ICYMI: Water-repellent coating, elite air travel and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Rice University scientists came up with a new kind of water-repellent coating that is modeled on the lotus leaf. Australians have their first ever remotely controlled firefighting robot that is capable of firing a water cannon up to 90 feet. And Windspeed Technologies, an aerospace engineering firm, just upped the luxe travel game by putting a dome at the top of an aircraft with top ‘o the plane seating for those you can pay for it.
The mechanization of matching with strangers via an app continues with a robot designed to read the sweat in your palms to see whether the user is interested in a potential Tinder match.
If you see any interesting science or tech videos, please share with us! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
Developer diversity changes the way video games are made
In 2003, BioWare developers working on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic hid a fact about one of the game’s characters from their own marketing team. This character, the Jedi Knight Juhani, happened to be female and she also happened to be gay. Developers weren’t sure how players would receive that trait.
“I think for a long time it was just assumed that nobody would accept it,” BioWare lead writer David Gaider said in 2013. Even in the final game, Juhani’s sexuality is vague. “We kind of hid it,” Gaider continued. “She never says, ‘She was my lover.’ She just says, ‘We are very close.’”
That ended up being a wake-up call for Gaider and a turning point for BioWare. The studio’s future games, notably Jade Empire and Mass Effect 3, feature homosexual characters or options for players to engage in the relationship they prefer. Twelve years after Knights of the Old Republic, it’s more common to find games featuring gay, female or non-white characters, though these experiences are still in the minority. Most games, especially big-budget titles, stick to the default blockbuster action-hero idea of a protagonist: straight, white and male.
This means that games featuring other types of characters — racial, gender, identity and sexuality minorities — immediately stand out. Mirror’s Edge stars an Asian woman; over two seasons, The Walking Dead stars Lee and Clementine, two apparently black characters; The Last of Us features gay romance; Guacamelee stars Mexican luchadores; and so on.
Clementine and Lee in season one of The Walking Dead
Experiences like these are becoming more common. The definition of a “normal” game is shifting, and as it does, Gaider’s fears from 2003 are fueled online.
“If I deal with non-straights in real life I rarely know it, but for some reason it has to be unnecessarily thrown in my face in games, TV and movies,” one Engadget commenter wrote in 2013, in response to Gaider’s panel discussion. “[Mass Effect 3] was a let-down, but having a straight character I liked from 1 and 2 go all gay on me was what made a mediocre game a terrible one.”
“Gender matters,” another commenter wrote in mid-2015. “I don’t want to play as a stupid weak girl.”
A third reader wrote the following in February on an article about Masquerada, a game featuring gay characters: “God Help Us. We are firmly entrenched in the Age of Messages in Video Games.”
Comments like this aren’t news to Dr. Kishonna Gray, director of the Critical Gaming Lab at Eastern Kentucky University.
“Those who have always been reflected in any type of media suggest that diversity and accurate representations are unnecessary,” she says. “Those who make these comments have always been catered to. They have diverse stories. They have meaningful representations. They are not reduced to perpetual stereotypes.”
Guacamelee is a celebration of Mexican culture and platforming action
Guacamelee developer DrinkBox Studios ran into a prickly issue when it was searching for a publisher, studio co-founder Graham Smith says.
“When we were seeking funding early on in the project, we had a big publisher tell us that they were not interested in Guacamelee due to a previous luchador-themed game performing poorly,” Smith says. “In their minds, luchadores were not marketable.”
DrinkBox was nervous following that chat, but it moved forward with the luchador theme that it loved anyway. Turns out, the studio’s instincts were spot-on; plenty of players gobbled up Guacamelee. The project’s Mexican-inspired world occurred naturally, as the idea came courtesy of Augusto Quijano, DrinkBox’s concept lead who happens to be from Mexico.
“We never discussed the marketability of the characters in either Guacamelee or Severed,” Smith says. “We’ve been more concerned about having characters that work well with the story, theme and gameplay of our games.”
DrinkBox’s Severed stars a one-armed warrior, Sasha
DrinkBox benefited from a cultural conversation that some studios don’t see, considering the industry remains disproportionately white and male, according to the IGDA’s 2015 developer satisfaction survey.
Working with diverse developers is the best way to ensure realistic representation in a video game, argues Dr. Gray.
“I don’t want these studios diversifying characters if they don’t know how to do it without being stereotypical,” Dr. Gray says. “If you don’t have the skill set to create a gay character without her being ball-busting masculine, don’t make her. Or better yet, diversify your staff with people who are either members of these populations or who have done research on these populations.”
Some games miss the mark and fall firmly into “ball-busting” exploitation territory — think Lococycle, Resident Evil 5 or Gay Fighter Extreme. Whether these games are borne of good intentions or a lazy cash-in, Dr. Gray says exploitation is avoidable. When developers take time to understand the characters they’re creating, whether via research or personal experience, it shows.
Guacamelee is a great example — and it’s not alone.
The leading ladies of Life is Strange
The young women at the heart of Life is Strange, for example, are complex and engaging, and it feels as if the story couldn’t exist without them at its center. That took research, Dontnod artistic director Michel Koch said in 2014:
“We have women in the dev team — not that many because it’s still the video game industry and there are not that many women — but we have women working on the game. And our writer, which is an American writer we’ve worked with before, he’s consulting with his nieces. He’s showing scripts to them, to read it and see if it feels genuine and fresh.”
In the same conversation, creative director Jean-Maxime Moris said that Dontnod’s short history of featuring female protagonists (starting with Remember Me) was a product of narrative focus, rather than a marketing or activism decision.
“That’s not us trying to be different for the sake of being different,” he said. “It’s not as if we’re trying to ‘fix the industry.’”
Other studios go out of their way to make minority characters feel authentic and robust, such as Never Alone developer Upper One Games, which partnered with Alaska Native storytellers to create a riveting and educational platformer that respects a culture rarely seen in video game form.
Never Alone is as educational as it is gorgeous
The gaming industry is actually above the US average in terms of representing a variety of sexualities in its work force, according to the IGDA‘s 2015 survey. More non-straight developers would naturally lead to games featuring broader, more honest sexuality options. Not all games, but certainly some.
Read Only Memories, a project from the founders of LGBT-oriented gaming convention GaymerX, features inclusive gender, sexuality and pronoun options for its main character, but creator Matt Conn has been careful not to focus on those facets. He’s always been clear that it’s not “a gay game.” It’s pitched as a retro-styled, narrative-driven cyberpunk adventure game — because that’s what it’s all about.
This isn’t a matter of hiding a minority character or storyline, as Gaider and BioWare did in 2003. It’s about not exploiting these aspects.
Building and selling diverse games is a tricky art, though much of the trouble is naturally avoided when studios invite non-straight, non-white, non-male developers onboard. A broader range of perspectives inherently cultivates different ideas, new angles and representative stories. After that, the game sells itself. There’s no need to hide a project’s non-traditional aspects — just as there’s no reason to over-sell these same traits.
It’s a simple formula, according to Dr. Gray: “Don’t tell us. Just do it.”
Avegant’s Glyph video headset will start shipping next month
Nearly two years after Avegant first launched its Glyph video headset on Kickstarter in January 2014, and it’s finally ready to go into mass production. Today, the company announced that it’s about to start manufacturing the first batch of its VISOR lookalike, with an initial order of 10,000 devices to start shipping early next month. Avegant CEO Joerg Tewes tells me that over 3,000 units will be sent to Kickstarter backers first — custom engraved Founder’s Edition versions at that — and the rest will go toward website pre-orders, with more to come. I had a chance to try out an almost-final version of the Glyph and it’s clear that, at long last, it’s ready for public consumption.Slideshow-348275
As was highlighted in our hands-on earlier this year, the Glyph is really more of a personal theater headset than something for virtual reality. The field of view is fairly small — about 45 degrees or so — and is similar to that of watching a 65-inch TV in your living room or a large screen in a movie theater. There’s also plenty of peripheral vision above and below the display, so you’re able to take a look at your popcorn at the same time you’re watching a show. It’s really not meant to be a full immersive experience like you would find on a Gear VR or an Oculus Rift.
Yet, the resolution and quality of the images is fantastic. Rather than relying on a screen or an LCD, the Glyph works by projecting the images directly to your eyeballs using 2 million micromirrors, resulting in a crisp and clear image. You can use it to watch 3D movies too, and even 360-degree videos thanks to a partnership with Jaunt. “The experience that we’re replicating is the on-the-go theater experience,” says Edward Tang, Avegant’s Chief Systems Officer. “It’s not VR. Instead, it feels like you’re in a movie theater.” Tang and Tewes says that Avegant’s target audience is the frequent traveler, who wants more than just a tiny phone screen to watch movies. You use it by plugging it into any HDMI-ready device, which can be a phone, a tablet or a laptop.
Avegant has improved things quite a bit since our demo in March. Aside from improved optics, there are now different-sized nose pieces that you can swap in and out for better comfort. You also needn’t worry if you wear prescriptive eyewear, as the Glyph’s optics can be rotated and focused to match each eye. The optics also now retract flat all the way down so you can easily flip ’em up and wear the Glyph as a pair of high-end headphones. Speaking of the latter, Tang tells me that the company has been working with Harman Kardon to supply its audio drivers. There’ll also be a nice cushion pad that’ll magnetically snap into place to both protect the optics and offer a more comfortable fit.
Additionally, Tang says the battery life of the headset is now around four to five hours, which should be enough to cover a cross-country flight. If you’d rather use it as a regular pair of headphones instead, then battery life isn’t an issue as audio can run passively through. In my brief few minutes with the Glyph, it also feels lighter and less cumbersome than previous iterations, and it didn’t take me too long to adjust the lenses to my preferences.
The downside to the whole affair is that it’s a pretty pricey thing. If you weren’t fortunate enough to get in on the pre-order price of $599, the list price of the Glyph is a hefty $699. For the same amount of money, you could probably get the Samsung Gear VR and a Galaxy S6, which offers a VR headset on top of the usual entertainment offerings. That said, the Glyph is more focused on providing a premium mobile video and audio experience above all else, which could be worth the money if you plan on being on a plane for long periods of time.
If you want to try one for yourself, you can buy one from the company’s newly launched online store. Or if you prefer, you can wait until March, when it’ll be available from Amazon.
Source: Avegant
UK man arrested in VTech kids app hacking scandal
Police have arrested a 21-year-old UK man in relation to the VTech kid’s app hacking scandal that compromised the accounts of up to 6.3 million users. The crime unit said he was being held on “suspicion of unauthorized access to computer[s] to facilitate the commission of an offense,” but cautioned that the investigation was still in the early stages. The man was arrested in Berkshire, west of London, but his name wasn’t released. As a reminder, the breach last month affected users of VTech’s Learning Lodge app and Kids Connect chat program, and allowed the attackers to collect photos, chat logs and other private information.
VTech advised customers to change their passwords and password retrieval information immediately, and has temporarily suspended the Kid Connect app, from which the hacker got the photos. After investigating the breach, security expert Troy Hunt found a lack of encryption, the use of Flash and other fundamental security shortcomings. In describing the nature of the attack, he said “I start to run out of superlatives to even describe how bad it is … what really disappoints me is the total lack of care shown by VTech in securing the data.”
That snowballed into demands from US legislators that VTech provide an explanation as to how all this could have happened. Meanwhile, the individual behind the attack who originally contacted Motherboard (who may or may not be the person arrested) claimed he was just trying to warn parents of the problem. Whether the police see it that way is another thing.
Via: BBC
Source: Regional Organised Crime Unit
‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5’ quietly comes to PS3 and Xbox 360
The previous-gen versions of Activision’s poorly received Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 are quietly launching this week. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games were due out November 13th, but have only hit the US today. Physical and digital versions are available in the US, while the UK launch appears to be digital only.
It’s fair to say that Pro Skater 5 isn’t the strongest entry in the series. Despite its adequate presentation and gameplay, the game’s launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was marred by game-breaking glitches and bugs. The result of the inexcusably botched launch was twofold. First, the game was panned by critics and fans alike. Second, the previous-gen versions were delayed while Activision focused on putting things right for those that had already paid money for the game.
For what it’s worth, Activision did just that: a couple of weeks ago it released a massive (7.8GB) update, 1.03, that significantly improved stability issues. Let’s hope the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports are based on 1.03, otherwise, you’ll be seeing a lot of this:
Source: Eurogamer
LG announces Cast-enabled Music Flow sound bars, X-Boom products, to be shown off at CES 2016
With the biggest electronics show of the year coming up quick, companies are already giving us a sneak peak as to what we’ll be seeing at CES 2016 in January. One of these companies is LG, who late yesterday announced a new line up of Music Flow sound bars that will be Google Cast-enabled. The company plans to fully unveil them during CES 2016 in January, where they will be demoed as well.
The new sound bars–the SH6, SH7, and SH8–will have Bluetooth connectivity, Google Cast support, and Auto Music Play, as well as a one-button setup to make connecting the sound bars to other Music Flow speakers via Wi-Fi a seamless process.
What sets these sound bars apart from the last generation is the new technology packed inside. This time around the SH6, SH7, and SH8 will have LG’s Adaptive Sound Control (ASC) technology, which automatically changes sound settings to match different types of media.
The SH7 and SH8 come with a wireless subwoofer, while the SH6 uses special all-in-one technology for pushing sound. These new Music Flow sound bars aren’t the only home theater speakers getting a refresh for 2016, though. LG also announced three new X-Boom products–the OM5560, OM7560, and OM9960. These are “total entertainment solutions,” according to LG and the OM5560 and OM7560 will actually be 100% self-contained units.
What will be particularly interesting is seeing how all of these new sound bars and “total entertainment solutions” will work with devices like the Chromecast Audio. We’ll no doubt hear more come January.
Press release below.
LG EXPANDS POPULAR MUSIC FLOW LINEUP WITH NEW WIRELESS SOUND BARS AND X-BOOM AUDIO SYSTEMS
Latest Audio Products to Bring Premium Listening Experience and Flexible Connectivity to LG’s Audio Collections
SEOUL, Dec. 15, 2015 ― LG Electronics (LG) announced that it will unveil its most advanced sound bars and audio systems at CES 2016. Part of LG’s Music Flow smart audio ecosystem, the new sound bars greatly enhance the home theater viewing experience with their rich sound quality and responsive settings. LG will use the opportunity of CES to also introduce the company’s newest X-Boom audio systems which come complete with a range of exciting new features for any party or gathering.
LG’s new SH8, SH7 and SH6 sound bars provide consumers with a variety of options, making it easy to choose the audio system that is perfect for their needs. Each sound bar sports a sleek, slim design that blends in seamlessly with almost any interior decor. Ideal for home theaters, the advanced SH8 and SH7 come with wireless subwoofers that provide rich bass tones to compliment the speaker’s audio output. The SH6, on the other hand, is comprised of six independent speaker drive units and employ an innovative air duct structure that effectively highlights deep tones, allowing the SH6 to deliver powerful sound from its compact single-body speaker system.
The new 2016 LG sound bars boast a simple one button setup, making the home cinema system incredibly easy to install while access to basic sound bar functions directly on the TV remote makes operation as straightforward as possible. LG’s latest sound bars also support the company’s new Adaptive Sound Control (ASC) feature, allowing the devices to automatically change sound settings to suit a range of media types in order to get the most out of a wide variety of content. The Bluetooth, Google Cast™ and Auto Music Play capabilities of the sound bars boost connectivity potential by giving listeners a variety of content options. With support for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, LG’s new sound bars allow users to automatically switch between different types of content and connectivity method that works best.
The fast, convenient connectivity of LG’s sound bars and Music Flow wireless speakers allow these powerful devices to play just about any content from a smartphone. The easy Bluetooth connectivity of LG’s P7 and P5 speakers provide a wireless environment for beautiful sound anywhere at anytime.
LG will also be unveiling three new X-Boom Systems at CES 2016 ― two LG X-Boom Solo models (OM7560 and OM5560) and the CM9960. X-Boom models serve as total entertainment solutions, providing both powerful sound and wireless connectivity. Both X-Boom Solo models boast entire audio systems housed in single speakers, giving them the ability to deliver intense audio output that is perfect for parties and other large gatherings. The X-Boom’s Sampler Creator feature gives users the ability to record any sound on their smartphones and wirelessly beam it to the X-Boom, which can then be added to the digital soundboard which DJs can select at the touch of a button. All three products feature the unique Party Thruster lever that allows users the ability to create stunning multicolored light shows that sync perfectly with the system’s audio output. The ornate display of flashing lights and high quality audio makes any party unforgettable.
“The Music Flow series has been a tremendous success in giving LG a significant footprint in the consumer audio business,” said Brian Kwon, President and CEO at LG’s Home Entertainment Company. “Our newest Sound Bars and X-Boom audio systems present an excellent opportunity for LG to draw attention to its advanced audio products at the largest consumer electronics tradeshow in the world.”
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AT&T pushing first stability update to the BlackBerry Priv
BlackBerry Priv owners on AT&T will be excited to hear that the first update for the handset is on its way. The update, originally pushed to the unlocked device on December 1, will bring a variety of stability enhancements, including security fixes, camera improvements, and more.
Here’s what you can expect to see:
- An improved camera: We’ve implemented a number of tweaks that improve the speed of our camera app, and re-tuned it for better low-light image quality.
- Better performance: We’ve also tweaked the PRIV’s software to improve overall system performance
- Improved stability: The update further includes a number of adjustments designed to improve device reliability and reduce instances of crashing and freezing.
- Enhanced security: Lastly, the release includes December’s security patches – rest easy knowing your device is protected against the latest Android security threats.
There have been some other changes that are more publicly available as well. Users will find improvements to many BlackBerry apps via the Play Store, including BlackBerry Keyboard, BlackBerry Hub, BlackBerry Camera, and DTEK by BlackBerry.
The update being pushed to the device is a whopping 475MB in size. If you haven’t gotten it yet, be sure to navigate over to About Phone in the Priv’s Settings to check for the new update manually.
source: Michael Clewley (Twitter)
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OnePlus X will be invite-free once a week
OnePlus took to Twitter to announce that the OnePlus X will be available to purchase without an invite on Tuesday and every Tuesday after that. This comes not long after OnePlus announced that the OnePlus 2 was going completely invite-free in celebration of the company’s birthday on December 17.
Consumers previously would need an invite to pick up a OnePlus X, and still will every other day of the week. However, Tuesdays have become the day that everyone can pick up the OnePlus X, in an effort to encourage more sales.
As a quick refresher, the OnePlus X sports a 5-inch Full HD display, a 2,3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, an Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal memory, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, an 8-megapixel front-camera, and a 2,525mAh battery. At just $249 in the US, that’s some value that’s hard to pass up. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the OnePlus X has some connectivity issues in the US, particularly in suburbs, rural areas, and dense buildings.
OnePlus says that open sales will officially kick off at 4pm Pacific Time.
source: OnePlus (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: OnePlus X will be invite-free once a week
Samsung Galaxy S7 will have a pressure-sensitive display, à la Apple’s “3D Touch”
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The smartphone industry is primarily driven by innovation and imitation – if you aren’t creating something new, you’re generally copying it and putting your own twist on it. It’s accepted practice, and it’s how you either stay with the pack, or surge ahead – in Samsung‘s case in 2016, they might have to do a bit of copying. Apple launched its latest devices this September with a pressure-sensitive display technology that they dubbed “3D Touch“, and frankly while it’s applications are kind of limited for the everyday user, it’s something to market, and predictably, the Wall Street Journal has it on good authority that the Samsung Galaxy S7 will have a pressure-sensitive display to match Apple’s efforts.
This should really surprise nobody as 3D Touch was the main attraction of Apple’s latest devices. Also in the not-surprising bucket is assertions that Samsung will again be releasing two devices at the same time, the Galaxy S7 and its companion Galaxy S7 edge. It’s said that the design for these new flagships won’t differ that much from this year’s design and that has so far been supported by a number of rumours. Whatever the case, it’s going to be interesting to see how Samsung follows up from this year’s effort.
What do you think about the news the Samsung Galaxy S7 will have a pressure-sensitive display? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Wall Street Journal via engadget
The post Samsung Galaxy S7 will have a pressure-sensitive display, à la Apple’s “3D Touch” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Taking screenshots becomes easier on Marshmallow devices
Let’s face it – taking screenshots on Android phones has never been the easiest thing to do. Pressing power button and lower volume button together may not sound like a big deal for some, but many users find it quite tricky and end up capturing lower volume button options in the screen grab.
Google has solved this problem in devices running Marshmallow and up, as Now on Tap allows you to take a screenshot by simply tapping the home button. All you have to do is, simply update your Google app and then long press the home button to launch Now on Tap. You will then see many location options to save the captured screenshots.
It is a good news for those who don’t want their photo galleries to be cluttered. Since you can save the screenshots in either Google Drive or any other cloud folder, not only will your phone will be better organized, it will also save some storage space for you.
If you want to use this feature on your phone running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, make sure that you have the latest built of the Google app, which has started rolling out slowly via Google Play.
Via: GreenBot
The post Taking screenshots becomes easier on Marshmallow devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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