AMOLED sees massive spike in Q3 2015, Samsung has 95.8% of the market
While Samsung has made major movements with AMOLED panels, those who purchase or use devices from other OEMs may be unaware of the differences between traditional LCD and OLED. Recently however, the market has been changing and AMOLED panels have been gradually disseminating to different devices. According to a new report by market research firm IHS, in fact, sales of the organic panels increased 100% from last year in the third quarter alone with 79 million panels shipped.
The total value of displays shipped during Q3 is estimated at $3.29 billion. Samsung comprises the vast majority of market share accounting for 95.8% which has created for it a massive lead, not unlike that of another company with respect to the global smartphone sales. Additional information gleaned from the report also states that from Q2 2015 to Q3 2015, worldwide shipments of AMOLED displays increased 35%.
Samsung has recently been eyeing an increase in display production which many believe is directly connected to rumors that Apple’s 2018 iPhone will finally make use of an organic panel. Also reported recently, Samsung is selling off an LCD factory to focus on AMOLED.
Japan Display Industries has also been reported to have an interest in AMOLED panels with a rumored release around Spring 2018. Sony itself announced a partnership last year that was aimed at the same.
All about AMOLED
We have covered AMOLED in great detail including a new variant set to take off in the next couple of years called PCOLED which has a longer duration for the organic components. Let us breifly summarize the good and bad points of the technology.
The good
In general, the display technology is touted as having superior color reproduction and contrast, as well as being more power efficient due to the independent light production each pixel can produce.
LCD for reference, relies on a single backlight which must be activated even if just one pixel is displayed. This ultimately results in extra power consumption and, in the case of the Moto X Style for example, a questionable defeat of the very active notification display feature Motorola so proudly produced.
The enhanced colors create a very unique and for many, immersive viewing experience that ultimately can not be achieved with LCD panels. Ultimately though it may take a side-by-side comparison for some to discover the nuances provided they are not familiar with AMOLED at all.
The bad
Critics of AMOLED often claim that color reproduction appears “cartoonish” or “oversaturated” and thereby creating an unrealistic and undesirable image. Companies like Samsung have long since been including a Display setting toggle to downgrade the enhanced colors of AMOLED, and even new products such as the Nexus 6P and HTC One A9 include similar functionality.
The Nexus 6 was blasted with screen burn-in bitterness for some users.
Another cited sore spot for AMOLED is burn-in. While this can happen to any display, over the years some people have made comments of in-store display devices with horrible burn-in issues. Even last year’s Nexus 6 was cited as having a problem. Users found that both the notification tray and the on-screen geometrical navigation buttons being “fixed” and noticeable especially when on certain color backgrounds.
It was suggested that in some cases, the issue might be simply “image retention” and would go away shortly rather than permanent damage to the panel. Solutions were largely centered around apps that “inverted” the colors and would thus “burn-in” all the other areas of the display making the offending bits irrelevant. Unfortunately this basically meant that one had to deliberately damage their screen.
Is it right for you?
LG has also used an AMOLED in its G Flex line.
With AMOLED now becoming a larger presence in the mobile market, it may only be a matter of time before your OEM of choice includes or gives the option to buy a product using it. The question is ultimately if you will if you want it. Some have an almost religious affinity to the tech while others spare no opportunity to point out what they see as its drawbacks.
To this end we would like to invite those interested to take a quick survey located below. We have one for those who use AMOLED now, one for those who want to, and one for those who don’t. After, please feel free to leave your candid comments in the space below!
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Best of Android 2015: Performance
What is Best of Android?
In Best of Android, we take the hottest devices of the moment and compare them in-depth. For this first edition, we picked up the following Android flagships:
- Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
- Nexus 6P
- Motorola Moto X Force
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5
- LG V10
- BlackBerry Priv
What about the Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9 or the OnePlus 2, you ask. Those are all great phones. But, to keep this comparison manageable, we selected only the phones we feel are the most representative for the ecosystem right now.
Read more about Best of Android. Thanks for being a part of Android Authority!
Everyone always asks what’s the best phone to buy and we’re taking the guesswork out of that question. For this installment in Best of Android 2015, we’re taking a look at performance: which Android smartphone has the best performance? Let’s take a look.
As a reminder, the devices we are testing (in no particular order) are the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, the LG V10, the Nexus 6P, the Moto X Force, the BlackBerry Priv, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
AnTuTu
AnTuTu is one of the “standard” benchmarks for Android, it measures both CPU and GPU usage as well as a few other things like RAM bandwidth and I/O throughput. Although all of its workloads are completely artificial, meaning they don’t reflect real world usages, the benchmark is useful for establishing a baseline about the general performance of a device.
http://live.amcharts.com/yMzU5/embed/
As you can see the Galaxy Note 5 comes out on top due to the great performance of the Exynos 7420 SoC. However, close behind is the Moto X Force which uses the Snapdragon 810 from Qualcomm. In fact second, third and fourth place are all taken by phones using the Snapdragon 810. Fifth is the LG V10 which uses the hexa-core Snapdragon 808 and in last place comes the Blackberry Priv, which also uses the hexa-core Snapdragon 808. It is interesting to note that five of our six devices all use Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, either the octa-core 810 or the hexa-core 808. However the Exynos 7420 proves yet again that it is the top SoC of 2015.
GeekBench
GeekBench is another popular Android benchmarking tool, however this app only tests the CPU performance. The test is split into two parts, the single-core tests, which measures the speed of an individual core, regardless of how many cores there are on the SoC; and the multi-core tests, which exercises all the cores on the SoC simultaneously.
http://live.amcharts.com/MzIxN/embed/
As with the AnTuTu tests the Note 5 comes out top, however this time we see a strong performance from the Sony Z5 Premium. Its single-core result is only slightly less than the Note 5, as is its multi-core score. What is interesting is that the Moto X Force and the Nexus 6P didn’t match the pace of the Z5 Premium for this test. All things being equal they should have performed better as they are using the same System-on-a-Chip, clocked at the same frequency.
The two hexa-core phones come in fifth and sixth, mainly “hampered” by having only 6 cores rather than 8, something penalized by the multi-core tests.
Basemark OS II
Basemark OS II is an “All-In-One” benchmark that tests the overall performance of a device including system, memory, graphics, and web browsing. As well as these individual scores there is a overall rating calculated.
http://live.amcharts.com/QyNGQ/embed/
Until now a clear pattern was forming: The Note 5 first, followed by the three Snapdragon 810 devices and then the two Snapdragon 808 handsets. However the Basemark OS II test has shaken things up, just a little. The Note 5 is still top and second place goes to the Moto X Force. In third is the Nexus 6P, but in forth comes the BlackBerry Priv, a Snapdragon 808 device, and not the Z5 Premium as you would have expected. The Priv did well on the memory subsystem tests, in fact it got the highest score for that test, even beating the Note 5. At the same time the Z5 Premium did badly on the memory tests. The result is that the overall score for the Priv is higher. This unfortunately leaves the LG V10 in last place.
3D Mark Slingshot
3DMark is probably the world’s leading benchmark tool because of its cross-platform nature and because of its emphasis on 3D graphics. The Slingshot tests are designed specifically for devices running Android 5.0 or later that support OpenGL ES 3.1 or ES 3.0. For this test run we picked OpenGL ES 3.1 to test the latest and most advanced features of the GPU.
http://live.amcharts.com/jZjRh/embed/
And the results are quite surprising, this is the first test where the Note 5 didn’t win. Instead we have a great performance by the Nexus 6P. Although it has the same SoC as the Motorola and Sony, the Nexus 6P managed an incredible score of 1,565. Next comes the Note 5 with 1,252, closely followed by the other two Snapdragon 810 devices with scores of 1,146 and 1,125 for the Moto X Force and the Z5 Premium respectively. The LG V10 and the Blackberry Priv come in fifth and sixth with the low scores of 510 and 502, a third of the Nexus 6P’s scores.
GFX Highest Frames
Like 3D Mark, GFXBench is primarily concerned with GPU performance. The latest version of the app includes tests for OpenGL ES 3.1 and the Android Extension Pack. This means that it can test devices using game-like content that utilizes Android Extension Pack features such as hardware tessellation.
http://live.amcharts.com/jYzZk/embed/
Things return back to the norm with this test, well almost. The Note 5 comes in first, followed by the Z5 Premium and the Nexus 6P. In fourth place is the Moto X Force, but only just. It managed a score of 182.7 Frames, a much lower score than the 390.7 and 338.8 of the Z5 Premium and the Nexus 6P. The Motorola’s score was actually closer to the two Snapdragon 808 devices than to the other Snapdragon 810 handsets.
Lag Test
Benchmarks are one thing, but how long does it take to load your favorite game? This is where the rubber hits the road. The benchmarks mean nothing while you are twiddling your thumbs waiting for a game to load. To test this we started up 6 games in turn on each device and measured how long it took for the game to start. The games we picked were: Brave Frontier, Summoners War, Clash of Clans, Farmville 2, Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones. The results are quite surprising. For example Clash of Clans takes 27 seconds to open on the LG V10, but only 15 seconds on the Note 5.
Here is the average load time for all 6 games:
http://live.amcharts.com/zMjQ0/embed/
A strong performance from the Moto X Force puts it just ahead of the Note 5. Looking at the individual results it seems that the Note 5 struggled slightly with Farmville 2 which took 24 seconds to open, compared to the 19 seconds for the Moto X Force. Next comes the Sony followed by the Nexus and then the two Snapdragon 808 devices.
Over heating?
One of the things that is often talked about concerning smartphones is overheating. The harder the processor needs to work, the more heat it produces. This is true when playing 3D games and when recording video, especially 4K video. To see how much each phone heats up we conducted two tests, a 1080p video recording test and a 4K recording test. In both cases we noted the temperature rise.
Here are the results for the 1080p tests:
http://live.amcharts.com/k3MTN/embed/
The Moto X experiences the highest temperature rise, over 13C, while the Note 5 only heats up a few degrees. The other phones in our group perform well except the BlackBerry Priv, which heats up by 8C.
So what about 4K:
http://live.amcharts.com/2Y3MD/embed/
Recording 4K is more arduous for the processor and it causes most of the devices to heat up significantly. Again the Moto X force heats up the most while the other devices also see a significant temperature rise, with the exception of the Nexus 6P and the Z5 Premium.
As one final test we also looked at how much video, both 1080p and 4K each phone could record. There are three possible limits to these recordings. First, a built-in limit set by the manufacturer. Second, running out of internal storage while recording. Third, the phone overheats and the app shuts down. Here is what we found out:
http://live.amcharts.com/lNThl/embed/
When it comes to 1080p recording the Note 5 is the clear winner with a recording time of over two hours. Next comes the Sony, followed by the BlackBerry. The other three devices manage about 30 minutes each. For 4K recording the story is different. The Note 5, the LG V10 and the BlackBerry Priv all managed just 5 minutes. The Nexus 6P 8 minutes, and the Moto X Force, 10 minutes. However, the winner was the Z5 Premium which managed an impressive 40 minutes.
Wrap up
That is quite a lot of data, so here is my summary. The Note 5 with its octa-core Exynos 7420 processor is clearly the winner. It comes first in nearly every test and on the two occasions when it doesn’t, it came second. Close behind the Note 5 are the Snapdragon 810 based devices. Looking at the scores it is hard to say which one is better than the other two. If I was forced to name one, it would probably be the Moto X Force, but it would be a close call.
At the bottom of the performance table is the LG V10 and the Blackberry Priv. Both use the Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor and both are fairly evenly matched. However don’t forget that we are comparing the crème de la crème, none of these phones are slow and you won’t be unhappy with the performance of any of them.
Also there is more to a phone than just its raw performance, there are lots of other factors including the display, the audio, the battery, plus unique features like the Priv’s keyboard or the Note 5’s pen.
The bottom line is this, these are all high performance phones and in that sense they are all equal, but as Orwell almost said, it is just that some phones are more equal than others!
Best of Android 2015
Don’t miss:
Tomorrow we will be taking a look at the battery life of our six contenders, through benchmarks and real world tests. Come back on December 11 at 10AM EST for Best of Android 2015: Battery!
Credits
Post and video by: Gary Sims
Series Contributors: Rob Triggs, Gary Sims, Lanh Nguyen, Joe Hindy, Krystal Lora
Series Editors: Nirave Gondhia, Bogdan Petrovan, Andrew Grush
Sunnyclist is an EV powered by the sun and your hard work
It’s hard to describe the Sunncyclist, but let’s put it this way: it’s like a trike and a golf cart produced an environmentally conscious offspring. The electric vehicle’s rotatable roof has a solar panel surface that can harness energy from the sun, which it then stores into a battery. In case the sun’s hiding behind the clouds and the vehicle needs more power to get where you want to go, you can plug it in to recharge for a bit. But, if you have the optional pedal generators installed for the driver and the two passengers in the back, you can call around and ask your friends if they want a fun workout. You wouldn’t exactly pedal the EV as you would a bike; you’re merely feeding the battery energy it can use.
The Greek startup behind Sunncyclist is running a flexible goal crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo right now. That means no matter how much it raises, the team’s taking the money and going forward with the production of its Standard model. However, if it manages to reach its EUR100,000 ($110,000) goal, the team will also start manufacturing its street-legal City and Traveler models. Both City and Traveler can go as fast as 31 mph and are equipped with 540Wp (watt peak capacity) and 680Wp photovoltaic generators, respectively, while the Standard model can only inch along at 15 mph. If you’re interested, you’d have to put quite a bit of trust on the startup, as the smallest amount you’d have to pledge to reserve a Standard edition (priced at EUR6,500 or $7,000) is EUR1,000 ($1,100). Plus, you’ll have to have an address in the European Union, because the team will only ship a full vehicle to one of the member states.
Source: Indiegogo
Amazon adds 4,000 items to its one-hour delivery service
For those of us who like to procrastinate, Amazon added 4,000 items to its Prime Now delivery service for the holiday rush. In addition to its selection of food items and household goods, the one-hour delivery option will now drop off baking supplies, wrapping paper and a smattering of last-minute gifts ranging from electronics to toys. Starting today, Prime Now customers in Manhattan can order beer, wine and spirits, just in case you show up to your office party empty handed. The one-hour delivery will cost you $8, but if you can wait another 60 minutes, there’s no extra charge.
For now, customers in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Seattle and Richmond are privy to the service. And in addition to the items available from Amazon and other local retailers, the service is constantly expanding its food delivery from local restaurants as well.
[Image credit: Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images]
Source: Amazon (Business Wire)
Twitter tests Promoted Tweets for users who aren’t logged in
Twitter is looking to expand its advertising reach, and to do so, the company is testing Promoted Tweets for folks who aren’t logged in. This means that if you’re browsing a profile or viewing a tweet’s details, you could see the social network’s ads before you enter your log-in info. TechCrunch reports that Twitter is only testing the new practice, and for now it’s only doing so on the web. Of course, this means that not only will the ads display for Twitter users who aren’t signed in, but also for visitors who don’t have an account at all.
Advertisers will have access to the same tools it does now for targeting registered users, as the company is making good on its word to offer a way to cash in on all visitors to the site — not just the ones with an active account. This isn’t the first time Twitter made a move to do so either, as it’s deal with Google to populate search results with tweets earlier this year was another step in this direction. When the test period is over, don’t be surprised if those Promoted Tweets show up in all of the places they do now when you log in, including search results and promoted trend pages.
[Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Source: TechCrunch
Engadget giveaway: Win an Apple Watch Sport and Aim fitness tracker courtesy of Skulpt!
If you’re experiencing a sense of deja vu, don’t worry, we’re giving everyone another chance to win one of these health-focused packages for the holiday season. Products like the Skulpt Aim let you quantify your workout beyond steps by directly measuring body fat and muscle quality. Used in tandem with a wearable like the Apple Watch Sport, you can ascertain detailed correlations between exercise regimens and physical results. To do this, the Aim uses Electrical Impedance Mypgraphy (EIM) to measure the resistive and capacitive properties of the tissue via electrodes. With the holiday season upon us, the struggle to stay fit in the face of seasonal snacks is challenging. Skulp has provided us with a Skulpt Aim and Apple Watch Sport this week to help one lucky Engadget reader get over that hump and start the new year healthier. Just head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this fitness and technology combo.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States and the District of Columbia, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Apple Watch Sport (MJ2T2LL/A, 38mm Sil AI White – $349) and one (1) Skulpt Aim fitness tracker ($150).
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until December 11th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
AmpMe’s app for daisy-chaining phone speakers gets more useful
Earlier this fall we told you about AmpMe, an app that lets you daisy-chain a handful of phones and tablets to create a multi-speaker setup. That the application worked across iOS and Android devices, and streamed music to all these devices without any latency, was no small feat. But there were two drawbacks that made it potentially impractical: The app only worked with SoundCloud at launch and also, most mobile speakers stink. There’s no immediate fix for that last bit, but at least AmpMe is addressing the issue of music-sourcing. Starting today, you can use the app to stream music from your own library, including files stored on your phone or microSD card.Slideshow-346064
According to the company, this had been the most-requested feature among its “hundreds of thousands” of users. And for good reason: SoundCloud might be a big name in music streaming, but it’s hardly ubiquitous, and we can see where folks wouldn’t want to sign up just to check out a new app by an unknown startup. If you have your own library of tunes, though, this might be the time to give it a try. The app is free on iTunes and Google Play (links below), and is available in seven languages besides English.
Source: iTunes, Google Play
This is how Oculus will sell VR to the masses
By Nathan Ingraham and Aaron Souppouris
A big question has followed Oculus around since its Rift unveil back in June: How will it persuade the public that virtual reality is ready for primetime? Today we have the answer: Oculus VR has announced that Eve: Valkyrie, CCP’s multiplayer dogfighting shooter, will be a pack-in with every pre-order of its upcoming VR headset when it launches in early 2016.
Aaron Souppouris, Senior Editor
“We want to be the Halo or Mario for the [PlayStation VR] and Oculus.” That’s what Valkyrie executive producer Owen O’Brien told me back when I previewed the game in April. Today’s news made his wish come true. While more recent platforms have launched without them, traditionally pack-in games were common. And they’ve been especially important for establishing new concepts or accessories, with many going on to become iconic titles. Nintendo used this trick often: think Game Boy and Tetris, SNES and Super Mario World, or the Wii and Wii Sports. Oculus clearly believes Valkyrie is the right title to imbue the qualities of VR to the masses.
CCP, the game’s developer, made its fortune from the Eve:Online space MMO, but in recent years subscriber numbers haven’t been moving in the right direction, and it’s laid off a lot of staff. As well as trying to spark interest in its MMO through frequent updates, it’s poured money into virtual reality development, hoping to get into the field early to make the money it needs to survive. We probably should’ve seen the pack-in coming — Oculus is publishing Valkyrie, after all — but the fact that everyone with a Rift on launch day will get the game is still huge news for CCP.
The jury’s still out on whether Valkyrie is the best game to showcase VR for first-timers.
While CCP’s gamble has been vindicated, the jury’s still out on whether Valkyrie is the best game to showcase VR for first-timers. Here’s the problem: I’m not the best person to judge its success. I’ve played a healthy amount of VR over the past three years, during which I’ve played Valkyrie in its alpha and beta stages. My thoughts on the game are not going to be a great analog for a “first timer.” My colleague Nathan Ingraham, however, approached the game with fresh eyes.
Nathan Ingraham, Senior Editor
As Aaron hinted, I’m a newbie to Valkyrie and VR gaming in general. Until last week, most of my VR experience came in the early days of the Oculus Rift’s development; I’ve played around with a few VR headsets at various events, but I haven’t had an experience that has felt like anything more than a tech demo or proof of concept.
Valkyrie feels like a polished, relatively complete experience. Even something as simple as the menu screen felt familiar. Like the kind of thing I might find playing a regular game. We don’t play games for their menus, though. This preview threw me right into a five-on-five space dogfighting deathmatch, and the game uses VR well right off the bat. The feeling of your ship taking off and blasting out of the launch tube into the vast expanse of space is a pretty wonderful intro, and then you have a few blissful seconds to look around the level before you run into your competitors and must start fighting to stay alive.
The biggest challenge was getting used to the fact that I actually could use my head to look around the world. I’m so used to using the right stick to move the “camera” that I kept hitting it to look around before remembering that I could just, well, look. Head-tracking is used in other ways beyond the obvious — one class of spaceship requires you to stare at an enemy ship to lock on before deploying targeted missiles, a convention that felt pretty natural. Another ship had a different head-tracked weapon that felt less precise. Moving your head in that instance only affected the aiming reticle for your machine gun, with no lock on. That was a bit trickier — enemy ships can move so fast and erratically that using head-tracked aiming felt very imprecise. This could definitely become more natural with more time and practice, but as a first-timer it wasn’t very intuitive.
In Valkyrie, there are three classes of ships — a well-balanced fighter, a heavy “tank” option and a ship focused on healing — and you can use the experience points you gain to upgrade both their capabilities and visual appearance. For example, you can add healing capabilities to the standard fighter, or add more tank-like armor to balance out the different classes. Beyond the standard deathmatch, there are a few different objective-based matches you can play. I tried a capture the flag-style match — there were three points to control and defend from attack. The developers say there will be more game modes, a good sign that Valkyrie will try to offer players more depth.
As someone who’s interested in VR gaming but doesn’t have much time to game, a multiplayer-only launch title isn’t exactly ideal.
Those alternate gameplay modes are going to be doubly important as there aren’t many single-player experiences to be found here. There are some standalone missions that serve as training exercises while fleshing out the story behind the world, and you can also check out levels in a combat-free exploration mode, but the majority of the game’s appeal is in multiplayer. For most people buying an Oculus Rift at launch, that probably won’t be a problem. If you’re investing in one of the first consumer-ready VR products, you’re likely a pretty serious gamer.
As someone who’s interested in VR gaming but doesn’t have as much time to game as he’d like, though, a multiplayer-only launch title isn’t exactly ideal. I was, to put it bluntly, not good at EVE: Valkyrie, and I got the feeling there’s a reasonably steep learning curve. While I’d certainly improve with time, I could easily see a situation in which I was nearly always outclassed by other players who simply have more time to master the game’s nuances. But that’s why I don’t play a lot of multiplayer games in general, and Valkyrie is no different.
Aaron Souppouris, Senior Editor
Nathan’s experience mirrors mine — there’s a definite learning curve to using your head to aim — but after 20 minutes or so the game felt so much richer because of it. I’ve been sold on Valkyrie for a long time now. It’s definitely not going to enthrall everyone, but it’s still a great showcase for the Rift. Why? Because it’s so familiar.
Some of the most compelling experiences are those that can track the motion of your full body, which only Valve and HTC can offer (for now) with the Vive. But as impressive as these demos are, the vast majority of gamers aren’t going to throw down hundreds of dollars for unproven concepts. They want games. And although it looks more like a space sim, Valkyrie really takes all the hooks that make huge game series like Call of Duty so popular and transposes them to VR.
As it’s a multiplayer title, Valkyrie has the potential to stick around for months and months, provided the community takes to it. And although you can play for hours, a typical Valkyrie match is over in minutes. That gives players plenty of opportunity to put their Rifts down — I still find more than half an hour in a headset overwhelming.
I’ve been sold on Valkyrie for a long time now. It’s definitely not going to enthrall everyone, but it’s still a great showcase for the Rift.
Talking about today’s announcement, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey said Valkyrie “perfectly captures to the promise of immersive gaming,” adding that “multiplayer space dogfights is the ultimate VR thrill.” That’s mildly hyperbolic, but the game is definitely pretty, and it’s a lot of fun.
A single game isn’t enough, though. Oculus needs a broad range of equally high quality titles if it wants to persuade millions to buy Rifts. It’ll also need to cater to more diverse tastes. Case in point: My favorite VR game so far has been Ustwo’s Land’s End, a gentle puzzle game that’s available on Samsung’s Gear VR.
Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey modeling the consumer Rift.
To that end, Oculus was quick to assert that there will be “many titles” that launch alongside the Rift — Valkyrie is just the one that comes with the headset. Although Oculus says “the Eve: Valkyrie bundle is coming exclusively to Rift in Q1,” Valkyrie itself is not an exclusive. It’s coming to PlayStation VR, and CCP confirms it’s a launch title for Sony’s headset, which is scheduled to arrive at some point next year.
We don’t know how much the Rift will cost. We don’t know exactly when it’ll launch. We don’t know if every early VR adopter will take to Valkyrie. But we do know that, come day one, it’ll be their first entry point into the next phase of gaming.
Image credits: CCP (Eve:Valkyrie screenshots); Bloomberg / Getty (Palmer Luckey portrait)
SwiftKey launches new initiative, SwiftKey Symbols, to help people with speaking disabilities
SwiftKey today just launched a new initiative for helping those with speaking disabilities. Dubbed SwiftKey Symbols, the application will help the aforementioned group of people to communicate by using images over the regular keyboard.
The concept is simple: the users taps on a couple of different images that he or she thinks will properly communicate what needs to be conveyed, and SwiftKey Symbols will turn that into a sentence. SwiftKey Symbols will let users pick from all different categories, including people, actions, and colors. Harnessing the powerful prediction engine of SwiftKey, SwiftKey Symbols is also able to better predict what the user wants to say the more the keyboard is used.
While SwiftKey Symbols has many preset images already available, the user can also add a custom picture or photo for a special object or idea, which brings an even wider range of communication possibilities.
One thing’s for sure: SwiftKey wants to help people communicate better, and those with speaking disabilities aren’t excluded from that goal. Not only that, but SwiftKey Symbols is an app that is entirely free of charge; there aren’t even any in-app purchases.
It goes without saying, it’s tough having something like Autism or another disability because you often can’t communicate things that bother you and, well, emotion in general. Hopefully SwiftKey Symbols can help relieve that in anyway possible, especially as SwiftKey continues to polish and support it.
If you want to take SwiftKey Symbols for a spin or know someone that it could help, be sure to hit the download link below.
source: SwiftKey
Come comment on this article: SwiftKey launches new initiative, SwiftKey Symbols, to help people with speaking disabilities
DROID Turbo 2 rumored to get exclusive Star Wars wallpapers
Some early rumors and reports are indicating that Verizon and Motorola are jumping on the Star Wars marketing train by offering some exclusive Star Wars content with its DROID Turbo 2 license. In the coming days, Verizon and Motorola will launch DROID Turbo 2 “Star Wars Editions” with 5 wallpapers exclusive to Verizon customers.
A report from Droid-Life says that Verizon representatives have received news that additional information on scoring these 5 wallpapers will be available soon. Since this information hasn’t been officially released yet, there’s still some confusion as to whether all DROID Turbo 2 owners will have access to these wallpapers or if it’s an exclusive found on the Moto Maker. Droid-Life was able to obtain an image that makes us believe the latter.
Despite these wallpapers being a Verizon-exclusive, there’s no doubt that someone will eventually find a way to post them online for all to enjoy.
While we wait for an official announcement, be sure to keep an eye on the @DroidLanding Twitter account, where the process for obtaining these wallpapers on the Turbo 2 is expected to be revealed. The account hasn’t been active since late May, but as the Twitter account’s bio says, “Expect the unexpected from Droid.”
source: Droid-Life
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