Recent job listings at Google point towards a new VR headset to compete with HTC, Oculus, and Samsung
It seems like this is the year that VR is going to go mainstream. Multiple headsets from Samsung have already been released, and it looks like the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, and Sony’s Project Morpheus will finally be launched to the masses. It looks like Google has taken notice of all these “premium” devices and is ramping up its VR efforts to compete.
Google already has an incredible base for its VR ambitions. The DIY Google Cardboard has been an incredible success, and has allowed the masses to experience the immersiveness of virtual reality for mere pennies. If recent job listings and hirings are any indication though, it looks like Google is going to be building on this base in a big way in an effort to create a more premium headset that can compete with the best available.
Google has posted four different positions that would relate to the creation of a new virtual reality headset. The listings include, Hardware Engineering Technical Lead Manager VR, Engineering Project Specialist VR, Electrical Hardware Engineer VR, and lastly, PCB Layout Engineer VR. If you match these listings with the recent hiring of Youtube alumni, Jason Toff, it looks like a compelling argument can be made for Google cranking up its VR efforts.
It really makes sense for Google to make a more immersive headset that can compete with Samsung’s Gear VR or the soon to be released Oculus Rift. Google has already leveraged the power of Android to make its Cardboard initiative the go to place for an entry level VR experience. They can leverage Android’s power once again to make its more premium headset the absolute best place to go for a more immersive experience. While Samsung may be the biggest Android manufacturer, the amount of phones compatible with its VR solution pales in comparison to the amount of phones that, theoretically, will be able to work with Google’s headset.
This is all just speculation, and at this point it is impossible to know if Google will develop a more premium headset. The wording in the listings is vague and these jobs could merely go towards creating new VR apps, or a newer version of Cardboard. Hopefully though, Google does push to make a more premium headset that can work with phones from all the fantastic Android manufacturers just like its Cardboard does.
Source: Road to VR
Come comment on this article: Recent job listings at Google point towards a new VR headset to compete with HTC, Oculus, and Samsung
2,500 Sprint employees are laid-off to save costs
We recently reported that Sprint was going to cut costs of $1 billion dollars by switching to new towers as well as a few other things. Now it looks like one of those other things is laying off 2,500 people.
Hopefully customers don’t need any care because that is the area where most of the cuts are from. At least they waited until after the holidays, but Sprint has cut 2,500 jobs across six customer care centres including 574 cuts from its Kansas headquarters. Call centres in Virginia, New Mexico, Tennessee and Texas have been shut down. However, Sprint said they notified everyone last week in an email.
Sprint also said that more and more customers are using the Sprint Zone app or going online for their customer service needs, and these jobs were no longer needed. They did, however, make sure to layoff everyone before January 30th because after that date their severance packages would be reduced.
The reason for the cuts are mainly to save costs. Investors have been worried Sprint is spending way too much money trying to acquire customers and upgrade its network.
Source: Reuters
Come comment on this article: 2,500 Sprint employees are laid-off to save costs
Marvin Minksy, A.I. pioneer, dies of brain hemorrhage at 88
The world lost one of its brightest minds to a brain hemorrhage recently; Marvin Minsky was 88 when he passed on Sunday night. A World War II veteran, his life’s work was essentially creating and advancing the field of artificial intelligence. The New York Times has eulogized the Turing Award winner, writing that when Minsky was choosing his career path he “ruled out genetics as interesting but not profound, and physics as mildly entertaining, he chose to focus on intelligence itself.”
This is a man who, in 1951, built the premiere “randomly wired neural network learning machine” which you can hear him talk about in the video below. He also built the first confocal scanning microscope (read: extremely powerful) at Harvard in 1956.
Two years later, along with John McCarthy (the man credited with naming “artificial intelligence”), he cofounded and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s venerable A.I. lab. The man who wants to resurrect his father as an AI construct via paper records, Ray Kurzweil, was one of his students there too. Hell, director Stanley Kubrick even consulted him during pre-production on 2001: A Space Odyssey to get his take on whether or not computers would be able to speak by the year 2001.
Saying he was brilliant would be a vast understatement, and I can’t possibly list all of his accomplishments here. But, that’s what NYT‘s exhaustive memorial is for. Godspeed, sir.
[Image credit: Boston Globe via Getty Images]
Source: New York Times
‘Sound wave tweezers’ can move cells around for 3D bioprinting
A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Penn State University have developed a different kind of tweezers, one that can move single cells around without damaging them. That’s because these tweezers are made of sound waves and don’t actually touch the cells. The team has been working on the method for quite some time, but their most recent paper discusses how it can be used for 3D bioprinting.
Since the group wanted to prove that the technique could be used to print out biological tissue, they experimented with 3D structures:
The researchers’ most recent version of acoustic tweezers involves a microfluidic device that uses acoustic wave generators to produce sound waves along the edges of the device. The device’s design allowed researchers to manipulate where the waves would meet along each of the three axes. At these meeting points, the waves formed a 3-D trapping node that captured individual cells. The researchers could then further manipulate the acoustic waves to move and place cells.
That microfluidic device can also pick up groups of cells and lay them down again in a preselected pattern, say, to create different types of tissues for specific organs. Seeing as these acoustic tweezers can do these without damaging cells, the team believes it has loads of potential applications. Its ability to prepare cells and tissues for bioprinting could eventually be used in the fields of biomanufacturing, cancer metastasis, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
Source: MIT, PennState, PNAS, Carnegie Mellon University
Get realistic Android Wear watch faces with Weareal
There are a lot of really cool Android Wear watch faces to choose from. However, the vast majority of them have a distinct… artificial feel to them. Without the physical hands and the metallic sheen that we see on real luxury watches, even the fanciest faces strike the eye as unnatural. That’s what’s interesting about Weareal.
See also: 10 best Android Wear watch faces
Weareal has created a line of smartwatch faces that aim to give the reader an authentic, mechanical aesthetic. Their faces take into consideration the movement of your wrist to dynamically adjust how “light” is falling on the rendered watch face. The result is impressively convincing under normal lighting conditions, with reflections and shadows dipping and spinning as they would on a watch composed from the materials these faces seek to emulate.
There are a handful of different aesthetics to choose from. The “Rider” line has a distinctly vehicular feel to it, with micro-gauges indicating the internal temp, battery, and day of the week. “Golder” is a simpler minimalist design with a more decadent tone, and “Acute” offers a no-nonsense appearance of high-quality metal that doesn’t have to flaunt it. The newest line, “Airpower,” takes things in the opposite direction with complex arrays of inset gears and cogs ticking and spinning.
Weareal faces are available for round and square Android Wear devices. The developers claim that these fancy faces only consume an additional 3% battery when compared to less flashy alternatives, making them relatively battery-friendly. The smartphone app lets you play with different designs before you commit to one, kind of a virtual storefront.
What do you think of Weareal’s real-feeling Android Wear faces? Clever gimmick or a genuinely stylish alternative to what’s already out there? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to click that button to give Weareal a spin on your own!
Next: 10 best Android Wear games
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Save up to 50% on in-app purchases on select games in the Play Store
In-app game purchases are a very debatable topic in the gaming world, but I personally hate them. The only good thing is the games are usually free and buying things are only required to advance quicker. However, there is good news for the people like myself, in-app purchases are now 50% off for a limited time.
Unfortunately, this isn’t on every single game, but there are some good ones on the list. Very popular games like Clash of Clans are noticeably missing, however, other popular games like Mobile Strike, Game of War, and The Sims are all there. You can check all the games out in the Play Store.
This is a great way for gamers to buy some new gear/items for their favorite games, or to try out some new games for a cheaper price. What is your favorite game on the list?
Source: Play Store
Come comment on this article: Save up to 50% on in-app purchases on select games in the Play Store
Dropbox has passed 500 million downloads
I knew lots of people used Dropbox, but I definitely didn’t know it was over 500 million! Dropbox has just passed 500 million downloads on their Play Store app, which is a huge accomplishment for any app to do.
Google has many apps that are over 1 billion downloads, but they force their apps to be pre-installed, which to me doesn’t count. Facebook is another developer who have over 1 billion downloads, which is more impressive, but again, they usually have their app pre-installed on many devices. Dropbox on the other hand usually isn’t pre-installed, or at least less so than Facebook and Google apps, which makes this a much more impressive achievement.
There are very few third-party app developers out there to hit such a high number of downloads. Not even Netflix, Spotify, or Snapchat has this many downloads in the Play Store. Congratulations to you, Dropbox.
Come comment on this article: Dropbox has passed 500 million downloads
Microsoft’s iPhone keyboard has a one-handed mode
Microsoft isn’t just porting its Windows smartphone keyboard to iOS verbatim — it’s spicing things up in the process. Both Windows blogger Paul Thurrott and The Verge understand that iPhone users will get a fan-shaped one-handed keyboard. Based on the early peeks (including a few Verge pictures), the new mode resembles the touchscreen keyboard you got back in the Windows Vista days. Windows 10 Mobile already has a single-hand mode, but it only shunts the keys to one side — this is designed more explicitly to fit your thumb.
Besides that, you’re looking at a largely faithful rendition of the Windows keyboard, complete with Word Flow (swipe-to-type) and suggestions. The add-on still isn’t publicly available — you’ll have to wait a few months for that. Look at this way, though: you’ll at least know what you’re likely to get when this new input method arrives.
What’s on your HDTV: ‘X-Files,’ ‘Suits,’ and ‘The Witness’
You’ve had 24 hours to absorb the return of The X-Files, and now it’s time for episode number two. The other big highlight for this week is Jonathan Blow’s new game, The Witness, arriving on PC and PlayStation 4. Suits fans can also expect their show to return on USA, while The Magicians airs on Syfy. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- Goosebumps (3D)
- Comin’ At Ya (3D)
- The Assassin
- Downton Abbey (S6)
- Chi-raq
- Da Vinci’s Demons (S3)
- The Wrong Man
- Burnt
- The Witness (PC, PS4)
- Lego Marvel’s Avengers (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (PC)
- AIPD (PC, PS4)
- This War of Mine: The Little Ones (PS4, Xbox One)
- Sebastian Loeb Rally EVO (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Bombshell (PC)
Monday
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (winter premiere), CW, 8PM
- The Fosters (winter premiere), Freeform, 8PM
- Supergirl, CBS, 8PM
- Superstore, NBC, 8PM
- X-Files, Fox, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- American Dad (season premiere), TBS, 8:30PM
- Telenovela, NBC, 8:30PM
- Lucifer (series premiere), Fox, 9PM
- Jane the Virgin (winter premiere), CW, 9PM
- The Magicians (series premiere), Syfy, 9PM
- Scorpion, CBS, 9PM
- Top Gear, BBC America, 9PM
- War & Peace (Part 2 of 4), A&E, 9PM
- NCIS, CBS, 10PM
- Almost Royal, BBC America, 11PM
Tuesday
- New Girl, Fox, 8PM
- Finding Your Roots, PBS, 8PM
- The Flash, CW, 8PM
- Pretty Little Liars, Freeform, 8PM
- Grandfathered, Fox, 8:30PM
- The Outsiders (series premiere), WGN, 9PM
- Brooklyn Nine-nine, Fox, 9PM
- Shadowhunters, Freeform, 9PM
- Chicago Med, NBC, 9PM
- Marvel’s Agent Carter, ABC, 9PM
- Moonshiners, Dicovery, 9PM
- NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 9PM
- Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9PM
- Teen Wolf, MTV, 9PM
- The Grinder, Fox, 9:30PM
- The Expanse, Syfy, 10PM
- Chicago Fire, NBC, 10PM
- Limitless, CBS, 10PM
- The Shannara Chronicles, MTV, 10PM
Wednesday
- Arrow, CW, 8PM
- 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 8PM
- The Goldbergs, ABC, 8:30PM
- Mike & Molly, CBS, 8:30PM
- Supernatural, CW, 9PM
- Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
- Dual Survival, Discovery, 9PM
- Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
- Suits (winter premiere), USA, 10PM
- The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, MTV, 10PM
- Chicago PD, NBC, 10PM
- American Crime, ABC, 10PM
- Code Black, CBS, 10PM
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FXX, 10PM
- Man Seeking Woman, FXX, 10:30PM
- Teachers, TV Land, 10:30PM
- NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 11PM
Thursday
- You, Me, and the Apocalypse (series premiere), NBC, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 8PM
- Beyond the Tank, ABC, 8PM
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, CW, 8PM
- WWE SmackDown, USA, 8PM
- Life in Pieces, CBS, 8:30PM
- The Blacklist, NBC, 9PM
- The 100, CW, 9PM
- Angel from Hell, CBS, 9:30PM
- Baskets, FX, 10PM
- Portlandia, IFC, 10PM
- London Spy, BBC America, 10PM
- Workaholics, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Shades of Blue, NBC, 10PM
- Elementary, CBS, 10PM
- Colony, USA, 10PM
- Shades of Blue, NBC, 10PM
- Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV, 10PM
- Nightwatch, A&E, 10PM
- The Greatest Party Story Ever, MTV, 10:30PM
- Idiotsitter, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Dark Net, Showtime, 11PM
Friday
- Ever After High, Netflix, 3AM
- Undateable (season finale), NBC, 8PM
- Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
- The Vampire Diaries (winter premiere), CW, 8PM
- Undercover Boss, CBS, 8PM
- The Originals (winter premiere), CW, 9PM
- Grimm (winter premiere), NBC, 9PM
- Second Chance, Fox, 9PM
- Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
- Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
- Childrens Hospital, Cartoon Network, 11PM
Saturday
- UFC Fight Night 18, Fox, 8PM
- Lila & Eve, Lifetime 8PM
- 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, TBS/TNT, 8PM
- Spurs/Cavaliers, ABC, 8:30PM
- Black Sails, Starz, 9PM
Sunday
- Grease: Live, Fox, 7PM
- 60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM
- Pro Bowl 2016, ESPN, 8PM
- American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
- 2016 Celebration of Gospel, BET, 8PM
- The Circus, Showtime 8PM
- Galavant (season finale), ABC, 8PM
- Madam Secretary, CBS, 8PM
- Downton Abbey, PBS, 9PM
- The Good Wife, CBS, 9PM
- Shameless, Showtime 9PM
- Vice: Fighting Isis, HBO, 10PM
- CSI: Cyber, CBS, 10PM
- Billions, Showtime, 10PM
- Mercy Street, PBS, 10PM
- The Venture Bros. (season premiere), Cartoon Network, 12AM
Sprint lets go 2,500 employees in cost-cutting measure
Sprint indicated a couple of months ago that layoffs were coming to its organization. Today, that finally happened, as at least 2,500 people were laid off from the company. According to Reuters, most of those job cuts came from customer care centers, and about 574 of those positions were from Sprint’s Overland Park, Kansas headquarters. A Sprint spokesperson told Reuters that this was in response to the trend of customers going online and using an app for their customer service rather than talking to an actual rep.
That said, the layoffs are also part of an overall plan by Sprint and parent company Softbank to turn around the organization, which is losing ground to the other big three carriers in the US. In particular, it’s planning to reduce costs by as much as $2.5 billion this year. In an interview with Re/Code in November, Sprint revealed that more extravagant benefits like private town cars for its executives have already been cut and employees would have to take out their own trash. It’s unclear as to whether there’ll be more layoffs in the future, but it does appear that the company is cutting costs any way it can.
Source: Reuters
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