasn’t asking for the technologies: it didn’t feature many touch apps, the laptop didn’t launch with a gesture update and user’s couldn’t even pinch-zoom web pages. Now, that’s changing — to go along with more touch-enabled Chromebooks now on sale, the latest update to Chrome OS’ stable channel adds a touch-enabled window manager and pinch/zoom webpage scaling.
[Image credit: François Beaufort]
The updated touch features have been around for a while, but Chrome OS users had to be on the “Canary” release channel to play around with the system’s unfinished features until recently. Google’s also been experimenting with a on-screen keyboard for some time. Put together, these features could make Chrome OS a viable options for tablets (and in the near future, convertibles like Lenovo’s Yoga), though Google hasn’t announced anything of that nature. Check out the company’s official update notes at the source link below.
Source: Chrome Releases Blog
Wii U update lets you shop without the gamepad, enables system transfer
Thinking of upgrading from that basic Wii U system to the deluxe 32GB package? Now you can — the latest system update for Nintendo’s tablet-toting console allows users to transfer data between systems… but it does so in a rather odd way. Rather than allowing users to sign out of their Nintendo Network ID account on their old console and simply log on to a new one, Nintendo’s system transfer process requires both Wii U systems to be simultaneously running in the same place at the same time. On the 3DS, this was an easy proposition, but for a home console like the Wii U, well, the solution seems a bit inelegant.
The update also updates the Nintendo eShop to allow navigation with the Wii Remote, Wii U Pro Controller or Classic Controller. This seems minor, but it’s actually a very convenient fix: until now, the Wii U digital store could only be navigated using the Wii U GamePad controller, despite having full button controls that would have translated well to the optional Wii U Pro Controller. It’s a good change — now if only Nintendo could bring the same controller compatibly to the console’s virtual Wii menu. In Japan, the update also adds support for NFC payments via Suica card, which is commonly used in convenience stores and train stations.
Source: Nintendo
Anti-surveillance advocates want you to run an open, secure WiFi router
Plenty of WiFi routers have guest modes for visitors; some companies base their entire business models around them. Many of these devices are full of security holes, however, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation doesn’t see that as acceptable in an era where widespread government surveillance is a fact of life. To fix this, it has posted a very early version of custom-built open router firmware that promises both easy access and security. While there is a guest mode, the new firmware (based on the existing CenoWRT) should patch common exploits that leave your home network vulnerable. It will even fetch signatures for updates through the anonymizing Tor network to prevent rogue code from posing as a necessary upgrade.
It’s not all about locking down your access point — there are some conveniences, too. You can limit the bandwidth guests use so that they don’t kill your own connection, and there’s “state-of-the-art” network queuing to make sure that video chats and other lag-sensitive services work as expected. The EFF is also promising ease of use, although you’ll have deep control if you’re handy with a command prompt.
Just watch out before you leap in. The new firmware only works on Netgear’s WNDR3800 so far, and it’s characterized as a “hacker alpha release” that will almost certainly be laden with bugs. Really, this is for developers who want to help the EFF fulfill its dreams of creating a best-of-all-worlds WiFi hotspot. If you’re one of those tinkerer types, you can check out the project at the source link.
Filed under: Networking
Via: Hack A Day
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
‘Destiny’ on PS3 is like the PS4 version but blurrier
While a bunch of the hype surrounding the Destiny beta is how great developer Bungie’s latest shooter looks running on the PlayStation 4, gamers on last-gen hardware have been playing through the weekend too. Based on the video that Digital Foundry put together (embedded below), the PlayStation 3 version expectedly doesn’t stack up next to its current-gen counterpart, but it doesn’t look terrible, either. If I were to describe it in one word, it’d be “softer.” The tech-centric outlet notes that while the levels themselves remain the same the overall shape and size, set dressing like foliage and rocks are less dense (and in some cases, completely missing), and lighting is less complex as well. Most impactful, possibly, is the PS3 game’s native resolution. While the PS4 version runs at a native 1920×1080, or 1080p, Destiny on Sony’s previous console is running at 1024×624 (sub-720p) — roughly 30 percent the total pixel count of its current-gen cousin.
The biggest victim? Shadow detail, as evidenced in this thread on NeoGAF. The amount of enemies onscreen, however, apparently doesn’t drop so there should be parity between the two versions in terms of how the game actually plays.
Considering that the PS3 is almost eight years old at this point, however, it’s kind of a miracle that it’s even capable of playing something like Destiny to begin with. And given that there are likely well over 80 million PS3s in the wild at this point and, as of April, only seven million PS4s, it makes sense for developers to continue supporting previous hardware. Take this April’s Watch Dogs and next year’s Mortal Kombat X, for example.
What about you: is Destiny the game you’re upgrading to a new console for (maybe even a white PS4), or hasn’t anything on Sony’s latest or the Xbox One caught your eye yet? The beta is down for maintenance now anyway, so you should have plenty of time to leave us a note!
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Eurogamer
Source: YouTube
Apple Launches New ‘The Notebook People Love’ MacBook Air Ad
Apple has launched a new television ad for the MacBook Air, showing off an array of customizable decals placed over the Apple symbol on the back of the notebook.
Decals shown include various sunglasses, hats, and headphones, along with nods to Breaking Bad, Peanuts, Ice Age, Snow White, Pac Man, Chi the Cat, The Simpsons, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Tasmanian Devil, Hello Kitty, Catwoman, and Mickey Mouse.
There are also cameras, record players, trees, faces, cityscapes, planets, scuba divers, 8-bit games, a variety of abstract designs and patterns, and more, plus a Beats logo. The new ad, first noticed by 9to5Mac has not yet been uploaded by Apple, so there is no official video as of yet.
The new spot ends with a side view of the MacBook Air and the tagline “The notebook people love.”
Apple’s MacBook Air, last refreshed in April of 2014, is known for its portability and ultrathin size, weighing in at 2.38 pounds for the 11-inch model and 2.96 pounds for the 13-inch model. The MacBook Air is also Apple’s most affordable notebook, with prices beginning at $899.
Apple Preparing Between 70 and 80 Million 4.7 and 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Units to Meet High Consumer Demand
Apple is asking its suppliers to manufacture a massive number of 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones in anticipation of high consumer demand, reports The Wall Street Journal. The company is seeking between 70 and 80 million units combined of the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 by December, its largest order to date and a major jump from last year, where it ordered between 50 and 60 million iPhone 5s and 5c models.
Its forecast for what is commonly called the iPhone 6 is significantly larger than the initial order last year of between 50 million and 60 million versions of the iPhone 5S and 5C–which had a display measuring 4-inches diagonally, these people said. Both of the coming models are expected to feature metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S and likely come in multiple colors, these people said.
With high iPhone 6 numbers, Apple is likely hoping to avoid the supply/demand crisis it saw last year with the iPhone 5s. After the iPhone 5s launched in September of 2013, Apple saw unexpectedly high demand for the flagship device, likely due to its new Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The phone was in short supply for much of 2013, and Tim Cook later admitted that Apple had expected a more balanced demand between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c.
4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 mockups compared to iPhone 5s
Demand for the iPhone 6 will likely be extremely high, as it marks both a redesign and the introduction of a larger screen, a long-awaited feature that could cause a massive spike in upgrades from both iPhone upgraders and those switching from Android. According to analyst estimates, Apple could see a 15 to 20 percent jump in unit sales year over year.
Apple partners Foxconn and Pegatron are said to be hiring massive numbers of new employees to help assemble the iPhone 6, with main supplier Foxconn taking on an additional 100,000 employees and Pegatron adding 10,000.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is expected to enter production in July, while production on the 5.5-inch version will begin in August or September. At this time, it remains unclear if the two iPhone 6 models will launch simultaneously, as rumors have suggested production issues may push back the launch of the 5.5-inch iPhone to late 2014 or early 2015.
In-cell display technology for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 has been said to be causing significant problems and The Wall Street Journal suggests there may be additional complications if the larger device also uses a sapphire display. Apple is reportedly asking component makers to prepare enough parts for up to 120 million iPhone 6 models in order to compensate for high failure rates.
Engadget Daily: Facebook Save, Apollo 11’s voyage to the moon and more!
Today, we archive posts with Facebook Save, remember Apollo 11′s voyage to the moon, take a look at a Chromecast hack and ponder Whirlpool’s new machine called Swash. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Facebook’s new Save feature lets you read top ten lists later
Don’t have the time to catch up on every baby picture and Buzzfeed ‘quiz’ in your Facebook feed? Of course you don’t. But thanks to a new feature called Save, users can now archive music, links and more for later viewing.
What you need to know about the Apollo 11 moon landing
Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the lunar surface. Read on for everything you need to know about Apollo 11′s historic voyage to our planet’s moon.
Whirlpool’s new machine freshens your clothes in 10 minutes flat
Do you hate ironing you clothes enough to spend $499? If so, take a look at Swash, Whirlpool’s new machine that eliminates wrinkles and freshens your clothes, all in under ten minutes.
Pranksters can hijack your Chromecast to show whatever they want
Google’s media streamer is extremely configurable, but unfortunately, it’s also hackable. Dan Petro’s proof-of-concept Rickmote Controller hijacks others’ Chromecasts, effectively blasting them with non-stop Rick Astley tunes.
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Filed under: Misc
Italy tells Google it has 18 months to change how it handles your data
Google has already drawn fire from various European nations for allegedly violating users’ privacy through its unified data policy, but Italy is more than willing to join the fray. The country’s data protection agency has given Google 18 months to obey local laws and change how it handles your personal info. The crew in Mountain View now has to get your permission before it creates a profile; it also has two months to honor any requests to delete your data on active servers, and six months to scrub that content from backups.
Google tells Reuters that it’s going to comply with the new rules, and it should have a roadmap on officials’ desks by late September. Not that it has much choice but to act — while the internet giant can easily afford potential fines, it’s no doubt eager to avoid the agony of a criminal case. However quickly the company springs into action, the new requirements will likely be welcome by privacy-minded Italians who’d rather not give Google a detailed picture of what they’re doing online.
[Image credit: George Kyriazis, Flickr]
Via: Reuters
Source: Garanteprivacy.it (translated)
Amazon’s new games show what only the Fire Phone can do
Looks like Amazon plans to take advantage of the Fire phone’s head-tracking tech at every turn, so it put its Game Studio to work developing two new titles especially for the device. The first one called Saber’s Edge is a strategic pirate puzzle game, while the other, called To-Fu Fury, is a puzzle platformer (think ‘Splosion Man) that stars a tofu martial artist. They sound like funny, typical mobile games, other than the fact that they support the Fire phone’s “Dynamic Perspective” feature that tracks the movements of a user’s head. Sadly, you can’t exactly control the games by moving your noggin (that might sound silly, but at least that’ll make the games truly unique), but you can peek around the corners to see hidden obstacles or bonuses. Of course, you can always just tilt the phone if you don’t want to look silly in public. If you don’t mind the games’ limited support for the feature, you can grab em for $1.99 each — but only if you’re also getting the Fire Phone, which starts shipping this week.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Amazon
Source: Amazon Games
Intel Launches New Core i5, i7 Haswell Processors Possibly Slated for Retina MacBook Pro Refresh
Intel yesterday launched new Haswell processors designed for high-end notebooks, which could be slated for use in an upcoming refresh of the 13 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro models.
As detailed by CPU World, Intel has released three new Core i5 chips and three new Core i7 chips that are all successors to the chips currently used in the 13 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros. The new processors provide a modest 200 MHz speed boost over existing Haswell chips.
The Core i7-4770HQ chip at 2.2 GHz is a direct replacement for the Core i7-4750 used in the lower-end 2.0 GHz 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, while the Core i7-4870HQ chip at 2.5 GHz is a direct replacement for the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro’s existing Core i7-4850 chip at 2.3 GHz. The Core i7-4980HQ chip at 2.8 GHz replaces the high-end build-to-order Core-i7 4960 processor at 2.6 GHz.
As for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros, the Core-i5 4278U, the Core i5-4308U, and the Core i7-4578U all offer the same 200 MHz jump over the existing Core i5-4258, Core i5-4288, and Core i7-4558 used in the three processors available for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, bringing the low-end up to 2.6 GHz, the mid tier to 2.8 GHz, and the high-end build-to-order option to 3.0 GHz.
Earlier this year, an Intel roadmap revealed direct Haswell successors for the MacBook Air and the iMac, but at the time, there did not appear to be any chips available for a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro update. The chips in the roadmap designed for the MacBook Air were used in the April refresh as we expected, and the newly released chips are likely destined for an upcoming Retina MacBook Pro update.
As these chips only offer a small 200MHz boost over existing chips, the fall Retina MacBook Pro refresh that has been previously rumored is likely to be only a minor update. A major Retina MacBook Pro update is unlikely until Intel’s Broadwell chips are ready in 2015.
Last week, a rumor suggested redesigned 11 and 13-inch MacBook Air models were slated to enter production in August, but it is unclear what chips those machines might utilize as Intel has not yet released another set of Haswell chips suitable for a MacBook Air refresh.
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