BMW uses the HTC Vive to design new vehicles

Since the Oculus Rift was first unveiled, it’s been clear that virtual reality has applications beyond the home. One such use case is the automotive industry, where designers are constantly drawing, examining and comparing new ideas. BMW has been using the technology since the 1990s, and now it’s adopting the consumer-ready HTC Vive. Staff will be using the headset to visualise new interiors and other physical features. Once they’ve been implemented in VR, designers will be able to simulate a city and test whether the driver has enough visibility behind the wheel.

Engineers can also evaluate whether the dashboard and controls can be grasped properly from a seated position. It’s valuable because decisions can be made without flying in designers from all over the world. Team members can strap on a headset, review the prototype and submit their feedback before moving on to the next version. Once the design has reached a certain threshold, the headsets will be put aside and a physical prototype can be built for further testing. It’s a big change for BMW — before, employees had to visit specialised, costly facilities to access VR.

For an authentic drive, BMW has developed a mockup, reusable car prop. Together with the HTC Vive, this creates a “mixed reality experience” that can be supplemented with engine sounds and other ambient noise.

For most consumers, the Vive is an expensive piece of hardware. For BMW, however, it’s a relatively cheap investment, and one that will improve as companies release new, more affordable headsets. Over time, the company expects to install more hardware in “many different developer workstations, with little effort.” Just picture a large, open office with dozens of Lighthouse base stations and people wiggling wand controllers in front of their monitors. That’s the future BMW seems to be aiming for.

Source: BMW

Security director rigged lotteries with code

New evidence in an Iowa case shows a former security director at the Multi-State Lottery Association used code to rig draws. If someone made an 80s wish fulfilment movie for hackers, this might just be the plot. Or at least, until the whole getting caught part. Eddie Raymond Tipton was convicted for jackpot-fixing last year, but much of the prosecution’s case was based on circumstantial evidence — as the number generators involved had since been destroyed. A new filing on Wednesday this week claims to show that investigators have recovered code that proves the draws were fixed.

The prosecution suggests that the lottery machines were programmed/tampered with after (or during) a security audit. The added hack picked three specific dates (all of which related to lotteries involved in the case), and if two other conditions were met, the machine wouldn’t use the regular random number generator, instead it’d pick the winning set from an algorithm. Tipton would be able to use this algorithm to predict the winning numbers claim the prosecution. Investigators were able to use the same code and methods to predict the exact same winning numbers.

The new evidence will help prosecutors figure out to what extend other parties were involved in the lottery rigging, and related crimes. Tipton’s original downfall was security camera footage showing him buying a $16.5-million winning ticket, along with some hot dogs, at a Des Moines gas station. Tipton’s brother, Tommy, gave testimony at the time saying the person looked nothing like Eddie, who doesn’t even like hot dogs, reports ABC news. Surely suspicions were raised immediately. After all who doesn’t like hot dogs?

Via: ARS Technica

Source: ABC News

Microsoft’s Edge browser is clamping down on Flash, too

“Adobe Flash isn’t responding.” It’s the message you can feel coming as soon as your browser grinds to a halt and you abandon all hope of salvaging what you were working on. Well, if you’re a developer that’s part of the Windows Insider program and have grabbed Windows 10 build 14316, you’re living in a future where the aforementioned nightmare scenario sounds less likely. Microsoft is changing how its Edge browser handles Flash elements by disabling all but those that it says are central to the page you’re viewing, like games or Flash-based video.

Specifically, a post on the Edge developer’s blog calls out that ads and animations using the aging browser plugin will be click-to-play from here on out. Microsoft’s John Hazen says that this will decrease power consumption and boost performance with Edge, like it similarly has on Chrome and Safari before it. Furthermore, Hazen promises that in time Edge will offer additional user control over Flash that’s the main part of a web page, as well.

However, you’ll have to wait a bit before this goes mainstream. The new Flash rules won’t be out for the masses until the Windows 10 Anniversary update releases this summer.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Edge Developer’s Blog

Facebook Plans to Introduce Customer Service Chatbot and Live Chat APIs for iOS Messenger App

Facebook is planning to provide developers with toolkits for customer service chatbots and live chat APIs, according to a few sources that spoke with TechCrunch.

The company will debut the new features at Facebook’s F8 conference next week, following in line with a host of recent institutions getting behind chatbot support. Facebook’s intentions are to connect its users with businesses via its standalone chat app, Messenger. [Direct Link]

The new program will connect those businesses with Facebook-approved chatbot developers, so instead of needing to navigate the construction of complex automated response systems themselves, they can focus on their company while developers create the chatbot software. TechCrunch acquired a presentation by Facebook aimed at chatbot developers, and it described some of the functionality the automated responses might have.

It details how beyond just text chatbots will be able to respond with what it calls “Structured Messages.” These include a title, image, a description, a URL and calls to action such as visiting a website, viewing an e-commerce order or making a restaurant reservation.

To further encourage the universality of Messenger, the social media company is also hard at work on plug-ins for the app that can be installed on a website’s contact page. Facebook’s idea is that this would eventually take preference over calling or emailing for questions, linking them out directly to the Messenger app on iOS or Messenger.com on the web.

Going one step beyond automated responses, this would lead to live chat conversations with representatives. So while Facebook would provide the means, each business would still need to find the resources for fully implementing the feature. Other tidbits from the presentation hint at user-targeted advertising in Messenger, a way for Facebook to make money off of the new feature when it rolls out. After paying a fee, advertisers would gain the ability to send targeted messaging ads to users who have already chatted with a business.

Image of a chatbot already running in Messenger that details airline information
The beginning of the steps to Facebook’s vision can be seen in a small update to Messenger yesterday, which introduced truncated “Messenger Links” and “Messenger Codes.” The update provides businesses with Twitter-like usernames that are easier to remember, and easier to navigate to thanks to links directly from the Facebook page of each business.

Similar to Snapchat, Messenger Codes can be used on a peer-to-peer basis to add a friend on Messenger, but companies will be able to install the RFID feature as advertisements and marketing materials, as well. Users can even search for businesses to chat with directly within the iOS Messenger app, although since none of the APIs are available yet it’s on an inconsistent business-to-business basis regarding how helpful the experience will be.

Introducing chatbots into popular messaging apps has become more and more popular, with platforms like Kik and Skype gaining bot features to provide users with interactive chat logs that provide information on the weather, entertainment, or world news. Facebook even launched an airline information bot last week, with limited scope centering on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and providing users with threaded ticket, boarding time, and check-in information directly in Messenger.

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, chat bots
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Samsung reportedly rolling out Marshmallow to the Galaxy Note 4

Samsung is reportedly rolling out Marshmallow to the Galaxy Note 4. A number of owners have got in touch with SamMobile, noting that the Exynos variant of the phone is starting to receive the update.

According to details passed on by those who have updated their device, the update including Marshmallow clocks in at just under 1.3GB and bumps the operating system up to version to 6.0.1. It’s also stated this update includes the recent April security patch.

Have you received Marshmallow on your Galaxy Note 4? Let us know in the comments!

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Newer model: Galaxy Note 5

Vinyl fan? Audio-Technica AT-LP60BT Bluetooth turntable offers cool without the wires

There’s no doubt that vinyl record sales are on the up. Okay, so they’re nowhere near their heyday in terms of sales volumes, but that doesn’t stop vinyl being the cool antithesis to streaming and MP3s. Only to listen to real, tangible records you’re generally stuck using a full-on hi-fi system or a pair of long-wired headphones plugged into an amplifier.

Not so with the Audio-Technica AT-LP60-BT, the Bluetooth-enabled version of the already established LP60 turntable which is available now in black or white for £369. The push of a button and you can sync wireless headphones or speaker systems to output your favourite vinyl, no tether to worry about.

Or you can still go wired thanks to a 3.5mm jack, plus built-in switchable phono amplifier and supplied RCA cable output. So the choice of wired or wireless is yours, even without the need for a separate amplifier.

As turntables go the LP60-BT isn’t the ultimate in luxury from every angle, though, but its relatively inexpensive price point is testament to that. It includes the stylus and cartridge which are the typically decent quality expected from the brand – as let’s not forget Audio-Technica established itself in cartridge production back in 1962.

Pocket-lint

The LP60-BT’s platter is a rigid die-cast aluminium structure, which is great to minimise vibrations being picked-up during playback, but its construction elsewhere is more budget-feeling. For example: the buttons to stop/start are plasticky to the touch – they’re not the kind of classic hi-fi switches that deliver a reassuring “clunk” as they click into place.

Still, that doesn’t impact on functionality. Pairing with headphones is easy, as we found when disconnecting a pair to check out the Bluetooth process during a quick play at CES earlier this year. This is mainly thanks to an illuminating switch to the top of the deck. Press-and-hold and it’ll go from blue (connected) to white (not connected), with flashing purple showing issues/attempting connectivity.

Available in the aforementioned black or white finish (Adele’s 25 on vinyl as pictured is entirely optional), the Audio-Technica AT-LP60BT is available from urbanoutfitters.com. Looks like a decent way for a vinyl wannabe on a budget to start a real record collection.

The higher-end AT-LP5 is also now available, being sold by John Lewis for £329.

The vinyl resurgence continues.

HTC 10: Qualcomm Snapdragon confirmed and first OIS selfie pictures leaked

With the official launch next Tuesday, 12 April, it comes as no surprise that official teases, leaks and rumours about the HTC 10 flagship smartphone are ramping up.

One of the latest comes from the horse’s mouth itself. Qualcomm has posted a confirmation on its own Twitter feed that the processor is from its Snapdragon family.

Rumours have consistently suggested the new phone will sport the Snapdragon 820 chipset, and with the official tweet at least confirming Qualcomm is on board, that could very well be the case.

The power of #Snapdragon meets the #powerof10. Are you ready for next week? pic.twitter.com/Gkf8jkWat1

— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) April 7, 2016

The other info about the forthcoming HTC 10 that is now doing the rounds is less official but no less significant.

READ: HTC 10/HTC Perfume: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

The Twitter account from photobooth company SmileBooth posted several selfie photos reportedly taken using the new phone (which is called the “HTC 10” on overlaid text). What’s more, the main tweet posted on its @testingsmiles account also revealed that the selfie camera with be the world’s first with optical image stabilisation.

SmileBooth (Twitter)

They look official and SmileBooth might well have been commissioned by HTC to help launch the phone – especially if the improved selfie camera is one of the device’s biggest new features. It makes sense to hire a selfie-specialist to help promote it.

What HTC wouldn’t have wanted, however, for that company to post the images ahead of the launch, as it seems to have done.

They might not be genuine of course, but it would seem strange to mock them up and further validity comes from the fact that the tweet has now been removed and the Twitter account locked to “protected”.

Thankfully, Phandroid managed to grab them and the tweet before they disappeared again, so you can click through them in the gallery above. Job’s a good’un.

In all likelihood, we’ll see them again soon. 12 April, perhaps?

READ: HTC responds to Huawei P9 best camera claims with HTC 10 teaser of its own

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 should be IP68 water resistant, iris scanner possible

The Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is set to come with the same IP68 water resistance found on the Galaxy S7, it may also feature an iris scanner.

According to sources of the often reliable Sam Mobile, the Galaxy Note 6 should be able to withstand water submersion to one and a half metres depth for up to half an hour. That would make this the first phablet from Samsung to offer true water and dust resistance.

Sources of GalaxyClub suggest the handset will also feature an iris scanning camera for an extra layer of security. The iris scanner was spotted on Indian import documents labeled “Samsung Mobile”.

Iris scanning can be great, when it uses infrared light like Fujitsu has shown off, but it can also be annoying when it uses dazzling light, like on the Lumia 950. Here’s hoping Samsung goes for the more advanced option that works without blinding the user.

Other rumoured specs for the Galaxy Note 6 include a 5.8-inch QHD display, 6GB of RAM and maybe even the latest Android N operating system. Samsung may unveil the handset around August, which is the month when the Galaxy Note 5 was shown off.

READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Dark Souls 3 review: As gothic, unforgiving and brilliant as ever

Masochists rejoice: From Software’s legendarily uncompromising dark gothic RPG is back and its mission, as ever, is to make all other games seem laughably easy. Say hello to frequent profanity spilling from your mouth as a result of playing Dark Souls III.

Although while you wouldn’t exactly say that the third instalment of Dark Souls shows signs of mellowing – the word “mellow” is complete anathema to the franchise – it is, at least in its early stages, ever so slightly more forgiving than its predecessors. So maybe, just maybe, this is the only accessible title in the series.

As anyone who has played a Dark Souls game would expect, Dark Souls III is huge, gothic, creepy, studded with bosses which, when you first encounter them, seem impossibly daunting, yet irresistibly addictive. At times, you will curse the impulse which propels you back into its fetid world, as you struggle to advance even a couple of hundred metres. But the pay-off is that any small triumphs you manage to pull off will be so hard-won that they feel like mighty victories.

Is it worth all the pain? For fans and those who seek the most daunting of challenges, the answer is an overwhelming yes. Or fu*cking yes.

Dark Souls 3 review: Borne of blood

Initially, Dark Souls III evokes memories of From Software’s allegedly less uncompromising Bloodborne, as it shares the latter’s near-monochrome colour palette and takes place in similar-looking settings. But it preserves all of Dark Souls’ trademark attributes. So you’re undead, seeking to track down the slumbering Lords of Cinder in order to regain your humanity.

You can choose from a large number of classes, depending on whether you favour swordplay and shield-defence, archery, magic and so on. We took the Pyromancer route – a class which is pretty handy with an axe, but can also throw fireballs.

Once you’ve sorted out your character, all you have to do is make your way from campfire to campfire (each restoring your health, known as “estus”), opening up shortcuts, until you’ve traversed the underworld, taken down the Lords of Cinder and brought them back to Firelink Shrine.

Which, you will discover, is an epic task to which you will devote tens of hours (Dark Souls III’s game-world is giant, and even if you’re a total gaming ninja, you will die a lot).

Dark Souls 3 review: Gothic styles

Story-wise, From Software has again pulled off the trick of providing a gloriously rich experience yet only ever resorting to cut-scenes when you meet a boss. Instead, the story assembles itself from conversational snatches gleaned from characters you meet along the way.

Bandai Namco / From Software

Dark Souls III’s settings, while always dark, gloomy and imbued with a sense of foreboding, also manage to be diverse – there are castles galore, each creepier than the last, mediaeval-style villages, a gloriously gloopy bog that poisons you whenever you squelch through it and so on.

At first, the campfires are close and the enemies easy to dispatch, but soon you encounter all manner of outlandish freaks with distinctive powers and attacks, each demanding a different approach. As you die and make your way back through the respawned enemies, the game reveals a twisted logic and rhythm all of its own – a feeling that only the very best games generate.

A patient approach is an absolute must – indiscriminate weapon-swinging will just drain your stamina and leave you a sitting duck for retaliation. And that is particularly true when you meet bosses. There are some particularly fine ones in Dark Souls III – although, oddly, many of the best ones, like a huge tree that you can only damage by targeting its egg-like cysts, are optional (that is, you can bypass them). You could argue that the later ones become a bit samey, but they are all formidable and incredibly satisfying to take down.

Dark Souls 3 review: Ebb and flow

One aspect of Dark Souls III which feels like an improvement on its predecessors is a new-found sense of ebb and flow. Which doesn’t mean that you can relax for a second – you still need to achieve near-perfection to progress and sometimes, taking a single unnecessary hit can induce near-despair – but villages packed with streets full of enemies to dispatch make way for more open areas containing fewer (but more fearsome) enemies, with loot glinting at you from their most obscure corners.

Bandai Namco / From Software

At other times you’ll encounter hostile knights which, if you hang back and get your timing right, can be employed to take out lurking demons while you sneak past. And, in typical fashion, the game occasionally plays cruel tricks on you – such as resurrecting one boss in more powerful form when you think you’ve taken him out.

There’s a ton of loot to find, too, some of which appears mystifying at first but ends up being extremely useful. Indeed, objects you find effectively contribute to the storyline, as they detail different factions you encounter (and, for example, allow you to summon helpful allies in specific areas of the game-world).

The sound and music are impeccable, and Dark Souls III is by far the best-looking game that From Software has ever made. All of which adds up to an amazingly intense atmospheric experience – at times, it will deliver similar chills to a high-quality horror-movie.

Verdict

Dark Souls III is the finest realisation yet of From Software’s deliciously hardcore approach to games development, which dictates that in order to extract the maximum satisfaction from your gaming, you must first put in a near-superhuman amount of effort.

As with its predecessors, however, environmental objects can occasionally obscure your view, invariably at precisely the wrong moment (or maybe we’re just making excuses and swearing too much). It will also still feel inaccessibly hard to some who try it, because it is, unequivocally, bastard hard as you progress.

If all that sounds appealing then you will grow to love Dark Souls III with a passion. It’s compelling, addictive and unlike many other games these days presents a huge challenge.

This is what happens when your phone isn’t in flight mode on a plane

Doing something because you’re told to, without an explanation, can be annoying can’t it? That’s why we’ve often put our phones in flight mode on a plane with reticence. But now we know why it’s worth doing.

According to a report by the Mail Online, mobile phones can affect the plane’s comms. But don’t worry leaving your phone on isn’t going to endanger anyone as it won’t affect the plane’s flight systems themselves.

The worst thing a connected smartphone can do is create annoying feedback in the headsets of the pilots. You know that noise speakers can sometimes make when you hold a phone near to them? That’s what a pilot’s communications radio can kick out if phones are left on.

So leaving your phone on in a flight might not cause anyone harm but it certainly is annoying. That ‘dat-dat-dat-dat’ noise in your ear is distracting and the last person you want to distract, or annoy, when taking off or landing is your pilot.

One passenger, texting, did interrupt a radio call from traffic control – which could have potentially been dangerous.

That said, pilots have said that in about 50 flights they’ve only heard the interference once or twice. That could be thanks to dutiful passengers or simply that the odd phone left on doesn’t cause that much interference.

Now you’re informed you can choose to turn your phone off in-flight, knowing you’re at least trying to save someone at work a great deal of annoyance and hassle.

READ: Nintendo NX: Release date, specs and everything you need to know