Google to rebrand the official Chromecast app to Google Cast
Google has announced the company will be rebranding the Chromecast app as Google Cast, effective this week. As well as a shiny new website, the official apps for both Android and iOS will be updated to reflect the new name. The switch makes sense considering just how many devices can now run Google Cast technology, including TVs, displays, Chromecast, and even speakers.
“We’re also changing the name of the Chromecast app to Google Cast app, to better reflect that Google Cast technology is now supported across a wide range of devices such as Chromecast, TVs, displays and speakers. The Google Cast app makes it easy for you to discover great stuff to watch, find more apps, customize backdrop, and more. The updated Google Cast app will be rolling out this week on Android & iOS.”
As noted in the announcement, the change should take place this week on supported mobile platforms. Hit the new Google Cast website below to see what products support Google’s technology.
Check out the new Google Cast website
What you need to know about nausea in VR
You aren’t along in feeling a little funny after using VR — not by a long shot.
For many people, sliding on a VR headset for the first time is like stepping into another world. It’s bizarre and fantastic and occasionally a little violent, but then all of a sudden your body catches up to your eyes and your stomach turns. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but that nauseated or unstable feeling in many VR headsets is a fact. Some say it’s something you adjust to over time, but the truth is there are several significant factors contributing to this experience.
The good news is that many of the things that cause that queasy sensation can be controlled or eliminated. The bad news is not all of these problems have been solved yet.
In one form or another, nausea in virtual environments has been publicly studied for over 20 years now. In fact, there’s a 65-page report from the US Army that was published in 1995 that thoroughly documents the side effects of virtual environment training systems being used at the time. In the report, Eugenia Kolasinski documented as many as 40 different contributing factors to what was called “Simulator Sickness in Virtual Environments”. The most widely accepted theory for most “Simulator Sickness” events to come from the report is “cue conflict”, which is basically your eyes and your body disagreeing on whether you’re moving or what direction you’re moving in. Your brain tries to make sense of the discrepancies in your senses, and problems arise.
When what your eyes see doesn’t line up with what your brain expects, problems arise.
Fast forward to just two years ago, and you’ll see a lot of the same reports from people trying out early versions of Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. It looks cool, but all of a sudden you’re disoriented and your stomach turns. Over the last two years, those reports have gone down considerably. In fact, sharing any of the current VR headsets with friends has become incredibly common. A big part of this decrease is addressing some of those cue conflict problems, including the use of more advanced hardware and heaps of research into how people are using VR today.
One of the most important parts of dealing with cue conflict is adequate motion tracking. Early Oculus Rift developer kits were incredibly cool, but frequently resulted in upset stomachs when moving your head too quickly or jumping into a game that was poorly optimized for the headset. A lot of this came down to head tracking. As you turn your head, your brain expects a certain experience. When what your eyes see don’t line up with what your brain expects from the sensation of motion derived from your inner ear, problems arise. Oculus spent an enormous amount of time working on this in both the Rift and the Gear VR, which is one of the reasons many virtual experiences are noticeably more tolerable in Samsung’s headset than Google’s Cardboard kit.
There’s more to cue conflict than head tracking though, and that’s where more modern tech comes into play. The resolution of the displays, refresh rates, frame rates, and the interpupillary distance are all parts of making it easier for the eyes to feel the virtual environment is more realistic. All of the displays being used in the big four VR headsets today are all focused on having the highest possible quality displays. In fact, Sony has gone so far as to make sure every pixel on the Playstation VR is an RGB pixel to ensure a greater degree of color control, where the others are using higher resolution OLED PenTile or Diamond PenTile displays that work differently to accomplish a similar result. These high resolution, high refresh rate displays play a significant part in decreasing effects of cue conflict.
Many of these problems are being addressed with hardware or software tweaks, but that still doesn’t address everyone.
Frame Rate is another huge part of addressing that nauseated feeling, and it’s something you’re undoubtedly going to hear a great deal about over the next year. Both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are aiming for consistent 90fps experiences in VR for several reasons. The first is matching the frame rate with the refresh rate, which helps reduce the perception of stuttering video on the displays that are less than five inches from your eyes. Consistency is incredibly important here, which is why Valve released a hardware evaluation tool to help you see what your current PC would do in that situation. It’s also why some folks feel fine using the Gear VR when playing games, but can’t do many of the 360 video apps available in the Oculus Store. The “real” video causes nausea a great deal faster than the games, because the real video wasn’t recorded at the 60fps all of the games are playing in.
The end result to all of this is a significant decrease in events that cause Simulator Sickness, but it’s a problem that is far from being eliminated entirely. PCs that aren’t performing at an acceptable level are likely to result in regularly dropped frames, which will cause problems in Vive and Rift. The Gear VR can’t be improved with a new video card, so developers have to work within the limitations of that hardware. When that doesn’t happen, you get that motion sickness-esque feeling. We’ve already seen evidence of problems in Sony’s PlayStation VR when you play games that aren’t fully optimized for the experience, not to mention what happens when the console simply can’t keep up and starts dropping frames.
Many of these problems are being addressed with hardware or software tweaks, but that still doesn’t address everyone. There are still environmental or personal factors that simply haven’t or can’t be addressed yet, leaving some people unable to enjoy VR entirely. On the flip side of this, there are folks out there who spend hours upon hours every day in VR and have never felt that Simulator Sickness. The technology surrounding VR has improved dramatically to address these issues, but it’s still the kind of thing you have to try for yourself before knowing for sure that your body can tolerate the experience.
Engadget giveaway: Win an mCookie Family Kit courtesy of Microduino!
Getting your STEM skills up to speed is now easier than ever with Microduino’s mCookie. These Arduino-compatible electronics kits make building mini machines a snap — literally — with magnetic connectors and interlocking pins that match up with LEGO blocks. The mCookie family of DIY modules, sensors and accessories was Kickstarted back in 2015 and began shipping to consumers at the end of the year. Now anyone can pick up one of the various kits (Basic, Advanced or Expert) and assemble projects like a music box, voice-activated camera, paw-waving fortune cat and more. Microduino also offers additional components to expand the possibilities to keep pace with your imagination. This week, one lucky reader will win a Family Kit (including all three mCookie sets) to launch your smart-machine-making career. Just head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 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) Microduino mCookie Family Kit (which includes the 101 Basic Kit, the 201 Advanced Kit and the 301 Expert Kit – $600 value).
- 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. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
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- Entries can be submitted until March 23rd at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Amazon Video gets an NFL reality show this summer
NFL Films isn’t confining its efforts to conventional TV and movies. The sports video producer has unveiled All or Nothing, a football reality show destined solely for Amazon Video. The series will follow a given NFL team’s internal drama through a whole season, starting with the Arizona Cardinals’ 2015 path to the NFC Championship Game. The initial eight-episode run will be available this summer on any device that can handle Amazon’s internet video services, so you’ll have no shortage of gridiron action to watch on your Fire TV while you’re waiting for the next season to start.
Source: NFL Communications
Apple Said to Ship New ‘Ultra-Thin’ 13″ and 15″ MacBooks by June-July
While some customers were hopeful that Apple would release new Macs at its “Let Us Loop You In” media event yesterday, the product announcements were focused on the new 4-inch iPhone SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and additional Apple Watch bands.
But those waiting patiently for a Mac refresh may not have much longer to wait, as DigiTimes today reported that Apple will begin shipping new “ultra-thin” 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks at the end of the second quarter.
The second calendar quarter ends on June 30, meaning that new Macs could feasibly be introduced by WWDC 2016, which will likely take place between June 13-17 based on scheduling information available from the Moscone Center.
The new MacBooks will allegedly “share a design similar to the existing 12-inch MacBook” and be “thinner than [the] existing MacBook Air,” which makes it difficult to infer which MacBook lineup the report is referring to.
DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans, but its report corroborates a previous rumor claiming Apple is preparing thinner 13″ and 15″ MacBook Airs with “fully redesigned” internal components. That report said the notebooks would be ready by the third quarter, which corresponds to a July-September timeframe — possibly shortly after a WWDC announcement.
Apple currently offers the MacBook Air in 11″ and 13″ sizes, and it has never released a 15″ MacBook Air. In fact, many have assumed the MacBook Air will be discontinued at some point as declining costs allow the MacBook to become Apple’s mainstream notebook offering. A redesigned MacBook Air, possibly with a long-awaited Retina display, could be considered a bit of a surprise.
The current MacBook Pro perhaps better corresponds with the rumored 13″ and 15″ sizes, but whether Apple is able to fit pro-level hardware in an “ultra-thin” design similar to the lower-spec 12-inch MacBook remains to be seen. There is also the possibility that the new 13″ and 15″ notebooks will be MacBooks, but the notion seems questionable unless Apple discontinues the year-old 12″ model.
Apple’s refreshed Mac lineup is expected to feature Intel’s faster Skylake processors and Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C, while the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are also deserving candidates for an overall redesign.
Apple last refreshed the 13-inch MacBook Pro in March 2015, while the 15-inch model was updated in May. For this reason, the 13-inch model is classified as Early 2015, and the 15-inch model is Mid 2015. Both notebooks received Force Touch trackpads, faster flash storage, longer battery life, and improved graphics.
The Early 2015 13-inch MacBook Pro is based on Intel’s last-generation Broadwell chip architecture, while the 15-inch model still has older Haswell architecture. Over the past year, Intel has announced Skylake chips appropriate for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro, 12-inch MacBook, and MacBook Airs.
Related Roundups: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Retina MacBook
Tag: digitimes.com
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Air (Don’t Buy), Retina MacBook Pro (Don’t Buy), MacBook (Don’t Buy)
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BlackBerry abandoned by Facebook, following WhatsApp support loss
BlackBerry has lost support for the Facebook app on its platform after the social media company reportedly announced it has abandoned the phone maker.
The Facebook app will no longer be supported on BlackBerry devices soon, reports the BBC.
This follows Facebook owned WhatsApp being pulled from BlackBerry a few months ago. This will continue to be supported on the Priv which runs Android, but BB10 looks like it’s getting left devoid of both WhatsApp and Facebook apps.
Unlike WhatsApp, which relies solely on an app, Facebook will still be accessible from BlackBerry devices via a web browser.
When these changes will take affect isn’t clear, although WhatApp should be towards the end of 2016. It seems that since Facebook owns that company, its app should also end support around the same time.
BlackBerry has expressed its disappointment at the lack of support. Lou Gazzola, works at BlackBerry developer relations and said: “We fought back to work with WhatsApp and Facebook to change their minds, but at this time, their decision stands.”
BlackBerry’s OS, BB10, now accounts for less than one per cent of the total smartphone users, making it a pretty unattractive platform for developers to work on.
READ: BlackBerry abandoned by WhatsApp, beginning of the end for BB10?
Best tech Easter eggs: Hidden secrets of Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and more
Apps can get boring. Like anything you do on repeat, the monotony of seeing another baby on Facebook, when they all look the same, can get to you. That’s where hidden Easter egg gems come in useful.
An Easter egg, not to be mistaken for the chocolate kind, is a hidden treat within a piece of software that was put there by the developers. When DVDs first landed there were hidden sections in the menu that led to things like deleted scenes that couldn’t be seen without finding them.
Now the internet, smartphones and apps mean there are more Easter eggs hidden than could ever be found by one person. But that’s not going to stop us trying, right?
We’ve got together some of the best Easter eggs out there for you to find, enjoy and share. And by share we mean show off to your mates that you found it. Yes, we’re ready to not get the credit. So from Facebook to Google to your smartphone, these are the best hidden gems waiting to be found.
Pocket-lint
Facebook Messenger basketball
Bored of chatting to your mates in Facebook Messenger? Both impress and escape them in one move, by unlocking the hidden basketball game.
Send the basketball emoji in a chat window, then tap on the icon to start the game. It’s that simple. Your mate can play by tapping the same icon and after you finish he sees your high score and vice versa for his. Warning, it can get competitive. Be sure you’re updated to the latest version to ensure it works.
Pocket-lint
Android Lollipop game
Hidden in the depths of your smartphone’s Android operating system is a Flappy Bird style game staring the Android bot himself.
Go into Settings on the Android phone, then About device where it will say the software version, like Android 5.1.1. Tap this a few times until you see a lollipop, press and hold this to enter the game then tap the screen to start. Each time you tap the Android is raised and falls when you don’t. Get as far as you can without hitting the obstacles, or getting hopelessly addicted or enraged.
Google Earth flight simulator
Google has already mapped the earth in massive detail so why not make exploring it more fun? Rather than clicking about Google Earth to navigate you can now unlock a built in flight simulator that lets you fly the globe as if you were really a pilot.
To unlock the flight sim simply open Google Earth and on a PC type Ctrl-Alt A or on a Mac use Cmd-Opt A, pick a plane and get flying either using a joystick or with the guidance of the Google Earth keyboard controls help page.
YouTube
YouTube Harlem Shake
This Easter egg will turn the entire YouTube page into one giant Harlem Shake.
In YouTube type in “Harlem Shake” as if you were looking for the video then wait a beat and the song will start playing. Wait a little longer, for the drop, and all the videos and words and icons will start dancing about as if they’re in their very own Halrem Shake video.
Google Image
Google Atari Breakout
Play your very own Atari style game of Pong within a Google images search.
Type “Atari Breakout” into the Google search bar then click Images to make it that kind of search. All the Atari images will shrink down into a line, a paddle board will appear at the bottom and a ball will begin bouncing about. Use the keyboard to play and be sure to have the volume on to enjoy the old skool sound effects.
Kickstarter
Kickstarter newsletter
Hidden at the bottom of Kickstarter is a way to receive a secret newsletter. Described as an “Happening email” it’ll update you on “arts and culture in the Kickstarter universe and beyond”.
Scroll to the bottom of the homepage then click on the scissors as they move across the page until the cut reveals a sign-up section.
Google disconnected game
Unlock a game where you control a tyrannosaurus rex by tapping space bar to make it jump over cactuses as the screen side-scrolls along.
To gain access to the highly addictive game just disconnect from Wi-Fi and type anything into the address bar. You’ll be told you’re disconnected, hit space bar and play away.
YouTube
Snapchat Black Ops
Back in the days of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 there was a small update rolled out which placed the Snapchat logo onto posters in the game. If you scanned it using your phone it began following Call of Duty on Snapchat. Then the company teased out videos which made nods to the game’s sequel.
Sure enough the clues pointed towards Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 which is out now. A very cool way of marketing the new game but also something to look out for in future of Snapchat Easter eggs.
YouTube
Grand Theft Auto V ghost
When it comes to the most creepy Easter egg, Grand Theft Auto V takes the crown.
If you go online within the game and find the “Who Killed Lonora Johnson” page you’ll be able to navigate to “The Main Players” tab and then the link to “Another Violent Mystery: Blood On The Rocks”. You’ll see an old newspaper clipping about the death of a Joanne Cranley Evans. This mentions a location on the game map in the north east called Mount Gordo.
Travel there at night and you’ll see a ghostly image of a woman on a rock. Going closer makes it vanish so use a scope to get a closer look. When you do go close you’ll see a name in blood on the rock. Once it hits midnight the ghost and bloodstain will disappear permanently. Shudder.
Instagram Rik & Morty
While Instagram did have a cool Easter egg to turn your photos into ASCII, this appears to no longer work. But for fans of the Adult Swim cartoon Rik & Morty there’s still plenty to enjoy. In fact there are a hefty 80 Instagram accounts linked to the show.
By following the various accounts fans can journey through the world of the show and beyond in what’s called the Rickstaverse. These act like a game with hidden gems to be found in the various picture led worlds. Find one account, trawl the pictures and you’ll likely find another account hidden within that leads to more.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Quite possibly the weakest Easter egg of all time. So it had to get a mention.
Type “Easter egg (media)” into Wikipedia and enter the article. Then follow the instructions in the caption of the image for, well, not much. Click on it to get the image treat. Nice to see they’re trying though, right?
Best iPhone SE cases: Protect your new 4-inch Apple smartphone
Apple’s iPhone portfolio recently expanded to include a new 4-inch smartphone, known to friends as the iPhone SE. The special edition smartphone succeeds the two-and-half-year-old iPhone 5S with a very similar design, identical measurements and some great hardware improvements.
The 7.6mm aluminium body is available in the same four colours as the flagship iPhone 6S, offering a choice between silver, space grey, gold and rose gold and it introduces matte edges to the party. Like the iPhone 5S though, the iPhone SE is likely to be prone to scratches and the only way to solve that without wrapping it in cotton wool is to pop a case on it.
It always feels like a bit of a shame to cover lovely metal designs but sadly it is normally the only way to ensure they stay looking lovely. Luckily there are already plenty of cases out there to help protect your new iPhone SE thanks to its identical measurements to the iPhone 5S. That means you have your pick of the bunch compared to most newly-lanched devices.
We have sifted through the cases available for the iPhone SE and picked some of our favourites that you can find in the gallery above. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you find one you particularly like that we haven’t included though, as it’s always good to share the love when it comes to good cases.
Click here to see the best iPhone SE cases we have come across so far
Vizio is bringing Google Cast to wireless speakers
Vizio’s new SmartCast platform, based on Google Cast, isn’t just headed to TVs. The company also revealed that it’s working on a few wireless speakers that’ll bundle in the technology. There’s the Crave 360, a portable circular speaker that looks like Logitech’s UE Boom lineup and Amazon’s Echo, and the Crave Pro, a large bookshelf-like entry. Additionally, it’s developed a wireless home theater system consisting of a soundbar, satellites and a surprisingly flat subwoofer. You’ll be able to send music to the speakers through any Cast-enabled app, as well as manage them via the SmartCast app.
Vizio isn’t ready to divulge many details about the speakers yet, they just want us to know that they’re incoming. We can expect to hear more during the summer. While the tease is annoying, it at least shows that the company is committed to the SmartCast platform outside of one family of TVs.
Amazon starts selling Comcast cable TV and internet
Amazon has moved into some unexpected areas recently, like a physical bookstore, and apparently the spot on its list is cable TV. TV Predictions was first to notice the Amazon Cable Store, which so far is only stocked with Comcast’s Xfinity TV and Internet services for customers living within areas it covers. According to Comcast, the site offers easy ordering and simplified pricing that is identical to its new customer offers sold elsewhere, so what’s really new is the storefront. There’s also a dedicated support team for the site, equipped to cover everything from sales to followup via phone, email chat and social media — which is hopefully enough channels to avoid some of the installation nightmares we’ve all heard about.
Amazon is known for its focus on removing unnecessary steps from the sales process and customer interaction, so maybe it will be helpful in this often-frustrating area (there’s no indication that it can handle disconnects, unfortunately). Comcast exec Neil Smit told the Wall Street Journal that Amazon has already helped reduce the number of clicks in a transaction, and the paper reports that Charter could be next to offer its wares in the Cable Store. It’s an odd partnership, seeing that the cable companies aren’t carrying Amazon video apps on their boxes (yet?), but they may have enough in common to make it work anyway, similar to cable kiosks in Best Buy stores or local malls.
No matter what, it can’t be worse than pawing through most cable provider’s websites. Comcast’s service is already rated just two stars on the retailer’s site, but comparing packages is easier and faster than I’ve ever seen before, with easy jumping between ZIP codes, options and even contract terms.
Source: TV Predictions, Comcast, Amazon Cable Store
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