Engadget Daily: IBM’s brain-like chip, SexFit’s sensual wearable and more!
Today, we break down the ins and outs of NFL Now, learn about SexFit’s sensual wearable, investigate IBM’s incredibly powerful SyNAPSE chip, ponder Siri for Mac and more. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.
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Twitch CEO apologizes for how new policies rolled out, says improvements are coming
When game-broadcasting service Twitch announced yesterday that it was making some major changes to how it operates, well, it wasn’t pretty. To do some damage control CEO Emmett Shear took to Reddit in the form of an AMA today in an effort to bring a bit of transparency to the whole situation. First and foremost, the perhaps most controversial new aspect (audio muting with unlicensed music) will not affect live broadcasts. It won’t have any bearing on games with original compositions, either. However, that archived stream of you driving from one end of Grand Theft Auto V’s San Andreas to the other, top down, Rebel Radio blaring, is almost assuredly going to be muted. As one Reddit commenter pointed out, this will have dire consequences on something like expert-difficulty play-through videos from the Rock Band series, which are incredibly dependent on copyrighted music, for instance.
Shear was candid about how Twitch mucked up the lack of communication ahead of time, in general, specifically noting the aforementioned music issue and the immediate shutdown of the general-purpose streaming service Justin.tv. He said that by giving some breathing room between announcing and implementing changes to the video on demand (VOD) service, his team has already been able to make changes to yesterday’s proposal. For example, the two-hour time limit imposed on highlight reels is going by the wayside. He promised a forthcoming blog post detailing any additional changes, too. And if you’re curious as to just what these new rules and regulations are building toward, Shear teased that accessing its countless gigabytes of stored footage on every platform (instead of just live broadcasts) could be coming in the future — unlike a confirmation on that undying Google rumor.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Recode
Source: Reddit
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1440p Option Showing Up for LG G3 Users
Good news for those of you who decided to pick up the LG G3 and all of its quad HD screen glory. Users are reporting that the YouTube app is now giving them the option of selecting 1440p as a quality option. I was able to verify this on my own LG G3 today also. No word… Read more »
The post 1440p Option Showing Up for LG G3 Users appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Facebook wants to get Hollywood directors and studios interested in the Oculus Rift
Those virtual reality tie-ins that were all the rage at Comic-Con (Pacific Rim, X-Men, Sleepy Hollow) could just be the tip of the iceberg for the Oculus Rift. Judging by the response they garnered the partnership seems like a no-brainer, and The Information reports that Oculus’ new owner Facebook has been meeting with studio execs and individual directors to create special content for the headset. Even though we’ve already seen examples of how to bring recorded video and live events to VR from companies like Next 3D, the focus here seems to be on companion shorts to start. That’s just one way Zuckerberg & Co. can recoup their $2 billion investment, the only question now is what can Hollywood dream up to take advantage of the headset’s immersiveness — and keep from wasting the opportunity as its done so often with tech like 3D and IMAX.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Facebook
Source: The Information
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The Big Picture: Zipper-fastened kaleidoscopic architecture
Ever looked into a kaleidoscope and wished you could just climb right inside? Well, unless you were willing to sip from the ayahuasca cup, you were fresh outta luck — until now. The installation you see above is a project by Masakazu Shirane and Saya Miyazaki called “Wink,” their entry into Kobe Biennial’s Art Container Contest. The kaleidoscope concept uses mirrors (in keeping with Sir David Brewster‘s classic), but is also held together by zippers. Shirane and Miyazaki claim this makes it the first “architecture” based on zippers; proving you can create an adaptable, reconfigurable space using the same tech found in your pants. The installation — housed inside a shipping container — isn’t all about dazzling mirrors, either. The duo claim it has eco-implications too. “This idea could solve global environmental problems, because it is easy to exchange only a part with a zipper.”
Filed under: Misc
Via: Spoon Tamago
Source: A’Design
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1Password for iOS/Mac Gets Price Cut Ahead of Upcoming Free iOS 8 Update [iOS Blog]
AgileBits today announced that its upcoming 1Password update for iOS 8 will be distributed to existing 1Password users for free. In the past, significant updates have occasionally required users to purchase a new version of the app, but that will not be the case with the major iOS 8 update.
In iOS 8, 1Password will take advantage of several new APIs, such as app extensions and third-party Touch ID access. These APIs will give the app impressive new capabilities as seen in a recent demo video where 1Password is activated using Touch ID and then accessed in Safari.
Unlocking 1Password‘s master password with Touch ID will be a huge time saver for users, as will being able to automatically input saved passwords in Safari and other apps via app extensions using the built-in share sheet. AgileBits recently added a 1Password App Extension on Github, which means many third-party app developers will be able to integrate 1Password into their apps ahead of iOS 8′s release.
In addition to announcing that its iOS 8 update will be free, AgileBits has also discounted 1Password both 1Password for iOS and Mac.
EVEN MORE good news: To help everyone get more secure online with strong, unique passwords for all their accounts, we’re putting 1Password for iOS on sale for just $9.99! For how long? We’re not sure yet, so act fast and spread the word. Bonus points: our upcoming update for iOS 8 will be free to existing owners!
AgileBits has been releasing beta versions of 1Password for iOS 8 since shortly after the operating system was released to developers, which means the major iOS 8 update should come just after iOS 8 is available to the public. iOS 8 is expected to see its public release in September, after the iPhone 6 is unveiled on September 9.
1Password can be downloaded from the App Store for $9.99 for a limited time. [Direct Link]
1Password for Mac has also been discounted by $10, to $34.99, also for a limited time. [Direct Link]
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AMD is preparing to enter the SSD business
With all the computing components AMD makes already, it’s still hard to believe the company has yet to explore the solid-state drive space. But that’s about to chance soon — it looks like AMD’s finally ready to get into the business of making SSDs. Not surprisingly, the chip maker is bringing its new SSD line to market under the renowned Radeon R7 brand, perhaps hoping that becomes an incentive for potential customers. These solid-state drives, which AMD says are geared toward PC gamers, will be available in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB flavors, while the advertised read and write speeds appear to be on par with similar offerings from competitors like Samsung. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to compare any further, since AMD won’t be announcing the price of its Radeon R7 SSDs until they launch “later this year.”
[Image credit: Associated Press]
Filed under: Desktops, Misc, Laptops
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Microsoft wants you to say farewell to ye olde Internet Explorer
Microsoft seriously wants users let go of older Internet Explorers and move on — so much so that the company has even set a deadline. Starting on January 12, 2016, Microsoft will stop issuing security updates and providing tech support for any IE browser other than the most recent one (that’s IE 11, for the unaware). In a recent post on the IEBlog, Redmond listed a number of reasons why people should upgrade their browsers, including improved security, as IE 11 is more equipped to protect users from vulnerabilities compared to older versions. The company also explained that its latest browser is faster than its predecessors, and that website and app developers will be able to work more efficiently if everyone stops using ancient browsers that don’t support modern web standards.
In an effort to help make the transition easier, the company even listed a number of browser migration resources in the post. Enterprise customers who need to keep using web apps designed for older browsers, however, won’t have to worry about the 2016 cutoff. IE 11′s new Enterprise Mode provides backwards compatibility with legacy web apps and will continue working throughout the lifecycle of the computer’s operating system.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
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Yelp’s iOS app now translates reviews you don’t understand
Itching to squeeze in a last minute summer holiday? You may want to bring Yelp’s updated iOS app with you as you traipse through the streets of Stockholm — it now lets you translate foreign reviews on the fly with just a touch, thanks to a little help from Microsoft’s Bing Translator. That means that reviews and recommendations left in any of the 15 languages Yelp supports (English, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, French, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish and Japanese, if you were curious) are now fair game, perfect for making sure you don’t venture into the wrong kebab joint.
If all this sounds just a little dicey, well, you may be onto something. The end results are all machine translated, so expect them to be lacking in the nuance and subtlety departments. Still, as Yelp points out on its blog, even rough translations can be enough to give a savvy traveler a sense of a spot’s worthiness, and there’s no such thing as too many opinions about lunch. Alas, Android fans can’t join the fun just yet: Yelp plans to bring this feature to you at some point soon, but the company didn’t get any more specific than that.
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Yelp Blog
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VSCO Cam for Android taps into its Grid for endless inspiration
Popular mobile photo-editing app VSCO Cam made its way to Android back in December, and now the preset-driven option has reached version 3.0. On top of adding the free VSCO Grid image showcase that’s already included in the iOS version, you can now search and follow fellow photogs posting images there. What’s more, updated sharing options make it easy to share what you find in that library and tweaked privacy tools allow you to nix location settings to keep your locale private. And of course, there’s the usual UI and performance tweaks in this latest Visual Supply Co. release that’s now available for download via Google Play.
Source: VSCO, Google Play
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AIVAnet 