Pre-order the first Ubuntu Linux tablet

If you’ve been talking a lot about using Ubuntu Linux away from your PC — or using a mobile device as your PC — you now get to put your money where your mouth is. BQ has started taking pre-orders for both the HD and full HD versions of the Aquarius M10, the first official Ubuntu tablet. Shell out a respective €259 ($289) or €299 ($335) and you’ll get a 10-inch slate using Canonical’s open source software, which can switch to a desktop PC mode when you attach an external display, keyboard and mouse.

As you might have guessed from the names, what you pay mostly dictates the screen quality. The HD model is frugal, with a 1,280 x 800 display and a modest 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor. Splurge on the full HD version and you’ll get both a sharper 1,920 x 1,200 panel and a speedier 1.5GHz chip. Neither is especially powerful between their 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, rear 8-megapixel camera and front 5-megapixel cam. However, they might still scratch the itch if you crave something Linux-based besides Android — just be ready to wait until the second week of April to get yours.

Via: Phoronix

Source: BQ (HD model), (full HD model)

Oculus Rift review: High-end VR is here — if you can pay

Phones and tablets are getting boring. And the excitement around smartwatches was, to put it kindly, short-lived. And then there was virtual reality. What used to seem like a science fiction pipe dream has, in the span of a few years, become the next potentially groundbreaking technology platform. So saying that the Oculus Rift has a lot to prove is an understatement. If it fails, it could destroy the virtual reality market before it even gets started. No big deal.

But after spending a week with the Oculus Rift, I have no doubt that its approach to virtual reality is indeed the real deal. It’s well built and easy to set up, and there are already a few games and apps that’ll make VR believers out of the most ardent naysayer. The only problem: It’s $600 and requires a powerful gaming PC. Just as with every new technological milestone, it has the potential to change the world. But at this early stage, only a few can afford it.

Hardware

The Oculus Rift is basically a head-mounted box holding two OLED displays (one for each eye) running 1,200 by 1,080 pixels at 90Hz. There’s an integrated gyroscope and accelerometer, and the headset also works together with the included IR sensor for 360-degree head tracking. Oculus has even added built-in headphones, and there’s a microphone embedded as well. But perhaps more important than all of that technology: The Rift is also light (around 0.8 pounds) and easily adjustable.

Indeed, after living with the second Oculus development kit for over a year, the consumer Rift feels like a major step forward. It even feels lighter than a Gear VR with a phone attached (no surprise, since the Rift doesn’t need much hardware on the headset.) There’s only one main cable leading from the headset, and it splits into USB 3.0 and HDMI cables. It’s far less cumbersome than the Vive Pre, which is heavier and has four long cables coming out of its headset.

You can adjust the Rift with three velcro straps: two on the side and one on the top. The headphones can also be maneuvered in a variety of ways to suit your ears, and you can take them out entirely if you’d rather use your own headphones. (As I explain below, that’s not really necessary.) There’s removable padding around the sides of the headset (Oculus also includes a replacement face pad), as well as soft cloth lining surrounding the actual displays. A sensor inside the headset turns on the displays when it’s covered (which avoids burning them out), and there’s also a small switch on the bottom to adjust the lenses to your pupillary distance.

Inside the (impeccably designed) box, you also get the aforementioned sensor with a desk stand (it can also be mounted on a tripod), a small Oculus remote and an Xbox One controller and wireless adapter. No, there aren’t any motion controllers yet. We’ve seen (and felt) them over the past few months, but Oculus still hasn’t announced when they’re coming or how much they’ll cost.

There’s not much to report about the Xbox One controller: It’s exactly the same as what comes with Microsoft’s console, and you’ll be relying on it as your main gaming controller. I’ve also been using Microsoft’s wireless controller adapter since it came out last year, and it goes a long way toward making PC gaming feel like just playing on a console. You use the Oculus remote to navigate apps while wearing the display, and it also lets you control the headphone volume.

Setup

Before you can do anything with the Rift, you need a Windows PC that can actually handle it. At the minimum, you’ll need to have an Intel Core i5 4590 (or equivalent) processor, 8GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD Radeon 290 video card. Those aren’t excessive specs — you’d find the same sort of hardware in a midrange gaming PC — but if you’ve got an older desktop, or you’re starting from scratch, it might cost you a bit to upgrade. To make things easier for newcomers, there are also “Oculus ready” PCs from the likes of Alienware, ASUS and Dell starting at around $1,000 with the purchase of a Rift. And of course, you’ll have to add at least another $200 for a monitor.

I spent most of my time with the Oculus on my home-built desktop PC, which is powered by an Intel Core i7 4790k CPU running at 4GHz, 16GB of 2400MHz DDR3 RAM and an R9 Fury X GPU on loan from AMD. (I chose most of those parts last year, aside from the video card, with the express purpose of being ready for the rise of VR. For once, I wasn’t burned by planning ahead.) I also received, from Oculus, an ASUS ROG G20 gaming PC powered by an NVIDIA GTX 970 for testing, which gave me a sense of how a slightly slower machine handled VR.

Once you’ve got a capable rig, it doesn’t take much to get the Oculus Rift up and running. Just plug the headset into a USB 3.0 port and HDMI port on your video card, then insert the sensor’s cable into another USB 3.0 port and place it somewhere on your desk. From there, the Oculus Windows app leads you through the process of configuring and customizing the Rift. You might be prompted to install some video card updates before you get started (I had to download some freshly baked Radeon beta drivers myself).

Learning how to put on the Rift, and customizing it to be comfortable for long periods, takes a bit longer. It’s extra difficult for me, since I need my glasses to fit comfortably under the headset. If you’re wearing contacts, or have good vision, the whole process will probably be a bit easier. I only had to adjust the side velcro straps once, but the top strap is something I’ve ended up readjusting every time I wear the Rift. After a couple of days, I figured out how to put on the headset pretty easily, though it still takes my glasses off whenever I remove it. Every. Single. Time.

The built-in headphones were surprisingly one of my favorite parts of the Oculus Rift. They swing up so they’re out the way when you’re putting on the headset, and they can articulate in many directions to fit a wide variety of ears. They also sound pretty great, with a decent amount of clarity and bass oomph. That’s not something you see very often with over-ear headphones. You can always remove them if you’d rather use your own, but I’ve always found it difficult to juggle a VR headset with extra audio gear. I wouldn’t be surprised if most Rift users just stick with them.

Software

You’ll have to rely on the Oculus app for just about everything, and thankfully, it’s pretty easy to use. It’s clean and well designed, with an overall layer of polish that’s surprising for a first-gen product. It highlights some games and apps from the Oculus store, but it’s also fairly simple to browse through categories or search through titles.

Taking a cue from every other app store out there, each entry includes screenshots and a description and also lists the VR comfort level. “Comfortable” describes games with little movement, “moderate” steps that up a bit, and “intense” is reserved for experiences where you may be running, jumping or turning your head quickly. The app store also lets you know if a gaming controller is required.

Naturally, the Oculus app also houses your entire library of content, and lets you configure settings for your headset. Grabbing content from the store is fairly straightforward, though you sometimes have to click through an extra dialog to finish installing an app (due to Windows permissions limitations).

Just a year ago, I was relying on ugly software with complicated settings every time I wanted to do something with the Oculus DK2. Just getting a game to launch properly in that headset was a chore. Now you just have to launch the Oculus desktop app, put on the headset, and pick your virtual poison. It’s that sort of ease of use that Oculus — or any VR company, really — must offer to appeal to consumers.

Putting on the Oculus Rift automatically launches a slightly more interactive version of the Oculus desktop app within the headset. You’ll be able to do everything you can with the desktop program, but you have the added advantage of easily jumping into games. You also return to the core Oculus application whenever you hit the home button on the remote, or the Xbox One remote. (Yes, it’s a bit weird that hitting the giant Xbox logo brings you into a Facebook-owned app.)

In use

Two words you’ll hear a lot when it comes to VR are “immersion and presence.” In this context, they refer to creating experiences that fully make you feel like you’re a part of a virtual world. Long before the Oculus was a glimmer in founder Palmer Luckey’s eye, VR researchers were focusing on these concepts. It’s worth remembering that the schlocky gear we saw in 1992’s The Lawnmower Man doesn’t look much different from what we’re seeing today.

So how does the final Oculus Rift hardware fare when it comes to the concepts of immersion and presence? Surprisingly well, it turns out. Over the past week, I’ve been a space pilot dogfighting in distant galaxies in Eve: Valkryie. I’ve been a part of a live-action Adventure Time story. And I’ve seen aliens up close up on their home planets with Oculus’ own Farlands. Of course, the quality of VR experiences varies, but it’s heartening to see some quality content so early in the game.

You do have to look beyond some limitations of the Oculus Rift to fully immerse yourself, though. Sometimes the resolution of the OLED displays can make things look noticeably pixelated (this is one area where 4K mobile displays are going to be a big help). The nature of the Oculus’ optics often makes the imagery shown on the sides of the displays blurrier than what’s in the center. You still have to deal with a long cable coming out of the headset. And of course, most of the time you’re still just sitting in a chair with an Xbox One controller. I haven’t yet tested out the final, consumer-ready version of the HTC Vive, but the Vive Pre developer kit ended up delivering even greater presence in some games with its motion controllers.

I didn’t run into any performance issues with my home PC, but most games are also smart enough to choose the best settings without stressing your system. I cranked the visual performance all the way up to “Ultra” in Eve: Valkryie and felt nothing but pride. I also had no complaints with the ASUS ROG G20 desktop, even though it was running a slightly slower video card.

One question I keep getting asked about VR: Will it make me sick? Fortunately for me, I’m not very susceptible to motion sickness, but I’ve talked to some people who feel woozy after even brief VR demos. If you’re the sort who needs to pack Dramamine when you travel, be sure to pay close attention to Oculus’ comfort levels. Oculus has also implemented a new feature called Time Warp that should help avoid some graphic issues that lead to motion sickness.

I was able to wear the Oculus Rift for about an hour typically without needing a break. Eventually, my face would get a bit sweaty and my eyes would start to feel dry. It might just be my sensitivity to light, but wearing any VR headset eventually makes me feel like I’m sitting through Clockwork Orange–esque torture. And, needless to say, I also learned that it’s not smart to spend time in VR ahead of bedtime. If blue light from our phones and computers can interfere with sleep, just imagine what a bright OLED screen right in front of your eyeballs does.

Games and apps

I basically had a smorgasbord of VR content at my fingertips while testing the Oculus Rift, but mostly I ended up returning to Eve: Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale, both of which are bundled with the Rift. In fact, they’re impressive enough that I’d dare call them the first VR killer apps.

If you were a fan of the Battlestar Galactica reboot, or just always wanted a believable spaceship shooter, Eve: Valkyrie will make you a believer in VR. It’s the most graphically impressive VR title I’ve seen, with richly detailed space environments. I often simply flew around just to take in the scenery.

When the action gets hot and heavy, though, Eve also shows how VR lets you do things that would be impossible on a normal screen. To target enemies with your missiles, for example, you have to physically look in their direction with your headset. That leads to some truly head-turning maneuvers if they’re flying above or right beside you. I was also able to target enemies around me while also hammering away at the pour soul in front of me with my front guns.

Lucky’s Tale is far less violent; it’s more reminiscent of 3D Mario games (with a lead character who looks suspiciously like Tales from Sonic). You get a third-person camera view with the VR headset, and you control the main character as he hops around and fights enemies, just like a typical platformer. That may sound disappointing, but the game’s real beauty is in letting you simply look around.

Peering right usually shows you all of the obstacles ahead in a stage, and you can also look back on everything you’ve conquered. You can peer over ledges and, surprisingly, even lean down to get a closer look at character models and environments. (I particularly enjoyed getting a close look at small things, like butterflies floating around, or dandelion spores that get blown into the air.) Lucky even gets a bit cheeky when you try to get down close to him. It also helps that the game itself is genuinely fun to play, with a charming soundtrack and colorful environments.

Lucky’s Tale is a great example of how even third-person camera angles can benefit from VR. It’s not just about getting a first-person view; simply being able to look around and appreciate the scope of environments can add to a game’s presence. I also noticed something similar with the Adventure Time VR game, which isn’t as detailed as Lucky’s Tale but really makes you feel like a part of its cartoon world.

We’ve already written impressions about some of the 30 titles launching with the Oculus Rift, but I also dabbled in just about everything I could find. Chronos is a solid attempt at creating a Zelda-like adventure game, with a tad of Dark Souls in there for good measure. It also uses a third-person camera, but it’s in a fixed perspective, similar to the early Resident Evil games. Some of those angles were creative, but I would have preferred a free-floating camera like in Lucky’s Tale.

For a change of pace, there’s Into the Dead, an infinite running game that has you zipping through a field of zombies. It’s fairly simple: move left or right, acquire weapons, and try to avoid getting eaten by zombies. The gameplay is a bit limiting, but it still manages to make you feel like you’re surrounded by countless zombies. I also had fun with Radial-G, a futuristic racing game similar to Wipeout, as well as Project Cars, an elaborate racing simulation.

On the entertainment front, I sat through plenty of 360-degree videos in the Oculus Video app and JauntVR, as well as Oculus’ original VR series Henry and Lost. For the most part, they were all things I had already seen on the Gear VR and other demos, so they weren’t as exciting as fresh new games. It’ll be interesting to see if more companies start producing higher-quality 360-degree experiences, though. Right now, many of the VR videos are surprisingly low-res.

Since you have access to all of the same videos on the $100 Gear VR, watching any sort of media on the Oculus Rift almost feels like a waste. I’d rather be diving into virtual games that take full advantage of my computer’s hardware. VR videos are also far more suited to viewing on a completely wireless device like the Gear VR, rather than a complicated headset tethered by a cable.

Ultimately, the Oculus Rift proves that virtual reality is a viable way to experience games and new types of media. I’ve played games projected on a 100-inch screen, and that’s still not nearly as immersive as what the Rift provides.

The competition

Do I really have to spell this out? Over the next few months, it’ll be the Oculus Rift and HTC’s Vive, which is powered by Valve’s SteamVR platform, battling for VR dominance. At $800, the Vive is a bigger investment up front, but it also includes two motion controllers, sensors for room-scale VR and slightly better VR imaging technology. You’ll be paying more for the Oculus motion controllers later this year (and we still don’t know by how much). The Vive doesn’t come with an Xbox One controller, but that’s something most PC gamers probably already have lying around the house. The two platforms also share the same minimum specifications.

Really, your choice between the Oculus Rift and Vive comes down to games. The Rift comes bundled with Eve: Valkryie and Lucky’s Tale, while the Vive comes with Fantastic Contraption, Google’s Tilt Brush and Job Simulator. It wouldn’t be a platform war without exclusives, either. Right now, Lucky’s Tale will be exclusive to the Rift and, naturally, anything developed by Valve will stick with the SteamVR-powered Vive.

And of course, the PlayStation VR is coming this October for $400 to $500, depending on which bundle you get. That may be the easiest option for most gamers, since it requires just a PlayStation 4. But given that that console makes use of aging components, you won’t be reaching nearly the same level of graphical quality as you would with the Rift or Vive on a gaming PC.

Wrap-up

Even after spending the better part of a week with the Oculus Rift, it’s still hard to fathom that virtual reality is something I can just jump into at home. It’s almost as easy as flipping on a game console or turning on the radio. It’s even harder to believe that we have a first-generation technology product that mostly lives up to all of the hype, and decades of geek fantasies.

But as with any first-gen product, there are a few flaws with the Oculus Rift. The imaging technology still isn’t perfect, and it requires a significant amount of powerful gaming hardware. The price is understandable, given that it’s leading us into an entirely new form of computing. But it’s also hard to champion the Rift completely when few people can afford it. It’s the very definition of elite technology.

Hopefully in a few years, when the hardware gets cheaper, VR will have something for everyone. Right now, though, the important thing is that it actually exists.

Vimeo’s On Demand store comes to Roku boxes

First and foremost, Vimeo is known as a portfolio site for professional and aspiring filmmakers. YouTube, meanwhile, is seen as the place to monetize online videos, given its huge viewership and support of pre-roll advertising. Vimeo has spent years trying to change its image, however, and prove it can also be a place for video makers to earn money. Part of that push has been Vimeo On Demand, an iTunes equivalent for creative and usually independent works. Starting today, it’s available on Roku hardware, giving Vimeo and its users a larger potential audience.

In addition, Vimeo has updated its Roku channel with adaptive streaming, meaning video quality will be tailored automatically for your internet connection. It’s also supporting the Roku 4 and adding activation codes, so you’ll never have to sign in by pecking out your email and password. All of this means that if you own a Roku box, it should now be much easier to watch Vimeo originals like Darby Forever. Handy the next time you have people over and want to watch something that isn’t House of Cards.

Some iOS 9.3 users can’t visit web links

As important an update as iOS 9.3 may be, it’s clear that Apple still has to work out a few kinks. Some users are reporting that they can’t open web links after the upgrade, whether it’s in official apps (such as Mail, Messages and Safari) or, in some cases, third-party apps like Chrome. If you’re affected, tapping a link either does nothing or triggers nasty crashes and freezes. Some users report having success by using other apps, toggling JavaScript off and on or uninstalling apps that use Safari extensions, but there don’t appear any surefire fixes.

We’ve asked Apple what it’s doing to address the bug, although at least one user on Apple’s forums understands that the company already escalated the issue to its engineers. If so, you’ll likely see a fix arrive in the near future. The link bug doesn’t appear to affect most users, but it’s safe to say that a patch can’t come soon enough if you’re noticing this problem.

Via: ZDNet, BGR

Source: Apple Support Communities

Pandora creator takes over as CEO

Pandora isn’t just shaking things up with hints of on-demand listening. The internet radio pioneer’s board of directors has abruptly appointed founder Tim Westergren as CEO, with outgoing leader Brian McAndrews leaving the company immediately. It’s part of a broader management shakeup that also includes new chief financial, operating and product officers. Just what prompted the changes isn’t clear from the official statements — Pandora only says that these moves are meant to “accelerate the company’s growth,” and notes how Westergren has been deeply involved since the beginning.

The timing at least seems appropriate. Pandora is looking to expand beyond its signature radio streaming with the acquisition of Rdio, and the New York Times heard that the company has considered selling itself in recent weeks. It comes on the back of sub-par results where active listening dropped slightly year-over-year. Westergren’s CEO role gives him the principal say in where his company is going, whether or not that involves a sale — he doesn’t have to worry that someone will sully his vision for online music.

Source: Pandora

Delivery drone flies drinks and balls to golfers in Japan

Rakuten, just like Amazon, is experimenting with drones that can quickly deliver goods to its customers. Unlike Jeff Bezos’ company, however, the e-commerce giant is starting small with a service designed for golfers. From May, players at a specific course in Japan’s Chiba prefecture will be able to take out their phone and request some new golf balls or refreshments. A Mini Surveyor drone developed by the Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory — a company from Chiba which Rakuten has now invested in — will then fly them over from a base station near the course’s clubhouse.

Credit: NHK

According to NHK, Rakuten will then assess whether the technology can be expanded to other golf courses and, ultimately, people’s homes in a similar manner to Amazon’s proposed Prime Air program. It sounds like a sensible test bed, although we’re worried that some particularly audacious approach shots could see deadly quadcopters falling from the sky.

Via: Far East Gizmos

Source: NHK, Rakuten

New Jersey bill would jail you for texting while walking

There’s no question that using your phone while walking can be a problem — cities have tried everything from dedicated sidewalk lanes to padded lamp posts to prevent collisions with distracted pedestrians. They’ve even (unsuccessfully) tried to pass laws. However, that isn’t stopping New Jersey assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt. She recently introduced a bill that would ban any hands-on use of electronic communication devices while walking on the state’s public pathways. Get caught and you’d face the same penalties as jaywalking, which could include up to a $50 fine and 15 days in jail. Lampitt argues that you pose “just as much danger” as a jaywalker, since you may unwittingly smack into a car while you catch up with friends.

The bill isn’t coming out of nowhere: Lampitt mentioned a National Safety Council report that documented 11,101 incidents over the space of 10 years, some of which included injuries. However, turning this into an honest-to-goodness law may prove difficult. Police officers frequently have much higher priorities than stopping your Facebook Messenger session, and it may be difficult to enforce the legislation unless you do cause an incident. It might be easier to run ads encouraging people to stay focused than to haul offenders into court.

Via: The Next Web

Source: The Guardian

Kuvee’s smart bottle is like a Keurig, but for wine

I’m no wine snob. Heck, my familiarity with wines doesn’t extend much past knowing the difference between reds, whites and pinks — excuse me, rosés. (Whatever.) And even if I find a wine I like, discovering similar brands or flavor profiles is an infuriating hit-or-miss process. Luckily, a forthcoming “smart” bottle system from Kuvée promises to take the frustration out of finding new wines. I recently tried out a prototype bottle for a weekend. Here’s how it went.

The Kuvée bottle system is a two-part affair. The device itself stands roughly a foot tall, is slightly larger around than a standard 750ml container and features a large, full-color LED touchscreen where the front label should be. The bottle itself is hollow and charges on an included docking station. Really, it’s more of a “smart sleeve” for the system’s aluminum-clad refill canisters. You simply unscrew the twist cap from a refill, slide the bottle over it and click the two together. The bottle features a proprietary spout mechanism that prevents air from getting into the refill canister. This is meant to keep the wine fresh for up to a month. What’s more, it allows you to crack open multiple bottles to taste and try without the worry over whether you’ll be able to finish it before the wine turns.

The Kuvée’s digital features are no less impressive. When you insert a canister of wine into it, the front touchscreen recognizes what it’s pouring and displays a slew of pertinent information about it. Not only will the label automatically appear, but users can scroll through information about the vintner, taste profiles and food-pairing options.

All this information is pulled from Kuvée’s servers via an onboard WiFi connection. Kuvée’s co-founder Vijay Manwani says that the system will eventually offer a Netflix-like recommendation engine that suggests similar wines that you might enjoy. Additionally, if you find a wine you’d like to try, you’ll be able to order it directly through the bottle’s interface. (Of course, you’ll need to use a laptop or mobile device to initially set up your account.) Unfortunately, neither of these features was active on the prototype I tested, which is a shame, because they’re pretty central to the whole system.

Do you want to be the schmuck who blows two Benjamins on this thing only to have the company fold, thereby rendering the entire system useless?

Given how early a prototype I tried — it won’t launch until October, and even that will be limited to just California and Massachusetts — there are still some lingering questions regarding how viable the system will be. For one, it only accommodates wine in its proprietary refill canisters. As with a Keurig coffeemaker, there’s no way for users to manually refill a bottle. That means your wine options are limited to what Kuvee sells. Granted, the company expects to have nearly 50 varieties at launch, but that’s obviously just a fraction of what your local BevMo offers.

That, in turn, makes me question its long-term chances. This system is going to cost $200 for just the bottle itself ($180 if you pre-order), while refills are going to retail for $15 to $50. Do you want to be the schmuck who blows two Benjamins on this thing only to have the company fold, thereby rendering the entire system useless? I sure don’t. We’ll simply have to wait until October to see how things shake out.

Periscope’s first year is part of a livestreaming success story

Twitter’s social livestreaming service, Periscope, has accomplished a lot in just one year. Users have generated 200 million broadcasts on the app since launch and they watch 110 years of live Periscope content every day. That’s more than 100 years of live horror movies, puddles, crime watching, museum tours and an ice cube melting in a glass of whiskey — every day.

Periscope went live in March 2015, and by August it had cultivated 40 years of live video watched every day. Clearly, that number has ballooned since last year. We blame the whiskey.

Periscope’s apparent success has a lot to do with the internet community’s infatuation with live content. Sites such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming have introduced livestreaming to millions of people, and apps like Periscope make it accessible for social networkers. Facebook jumped on the live-content bandwagon in February with its own streaming service, Facebook Live. Now, it looks like Google might be the next passenger, following reports that it’s developing a livestreaming app called YouTube Connect.

Even with the current boon, there’s still a market cap for livestreaming services. Meerkat was the first social livestreaming app of its kind, but once Twitter blocked it and launched Periscope, its time in the spotlight came to an end. Meerkat is still around, but it’s shifting into a social network “where everyone is always live,” according to early reports.

Source: Medium

Tumblr revives Replies to restore the art of conversation

Were you miffed when Tumblr replaced its longstanding Replies feature with instant messaging, effectively forcing you to have private chats about a funny GIF? The social service heard your gripes — it’s not only bringing back Replies, but making them more useful. Authors can finally reply to their own posts, and you can reply to a post multiple times if you’re embroiled in a conversation. To prevent chaos, Tumblr will let you limit replies to service regulars or only those you follow.

The update also sees a big revamp to Notes that makes it much easier to see the content you actually care about. No longer will you see endless likes and reblogs clutter the page — they’re reduced to a single line, and you’ll only see the conversations. In other words, the Notes section now behaves more like the comments section on many of the social sites you visit.

Tumblr had promised that Replies would return, but they likely couldn’t come soon enough. Yahoo bought Tumblr with dreams of becoming a major player in the social world, but it didn’t pan out as expected. The company needs to do whatever it can to not only keep existing users, but draw in people who’d otherwise be happy sticking to Facebook or Twitter. Giving them a more familiar (if not completely original) experience may be the key to making that happen.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Tumblr