Intel and Google want your phone to see in 3D
Intel’s RealSense camera tech can sense and scan three-dimensional objects, while Google’s Project Tango sensors are adept at motion tracking and 3D-mapping. It just makes sense for the two to come together, which is exactly what was announced today at Intel’s Developer Forum. The two have developed a smartphone and software kit that integrates both RealSense and Project Tango technologies, as can be seen in the hardware prototype seen here. While this handset is strictly for developers at the moment, it offers a pretty good early look at what could potentially be in consumer phones later on. Slideshow-313608
At first glance, the RealSense and Tango collaboration looks like a pretty normal smartphone. It has a 6-inch QHD display and is a little on the hefty side at 8.2mm thick and weighing in at 165 grams. The version that I looked at was running Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, and I was told that it has an Intel Atom X5 processor inside. Flip it over however, and you get to see the physical manifestation of the Intel and Google marriage. There’s an array of sensors and cameras here that includes Intel’s RealSense R200 camera with a fish-eye lens and an 8-megapixel sensor. It also has a couple of RGB cameras, IR cameras that offer “stereoscopic matching” and a laser emitter to give texture to scanned objects.
An Intel spokesperson showed us a few demos of the hardware. At its most basic, you can use it to scan 3D objects and get three-dimensional portrayals of the environment in real-time simply by moving the phone around — it’s even able to map your movements with a breadcrumb trail. But because it also has motion-tracking, there’s a great potential for games. He showed us a cube stacking demo, where he could create virtual walls and barriers overlaid atop the real-world environment — sort of like an augmented reality Minecraft, if you will. Another demo that uses the depth sensor was a mesh builder built with the Unity engine. Using complicated peaks and valleys, he was able to recreate objects around the room, and then throw balls at them.
Last but not least, the Intel spokesperson showed us a demo called Tango Blaster, which lets you play a first-person shooter with a modified NERF gun. You can shoot at enemies as usual, but thanks to the phone’s motion-tracking and depth-sensing tech, you can seek cover by going behind walls and find new robots to shoot by moving your phone-equipped gun around.
“RealSense and Project Tango are really complimentary technologies,” said Michael Liu, a product manager for RealSense who was helping to demonstrate the tech. “The camera’s depth sensor works really well with Project Tango’s motion-tracking.” Interested developers will be able to snag one of the phones for themselves later this year, though it’s unclear on who much it’ll cost just yet. As for when we’ll see this in consumer hardware, it probably won’t be for awhile yet. But if the prototype I saw today was any indication, I wouldn’t be surprised if 3D-scanning phones are everywhere in the not-too-distant future.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Intel
Tags: idf2015, intel, projecttango, realsense
Microsoft patches up IE flaw that gives hackers access to your PC
Microsoft has issued a critical update to patch up an Internet Explorer hole that can give hackers access to your system. Hackers could create websites capable of exploiting the zero-day vulnerability — discovered by Google researcher Clement Lecigne — and get you to click on the URL via email or instant messenger. They will then get the same user rights you have, making the flaw more dangerous if you have administrative access or if you’re handling a server or a workstation. With admin powers, intruders can remotely install applications and steal your data.
You probably won’t have to do a thing if you’ve set up security updates to download automatically, but you can also download the fix from the company’s website. Microsoft recommends installing it for IE versions 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 — and yes, it’s advisable that you get it even if you’re on Windows 10 but too attached to IE to switch to Edge.
[Image credit: geekgiant/Flickr]
Via:
CSO Online, ZDNet
Source:
Microsoft
Tags: browser, internetexplorer, microsoft, securityflaw
Skype for Android gives you custom ringtones and photo forwarding
If you use Skype enough on your Android phone that you can’t always make heads or tails of who’s calling, today’s your day. An updated version of Skype for Android brings the same kind of contact-specific ringtones that you might be used to with conventional calls, so you’ll know if it’s a BFF or someone who can afford to wait. The same update will be handy if you can’t help but share pictures, for that matter — you can now forward the images you receive in chat, guaranteeing that those baby photos will reach the rest of your Skype-using family. Swing by Google Play if either of these new features happens to reel you in.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Source:
Skype, Google Play
Tags: android, InstantMessaging, internet, messaging, microsoft, mobilepostcross, skype, smartphone, voip
Google addressing Moto G issues with Android Auto
Both the 2015 Moto G and Android Auto are relatively new products, so it’s no surprise to see them showing some bugs and issues from time to time. But the real problem emerges when you try to mix the two together!
Reports around the web suggest many (not all) new Moto G users have been experiencing issues trying to connect their handsets to their Android Auto-equipped vehicles. If you are lucky enough to sport Google’s new infotainment system, this is pretty bad news. The system should work with any device running Lollipop or higher; what is the problem here, then? We are not sure quite yet, but the Moto G does come with Android 5.1.
When Moto G users try to connect, they will often get an error message that reads: “This device doesn’t support Android Auto”. It’s hard to tell what the discrepancy is, exactly, but at least now we know Google is working with Motorola to fix this. Such is what their latest update to the “known issues” list states.
Motorola Moto G
Android Auto doesn’t start on the Moto G. We’re working with Motorola on a solution.
Your Moto G/Android Auto hassles should be over soon enough. We have no ETA for the update, but at least Google is taking care of the issue. After all, the 2015 Moto G is bound to be a pretty popular handset! Wouldn’t want all these users running around without Android Auto support, especially as they try to push the new platform out there.
Want to learn more about the 2015 Moto G? Go ahead and read our full review on it. Likewise, you can catch all the details on Android Auto by checking out our Hyundai Sonata review.
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Humble PC & Android Bundle 13 launched with seven titles valued at $113
The newest fundraiser from Humble Bundle focuses on both PC and Android titles. The aptly named Humble PC & Android Bundle 13 currently offers four games for a donation of any amount. Donors exceeding the average gain at least three additional games.
Pay $1 or more to get:
- Crimsonland
- Neverending Nightmares
- Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians
- FOTONICA
Pay more than the average donation to get:
- TinyKeep
- Crowntakers
- Monster Loves You!
- Any added games…
The value of this bundle is set at $113 and will only grow as more titles are added.
As of Tuesday night, Humble Bundle has managed to sell nearly 22,000 bundles. With weeks to go until the bundle’s September 1 deadline, there are going to be thousands of bundles increasing that figure.
HUMBLE BUNDLE LAUNCHES NEW PC & ANDROID BUNDLE
The Humble PC & Android Bundle 13 supports the American Red Cross and EFF
San Francisco, Calif. – August 18, 2015 – Humble Bundle’s long running PC & Android bundle is back this week with popular titles from some of today’s top developers including Digital Tribe Games, Kalypso Media, Dejobaan Games, Radial Games, 10tons Ltd, Infinitap Games, THREAKS, Santa Ragione.
Customers can name their price for Crimsonland, Neverending Nightmares, Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians, and FOTONICA.
Those who pay more than the average price will also receive TinyKeep, Crowntakers, and Monster Loves You!
To see the full bundle, head to: https://www.humblebundle.com/.
That’s not all as additional titles will be unveiled mid-promotion on August 25.
As with all Humble Bundles, customers can choose how their purchase dollars are allocated, between the publisher and charity. The Humble PC & Android Bundle 13 supports the American Red Cross and EFF.
The Humble PC & Android Bundle 13 runs from now until Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
About Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle sells digital content through its pay-what-you-want bundle promotions and the Humble Store. When purchasing a bundle, customers choose how much they want to pay and decide where their money goes — between the content creators, charity, and Humble Bundle. Since the company’s launch in 2010, Humble Bundle has raised more than $62 million through the support of its community for a wide range of charities, providing aid for people across the world. For more information, please visit https://www.humblebundle.comAbout Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows.EFF is a donor-funded US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on your support to continue fighting for users. Additional information: https://www.eff.org/
About The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S. affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.Today, in addition to domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers services in five other areas: community services that help the needy; communications services and comfort for military members and their family members; the collection, processing and distribution of blood and blood products; educational programs on preparedness, health, and safety; and international relief and development programs. http://www.redcross.org.
Come comment on this article: Humble PC & Android Bundle 13 launched with seven titles valued at $113
Andy Serkis whispers about the devil in this live-action ‘Volume’ vid
Volume isn’t a movie, though it does feature a major film star, a popular YouTube personality and a BAFTA award-winning voice actor. Not bad for the sequel to Thomas was Alone, an adorable video game about basic shapes and friendship. Volume stars Andy Serkis (Gollum in The Lord of the Rings), Danny Wallace (the narrator in Thomas was Alone), and Charlie McDonnell (a long-time YouTube star with 2.4 million subscribers). It’s a Robin Hood-inspired stealth game set in a technologically advanced future — and it’s out today, August 18th, for PlayStation 4, PC and Mac. It was supposed to hit Vita today as well, but that version has been delayed, creator Mike Bithell announced on his blog.
“Unfortunately, we unexpectedly had to make the decision to hold off on the Vita version for a couple weeks to get it where we want it,” Bithell writes. “It’s so very nearly ready, but it needs a little more love. A few personal problems and issues have slowed down our submittal, so even though the game is ‘done’ on Vita, we still have some QA process to go through (because that stuff matters).”
There’s no launch window for the Vita version, but it sounds as if it’s not too far off. Volume is a Cross-Buy game for PlayStation platforms, so anyone who buys it on PS4 will get it on Vita at no extra charge.
Tags: AndySerkis, charliemcdonnell, DannyWallace, hdpostcross, Indie, MikeBithell, mikebithellgames, RobinHood, volume
Sony’s ‘Metal Gear Solid V’ devices flaunt your stealth action fandom
Are you a Metal Gear Solid fan? So much so that you bought an MGS edition PS4, and have no trouble making sense of the series’ frequently intricate plots? You’ll want to hit up your favorite Japanese exporter, then. Sony has unveiled a legion of limited edition Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain devices, all of which come with game-themed cases, engravings, sounds and wallpaper. Some are more extravagant than others, though. The Xperia J1 Compact phone, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and Xperia Z4 Tablet we can understand, but there are also Phantom Pain versions of the Walkman A16 and audiophile-oriented Walkman ZX2. Yes, you too can demonstrate your fondness for stealth action by buying a soon-to-be-obsolete MP3 player — something tells us that these models won’t be wildly popular.
The whole lot will arrive in Japan on September 2nd, in sync with MGS5 itself. It’s not clear how much the phone or tablets will cost, but you’re looking at ¥28,000 ($225) for the Walkman A16, and an eye-watering ¥140,000 ($1,125) for the ZX2. None of the products are known to be reaching the US, as you might imagine. We could understand snagging the A16 for those morning runs, but you have to be very, very committed to Hideo Kojima’s alternate history (not to mention well-off) to get that ZX2. We’d suggest rolling that money into a new TV or speaker system that will do better justice to the game.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Sony
Via:
G for Games
Source:
Sony (translated)
Tags: hdpostcross, metalgearsolid, metalgearsolidv, MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain, mobilepostcross, smartphone, sony, thephantompain, walkman, xperia, xperiaj1, xperiaz4tablet
Sony commissions Metal Gear Solid smartphone ahead of Phantom Pain release
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Video game themed smartphones are pretty few and far between, so when we heard that Sony was commissioning a Metal Gear Solid smartphone to celebrate the launch of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, we got a little excited. True, it’s not the flagship Sony Xperia Z4/Z3+ that is getting the Metal Gear treatment – it’s going to be the Sony Xperia J1 Compact – but that Outer Havens logo on the back almost makes up for the lesser specifications. The Xperia J1 Compact will also be customized to have Metal Gear Solid themed wallpapers, ringtones and will come with an art book from the franchise as well.
In fact, it’s not just that smartphone that Sony has had themed: you can also get the Xperia Z4 Tablet and the Xperia Z3 Compact, but only with a themed case rather than a full Metal Gear makeover. Sony has even got a Metal Gear version of the $1,000+ Walkman that it is apparently still selling. If that has your heart racing, you’ll need to be ready to shell out ¥59,800, or about $480 USD, for the Xperia J1 Compact TPP (The Phantom Pain) edition when it becomes available for preorder on September 2nd.
What do you think about this Metal Gear Solid smartphone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Sony via Phones Review
The post Sony commissions Metal Gear Solid smartphone ahead of Phantom Pain release appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Good luck trying to use Samsung Pay on Verizon Wireless
So it turns out that Big Red is playing the bad guy, yet again. After spurning Google Wallet and using their own version with ISIS SoftCard, and becoming one of the last carriers to rid their customers of two-year contracts, Verizon is catching a bit of flak.
Earlier today, Samsung spilled the beans, via Twitter, about the fact that Verizon would not be supporting Samsung Pay. Obviously, this isn’t as bad as not supporting Android Pay once it rolls out, but with the increasing number of Samsung users, this move make almost no sense.
@tcraig1226 Hello, Tom. Thanks for reaching out to us. We are happy to answer your question.Verizon isn't part of Samsung Pay & we (con)
— Samsung Support USA (@SamsungSupport) August 18, 2015
Samsung users are growing, which is evident with the release of the Note 5, in regards to how some think the newest device in the Note line seems to stray from its roots. Regardless of that, Samsung Pay has a lot of upside for their users once it’s fully rolled out.
Although the use of NFC has been a topic of hot debate, since the release of the OnePlus 2 and exclusion of an NFC chip, it’s obvious that more and more vendors are moving to “Tap-To-Pay” options. With the release of Google Wallet and Apple Pay, then the announcement of both Android Pay and Samsung Pay, there should be no question as to whether carriers should cooperate.
We can only guess that Verizon will catch enough flak for this, that they reverse their decision and include Samsung Pay support. The only question that remains is, when will that occur? Let us know what you think about this bone-headed move from Big Red in the comments below.
Source: Sam-Mobile
The post Good luck trying to use Samsung Pay on Verizon Wireless appeared first on AndroidGuys.
RootMetrics ranks Verizon Wireless network #1 for overall performance
According to a study carried by RootMetrics that ran from January through June 2015, Verizon has once more been ranked as America’s most reliable network. This marks the fourth consecutive time Verizon’s wireless network has been ranked as the leading U.S. carrier in overall performance.
The study evaluated all four major U.S. service providers including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, testing six network performance categories; overall, reliability, speed, data, call, and text performance. RootMetrics uses scientific methods to conduct its testing process. Using special off-the-shelf smartphones, RootMetrics’ staff drove nearly 238,000 miles across the U.S. to measure and analyze key performance indicators in order to provide an unbiased overview of network factors. In addition, RootMetrics conducted the research in more than 7,300 indoor locations to test performance in areas where full network signal might be hard to get. Finally, RootMetrics tested networks in 49 event venues, 12 college campuses, and six transit stations for this year’s testing.
Verizon has spent over $10 billion to improve its network which covers 98% of the U.S. population. This was done by installing new technologies such as small cells, distributed antennas systems and XLTE to double 4G LTE network bandwidth in cities across the U.S., bringing faster peak speeds and greater capacity than before. Verizon finished first or tied in 47 states for overall performance, 44 states for network reliability, 44 states for network speed, 46 states for data performance, and 45 states for call performance.
Source: Verizon
Come comment on this article: RootMetrics ranks Verizon Wireless network #1 for overall performance
AIVAnet 