ICYMI: A cold foam heart, fast oil change invention and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Castrol invented an oil-storing apparatus that lets you change the oil and filter by swapping in a fresh container under two minutes. It’s already inside an Aston Martin racing car but the company’s goal is to get it into mainstream consumer cars within a few years. Meanwhile Cornell scientists invented a polymer that has pores and can pump fluids, allowing it to act as an artificial foam heart. And a Tokyo-based eyewear company will begin selling its smart glasses next month. The classically-styled eyeglasses can track movement and are definitely less nerd-defining than the telltale Google Glass version.
We also included a 3D-printed railgun that makers will enjoy seeing, since some of its parts were 3D-printed. And because you’ll want to send this to someone you grew up with, here’s the video of the adult-sized Little Tikes car.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
3D Robotics’ Solo drone is about to get a lot more useful
When 3D Robotics announced its Solo quadcopter, one of the more intriguing features was an accessory bay. Instead of opening up the Solo and wiring in, or screwing on an accessory (as is common with hobby drones — including the ubiquitous Phantom 2), you would simply “plug and play.” Until now, that’s all we really knew, but today the company is announcing “Made for Solo” — a program that will standardize, and encourage the development of third-party accessories for the self-proclaimed “smart drone.” If you make infrared cameras, for example, you could make a version just for Solo and have it work seamlessly with the drone’s GPS and smart flight modes. Basically, any gadget, sensor or product that could squeeze into, and be lifted by, a quadcopter could be integrated into the Solo as if it were native to the product.
By turning the Solo into a platform that hardware makers can build for, it’s not hard to imagine a new wave of specific peripherals that might not have been viable before. 3D Robotics says that it’s already been working with select partners, including Epson and Kodak. Epson is making tools that will provide Augmented Reality flying to work with its Moverio AR Glasses; Kodak is integrating its PIXPRO SP360 camera for aerial VR video. Anyone joining the program will get access to 3DR’s open hardware bay, but also official 3DR endorsement of compatibility — a la “Made for iPhone” — and, curiously, the Solo warranty.
For businesses and researchers the benefits are practical — concentrate on what you’re good at, let 3D Robotics handle the drone part. In many ways, Made for Solo is a hardware version of 3D Robotic’s DroneKit tools for app developers. For consumers, it’s potentially more exciting. You can start off with a drone that flies with a camera, but over time, add functionality with more accessories — perhaps a carry cradle, quick release mechanism, ground avoidance sensors, or even artistic tools.
Anyone interested in applying to join the program can sign up here. Accessories for Solo will be showcased here once available.
Play PSP games on an Oculus Rift with this VR emulator
While Sony is mulling the PlayStation Vita’s future, someone is giving the last-generation PlayStation Portable a new life — in virtual reality. Oculus developer 2EyeGuy has created an Oculus Rift emulator called PPSSPP VR for PSP games, and it arguably works better than the original. As he puts it, “PPSSPP VR… lets you actually be inside PSP games. You are not playing on a virtual handheld or screen, you are inside the virtual world.” The simulator works perfectly with a large number of PSP games, including Final Fantasy 7 and Wipeout Pure, and good-to-poorly on others, like Gran Turismo and Star Wars Battlefront II.
2EyeGuy has some experience in converting classic games to full VR, as he’s behind the Dolphin VR emulator for the Nintendo GameCube and Wii. The PSP emulator bumps the resolution of the original significantly, and brings stereoscopic 3D, head-tracking and pre-warping to the games. Final Fantasy 7 plays just fine, for instance, judging by the video below from YouTube gamer Hoopermation.
That said, certain features still don’t work, like motion sickness prevention, Direct3D support and button combinations for hotkeys. Also, you’ll need to recompile your games, and it appears that some hardware setups don’t work, judging by a Reddit discussion about it. However, users that did get it running are over the moon to see their beloved PSP games get a new life. As one guy put it, “Wipeout Pure is one of the best racing games of all time… holy f**ing shit!”
Via: RoadToVR
Source: Oculus Developer Forums
Waterfield Debuts New Cases for Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2
San Francisco-based accessory manufacturer Waterfield Designs today unveiled a new line of protective cases for the newly announced Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2. The company promises that the custom-fit cases protect the new Apple accessories from everyday drops and dings, and are thin and light enough to slip into bigger bags.
The Waterfield Magic Keyboard Slip case
The Magic Keyboard has three case options for customers to choose from, the first being the full-featured $59 Magic Keyboard Travel Express, which fits the new keyboard along with power cables, a Magic Mouse and a host of other possibilities in its zippered case. A bit down in price from that is the $29 Magic Keyboard Slip, which takes the housing and look of Waterfield’s MacBook case line and shrinks it down to accommodate the slim new Magic Keyboard. The bare-bones $15 Magic Keyboard Socket promises to protect the new accessory “on a student’s budget.”
“Many laptop and tablet owners use a separate keyboard with their mobile devices to avoid potential Repetitive Strain Injuries (like carpel tunnel syndrome) and other ergonomic problems,” explained founder Gary Waterfield, “But—as too many of us know from experience—one small spill can instantly ruin a Keyboard or TrackPad. We designed the Magic Keyboard and TrackPad 2 cases to protect these devices so that users can take them from workstation to workstation or from work to home with peace of mind.”
The Magic Trackpad 2 is seeing a similar new line of cases from Waterfield today, with a $25 Slip case that provides heavier durability and an extra accessory sleeve and the cheaper $12 Socket option for those wanting protection on the cheaper side. All of the company’s new cases can be ordered from its official website beginning today, with an estimated shipping date of Friday, October 23.
Nexus pricing got you down? At least you’re not living in Japan…
Last month, Google officially unveiled the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P with all kinds of new features and functionality. It also put the pair at a proper price point: competitive with similar products; a good value-for-money proposition. Shortly after news broke about the less fortunate situation overseas, where the darling devices will cost quite a pretty penny. In Japan however, it seems carriers are literally asking for a small fortune.
Two telecoms will sell the Nexus 5X, each only offering the 32GB variant. SoftBank subsidiary, Y!mobile, is charging ¥80,352 (roughly $673):
NTT docomo is charging an even higher fee. The “true” price of the Nexus 5X is ¥93,312, or $781. Those who purchase before November 30th will get a ¥10,800 discount, bringing the total down to $691:
For reference, the Japanese Google Store is selling the 32GB Nexus 5X for ¥63,400, or $531:
Surprised?
For Americans, the 32GB Nexus 5X costs $429. This means that Google Japan is charging $102 over the US retail price, Y!mobile is charging $244 over the US retail price, and NTT docomo – without the campaign – is charging $352 over the US retail price.
The numbers may change slightly depending on which state you live in given that Google’s $429 does not include sales tax; the Japanese prices however, do. Suffice to say the carriers here are charging more than what the Nexus 6P costs in America.
SoftBank’s Nexus 6P preview page.
In Japan, a 32GB Nexus 6P from the Google Store costs ¥74800 ($626). Is it also being sold via SoftBank for ¥78,720 ($659). Carrier-based Nexus 5X units are thus more expensive than the Huawei variant, and even the one carrier selling the 6P has less mark-up to boot.
Why the high prices?
Japanese carriers have operated on a ¥0 down, installment-based payment system for roughly a decade. The pricing detailed in this piece assume the customer pays Full Retail Price at the time of purchase.
Y!mobile provides no discount, thus customers are paying the FRP over 24 months. NTT docomo will provide a ¥46,800 discount over the course of 24 months (¥2,025 per month) thus bringing the cost down to ¥33,912 ($284). Still, this discount is dependant on a specific contract, which typically requires a costly unlimited talking plan, in addition to internet access and the phone installments themselves.
It should be noted that both Y!mobile and NTT docomo are only selling the Nexus 5X, and SoftBank is only selling the Nexus 6P. There is no choice to be had within a specific carrier.
Likewise, the monthly phone installments are interest-free (and ¥0 down) thus carriers might seem a better initial proposition than Google for many customers, especially if they don’t realize Google sells directly.
Wrap up
The Japanese Nexus situation highlights regional differences that can occur even with a single product. It is unclear as to why these two carriers have chosen to inflate the price of the Nexus 5X beyond that which Google Japan already did. One possibility is to make the smartphone seem impressive (as a factor of cost). Still, the Google Store and Softbank (carrier) 32GB Nexus 6P offerings are actually cheaper, despite major hardware and spec advantages. It’s a curious situation indeed.
Perhaps fittingly, the Nexus 6P is sold-out on the Google Store, and SoftBank Mobile has finished accepting reservations. As of this morning NTT docomo was still offering free Google Cardboard to its early Nexus 5X customers, however the promotion now seems to be finished, so clearly the price isn’t a concern for some.
Now that you know Japan’s peculiar pricing predicament, do you still feel like the new Nexus devices are expensive in your country?
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Social apps are the worst for data, battery and performance hits, finds AVG
AVG has just released its latest quarterly report into the biggest offending apps when it comes to data consumption, battery sapping and performance draining. There are a number of familiar faces in the rankings, along with a few new entries since the last report.
AVG collects this data anonymously from its AVG AntiVirus & AVG Cleaner apps for Android, from users based in the US, UK and Australia. It then ranks software into four categories based on actual data collected from apps installed on devices. The chart below gives an overall summary of the worst offenders of apps started up by users:
Despite its relatively short burst usage profile, Snapchat replaces Facebook as the biggest performance draining app, due to its simultaneous use of WiFi, GPS information and your phone’s camera. In fact, Snapchat features in the top five in three of the four main categories that AVG investigated. Steaming apps, such as Spotify, obviously eat up quite a bit of data, but Google’s Chrome is actually the second worst app in this category. Notably, it is the only web browser to make its way into any of these categories.
Arguably the worst apps are those which run at start-up, rather than those started by the user, as these will continue to impact your device’s performance, data usage and battery life simply by booting your device up. Here’s AVG’s list:
It is here that we do see Facebook once again topping the rankings in three out of the four categories, as the worst culprit for performance impact, data usage and storage consumption. Fortunately it is not the worst app for battery performance, which is claimed by the Android firmware updater process and a selection of other Samsung applications. Social media clearly takes up quite a bit of data, but so does rival anti-virus firm Avast’s app and The Weather Channel app, both of which probably shouldn’t be using up so much background data.
AVG proposes a selection of fixes if you are worried about these apps bogging down your device. The company recommends cleaning out your browser history and cache files regularly, limiting your time spent with some apps and ensuring that your software is kept up to date to avoid services prompting you.
For a full look at the detailed report, click on the source link below.
Libratone jumps into multi-room audio with its latest speakers
Libratone isn’t content with churning out more cloth-covered wireless speakers — it wants to muscle in on Sonos’ home turf. The upscale gear maker has launched both an updated Zipp speaker and a smaller Zipp Mini (shown above) that include multi-room audio. You can link as many as six of the zipper-clad speakers over WiFi, much like some of their peers. The key, as you might have guessed, is that everything is portable. If you’re jonesing to move your entire setup to a new room, you can do it without feeling like you’re moving house. Slideshow-331154
The two also share 360-degree sound, Bluetooth 4.1 support, a new touch interface and between 8 to 10 hours of battery life. The decision really comes down to both the power you need, the size you like and how much you’re willing to pay. The relatively tiny Zipp Mini delivers 60W of sound for $250/£179, while springing for the $300/£219 Zipp gets you 100W in a larger body. Are you going to ditch an existing whole-home system for Libratone’s latest hardware? Probably not, especially if you only need two units (devices like the UE Boom 2 already pair together) to fill your abode with music. Even so, this could make a lot of sense if you’ve ever wished for multi-room listening that could follow you around.
Source: Libratone
Former New Delhi Uber driver convicted of rape
A former Uber driver has been found guilty of rape in a case that caused New Delhi to ban the ridesharing service. Shiv Kumar Yadav was convicted of rape, kidnapping and criminal intimidation and now faces a maximum life prison term, according to Reuters. The driver somehow slipped past Uber’s safety and background driver checks, despite the fact that he was on bail for a separate 2011 assault. Uber India President Amit Jain said that “sexual assault is a terrible crime and we’re pleased he has now been brought to justice.”
When the ban was enacted, Uber vowed to improve its screening practices and CEO Travis Kalanick said the company would “bring this perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family in her recovery.” However, the victim later sued Uber in a California court, claiming that it “shunned and avoided all contact with (the victim) and her family.” She later dropped the case voluntarily, and no additional details were disclosed. After Uber toughened screening, added panic buttons to its cars and applied for a taxi license, its service was reinstated in New Delhi.
The victim sued Uber in a California court, claiming that it “shunned and avoided all contact with (the victim) and her family.”
In the US, however, Uber was recently sued by Los Angeles and San Francisco district attorneys, who said Uber’s claims of industry-leading screening were “completely worthless,” since it fails to fingerprint drivers. It recently updated the claim, saying that traffic checks by airport police in those cities uncovered over 25 Uber drivers with criminal or driving records, including a sex offender and convicted murderer. Uber, meanwhile, said that its checks are more rigorous than with many taxi companies, and added that “no means of transportation can ever be 100 percent safe.”
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Source: Reuters
HTC CEO says the HTC One A9 is a “good alternative” to the Apple iPhone
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The official announcement of the HTC One A9 is but a mere few hours away, but HTC CEO Cher Wang has written to her employees to let them know just what a winner they have on their hands. In the letter, Wang calls the HTC One A9 a “good alternative” to the Apple iPhones, saying that the smartphone “strike[s] a balance between beauty, performance and simplicity.” We’ll have to see whether that’s true or not when the device is announced, but we’ve seen in previous leaked photos that the device is definitely simpler in design.
A notable omission is the dual front speakers that HTC basically made popular on smartphones – we’re assuming the earpiece speaker is going to double as the primary speaker, though we could be wrong. The other noteworthy thing about the One A9 is that it could very well be the first non-Nexus smartphone to be released with Android Marshmallow, no small feat for the Android enthusiast who wants the latest and greatest. We’ll have to wait until today’s event in New York before we find out more details about pricing and availability.
What do you think about the HTC One A9? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Focus Taiwan via Phone Arena
The post HTC CEO says the HTC One A9 is a “good alternative” to the Apple iPhone appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Meizu trolls OnePlus with contest to swap the 2016 Flagship Killer for a Meizu PRO 5
It was just the other week that OnePlus offered to take that crusty old Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ or Note 5 off your hands, trading you up to a OnePlus 2, the alleged 2016 flagship killer. Now it seems, fellow Chinese handset manufacturer, Meizu, has decided to troll OnePlus by holding a competition where a OnePlus 2 owner can win the chance to swap the handset in return for a Meizu PRO 5.
The contest uses a couple of hashtags, with #TurnTheHeatOff, being an obvious reference to the OnePlus 2’s Snapdragon 810 and its overheating issues. The other hashtag used is #TurnNFCOn, referring to the lack of NFC on the OnePlus 2. On paper at least, the Meizu PRO 5 should be a nice little upgrade from the OnePlus 2, with its Samsung-made Exynos 7420 processor, 5.7-inch Full HD AMOLED display and 21MP camera.
Meizu hasn’t given a specific date for when the contest closes, other than saying that the winners will receive a notification email later this week. So if you’d like to swap your OnePlus 2 for the Meizu PRO 5, you should probably enter as quick as you can by clicking on the source link below.
Source: Meizu (Facebook)
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