YouTube series Lonelygirl15 is back for its 10th anniversary
Lonelygirl15, the first web series on YouTube, turned ten on June 16th, 2016. To celebrate the event, its creators posted a new video eight years after its last one. Everybody knows the terms “web series” and “viral video” these days, but back in 2006, they still weren’t a thing. YouTube was just a fledgling video-sharing website, and Lonelygirl15 helped shape it into what it has become today.
The series started out as a vlog with a girl named Bree talking about her every day struggles as a teenager, but it became clear that it was something more when she started talking about her parents’ cult. Soon, it was revealed that the whole thing was scripted show and Bree was actually an actress named Jessica Rose. Not that it mattered — the channel’s popularity ballooned after the truth came out, and the people behind it showed the world you can make money off YouTube.
This new entry entitled “Whatever Happened To lonelygirl15?” is but a two-minute update that shows Bree talking about having been “chosen” for a mysterious ceremony. Based on what the team told Forbes, it could be the beginning of a new series of videos and content. Executive product Jenni Powell said she recognized the show’s tenth anniversary as an “opportunity to re-engage old fans and bring lonelygirl to a new generation.” It sounds like the team plans to use other, newer services available today, as well, including Snapchat and Periscope, not to mention Facebook videos.
It’s hard to say how the new series will fare in a world where there are billions of YouTube videos to choose from and video-streaming services like Netflix exists. But if you’re curious about how things will unfold, you can watch Bree’s latest entry below:
Source: Lonelygirl15 (YouTube), (Facebook)
Shazam’s background listening feature comes to Android
Shazam can build you a Spotify playlist, help you discover new tunes and identify magazines, but song recognition is still at the heart of the app. Even with this core feature getting faster and quicker to start up, sometimes it can still be a race to ask for Shazam’s ear before the DJ drops the next track. In the latest update to its Android app, though, Shazam has added the ‘Auto’ background listening feature so you never have to let a hot beat pass you by.
You still need to open Shazam to enable Auto mode — a feature that came to the iPhone version two and half years ago — but that’s a good thing. It’s described as “battery friendly,” but the app will stay active in the background, draining that bit more of your precious juice. You can at least leave it running while your favorite radio show is on, though, and if you just happen to get a perfect score on the music round at your next quiz night, fear not: Your secret’s safe with us.
Via: Ubergizmo
Source: Shazam (Google Play)
ICYMI: Autism saved by poop, AR magic and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: AR company Magic Leap gave a demonstration of an animation they made by teaming with Lucas Films. A complicated research project with mice at Baylor College of Medicine showed that anti-social, autism-like behavior was cured after the little guys ate the feces of healthier, social mice.
We showed the video going around of an imagined, Donald Trump presidency win and would love to see similarly interesting videos from you, if you find them. Feel free to use the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
‘ReCore’ is the mashup of ‘Metroid’ and ‘Mega Man’ I didn’t know I wanted
Several of the games I’ve written about at this year’s E3 have been massive reinventions of huge franchises. That made the all-too-brief time I spent with ReCore (developed by Comcept and Armature Studio) one of the more relaxed and enjoyable gaming experiences I had at E3 this year. Even though it’s not remaking legendary games of years past, ReCore still has a lot of fun and unique gameplay elements — it looks like you’ll get to do a lot of Metroid-style exploration, and swapping through your three robotic “bot” companions adds a level of depth and strategy to your encounters.
Unfortunately, I didn’t really get to do any exploration, but I did get a good taste of the smooth and fluid combat system during my demo. One trigger locks you on to your enemies and the other lets you blast away, making it relatively painless to keep up with the swarms of fast-moving attacking robots. Another button tells your robot companion to attack, and you can swap rapidly between them at any time. Each bot has its own special attack you can use to even the odds, as well.
The bots are designed to be crucial to your success — if you forget about utilizing those special attacks, you’ll likely end up in big trouble. But using those, as well as the Mega Man-style charge attacks, can help even the odds. There’s just something about the combo of dashing about and blasting away that reminded me of Mega Man, not in a hugely obvious way, but there’s clear inspiration here. No surprise given that one of Mega Man’s creators Keiji Inafune is a producer on ReCore.
Another gameplay technique that sets ReCore apart is the fact that you have four different-colored blasters, each of which corresponds to an enemy type. So if you come across reddish enemies, using the red blaster will deal extra damage. But some bigger enemies can only be killed by using your grappling hook to rip their glowing “core” orbs out of their bodies, and some of those enemies have cores that switch colors at will. So you’ll have to keep an eye on which blaster you’re using at any given time to be most effective.
The big question I was unable to answer in my quick 10-minute play session was how Recore will hold up over longer play sessions — there have been questions about whether or not the combat will get too repetitive over the course of the game. I didn’t get to find out how long the entire campaign will be, but the game doesn’t feel like it’s going to have that extensive of a running time where you’ll get tired of it. In fact, the controls and combat felt tight and fun enough that I think I’ll be happy to play the game for hours on end. Plus, that robotic dog is so cute.
Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!
Microsoft Follows LinkedIn Acquisition With Chatbot-Based ‘Wand’ Buyout
Microsoft has announced it is acquiring natural language and AI messaging startup Wand Labs as part of a larger strategy to build out “conversation as a platform” (via TechCrunch).
Founded in 2013 by former Google staffer Vishal Sharma, Wand Labs’ stated aim is “to tear down app walls, integrate your services in chat, and make them work together so you can do more with less taps”.
Previously, Wand apps focused on using conversational interfaces to allow users to perform collaborative tasks, such as enabling a friend to control a Nest thermostat, for example. (All Wand apps have been removed from the App Store since the announcement.)
“I’m proud of the work my team has done and what we’ve already accomplished in this emerging space,” said Sharma in a statement on the Wand Labs website. “I’m delighted to be joining a company that shares our passion and enthusiasm for this new era where conversation is the central focus. Making experiences for customers more seamless by harnessing human language is a powerful vision and one that motivates me and my team.”
The terms of the buyout have not been disclosed, but the fledgling Silicon Valley startup has just seven employees – a world away from Microsoft’s recent $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, which has 9,700 full-time employees with offices in 30 cities around the world.
The two deals are likely related, however, as Microsoft appears to be maneuvering significant investment in the direction of conversational chat bot services backed by big data, natural language processing, and predictive analytics.
Wand employees are expected to be integrated into Microsoft’s Bing and Cortana teams, as the company follows a larger tech trend towards an era of conversational AI services and virtual messaging assistants.
Introducing chatbots into popular messaging apps are becoming 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 recently introduced chatbots to Messenger, and provided developers with toolkits to create third-party customer service chatbots and live chat APIs.
In the smart home sector, similar moves are aiming to make virtual assistants more intelligent at performing tasks and more responsive to specific queries, such as Amazon Echo’s recent “skills” upgrade, which enables its Alexa assistant to integrate with over 1,000 third-party apps.
Google recently announced its Echo rival, Home, while Apple is also rumored to be working on a similar, Siri-based device for the home.
Apple has reportedly been working on its rival device since before the Amazon Echo debuted in November 2014. Google Home will be available later this year, but it is not known when Apple will be ready to debut its home accessory or how it will fit into the company’s existing product lineup.
In a related move, Apple announced this week that it would open Siri up to third-party developers with a public API, allowing users to summon Apple’s personal assistant AI to access third-party services and apps hands-free, opening the door to a potential smart home assistant with enhanced functionality and contextual awareness.
In October 2015, Apple acquired VocalIQ, a UK-based startup that had spent the last 10 years researching natural language, belief tracking, decision making, and message generation, in an attempt to develop a next-generation natural language API.
It’s early days, but Apple may introduce the API in its Echo competitor because of its ability to go beyond the “session-based” contextual responses touted by the likes of Viv.
Tags: Microsoft, chat bots
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Apple Ordered to Halt iPhone 6 Sales in Beijing Over Patent Infringement Ruling
The Beijing Intellectual Property Office has ruled that Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus infringe on the patent rights of another smartphone sold within China — Shenzhen Baili’s 100c device — leading to the possibility that Apple may have to cease sales of its handset in Beijing completely. Apple is expected to appeal to the Beijing Higher People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Court in attempts to keep its two handsets in circulation within Beijing.
However, as Bloomberg points out, if the case turns out badly for Apple, lawsuits that the company face in the future could potentially look back at the Shenzhen Baili ruling as a precedent. Beijing has a population of 21.7 million people, so it could have a larger-than-expected negative impact on a territory that Apple has already struggled with in the past.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus infringe on Shenzhen Baili’s patent rights because of similarities to its 100C phone, the Beijing Intellectual Property Office wrote in its decision.
While the decision covers only Beijing, future lawsuits against Apple could take the case as a precedent, potentially influencing the outcomes of litigation elsewhere in China. Baili is one of scores of smartphone brands trying to cash in on the country’s mobile boom.
Just last month, Apple lost the exclusive rights to the name “iPhone” in China, after a ruling by the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court favored leather goods maker Xintong Tiandi Technology. Apple has stayed headstrong in a retail rollout plan of new stores and locations for its Chinese users to visit and purchase its products, but the company still faces unexpected roadblocks in the country due to its strict internet policies.
Tag: China
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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to go into mass production this July
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been leaking more a more steadily of late, suggesting its release is imminent. Now a source has revealed that production of the handset will begin as soon as July.
Samsung usually announces its Galaxy Note smartphones at its Unpacked event around the time of the IFA trade show in early September.
Now a leak from an industry insider has revealed that Samsung is to begin production in July. The source claims 2.5 million phones will be made in July with 5 million produced in August, suggesting the rumoured August announcement won’t see availability until September.
Samsung’s event invite leaked recently with a date of 2 August, suggesting it will be an earlier unveil than usual. Perhaps this is to create hype so it can be released before Apple’s iPhone 7 arrives around September time.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is expected to get that name, skipping the Note 6, in order to place the handset more clearly against Apple’s iPhone 7 and alongside its Samsung flagship Galaxy S7.
Rumoured specs for the Galaxy Note 7 include a 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED edge display, Snapdragon and Exynos CPU variants with 6GB of RAM, 12-megapixel Super OIS camera, plus a 4000mAh battery.
READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 6 / Note 7: What’s the story so far?
Google lists Android Pay promotions in one page
Google has made it simpler to keep track of all available Android Pay discounts: The big G has launched a promotions page for the service, similar to the one for Chromecast. It details all the promos you can take advantage of for the current crop of Android Pay-compatible apps. For instance, the page lists Uber’s offer, which gives you $10 off for your next ride, and explains that you’ll have to type the code ANDROIDPAY in the ride-sharing app’s promo section to claim it. On the other hand, some applications automatically apply discounts if you choose the mobile wallet as your payment option upon checking out. If you regularly use an app that’s compatible with the service, you may want to check the portal every once in a while to make sure you’re not missing out on a great deal.
Via: Reddit
Source: Android Pay
Google’s GIF-searching Gboard app is now available in the UK
Although Google often includes the UK in launch plans for a new product, its new web-searching and GIF-finding Gboard extension wasn’t one of them. But now that the app has been out for roughly a month, Google has had more enough time to get it ready for the British public. That’s right, Google’s slick third-party keyboard is now available to download in the UK.
If you’re not familiar with Gboard, it works like this. Download the extension from the App Store like you would any other app and Google will walk you through the installation process. Once it’s the default option, Gboard will place a circular button at the top-left of the keyboard, allowing you to perform web searches without having to leave the app you’re in. It’ll also do the same for GIFs and let you type the name of your favourite emoji so you don’t have to spend valuable time scrolling through trying to find it.
During its WWDC 2016 keynote, Apple announced a number of new features that cross over with Google’s Gboard app, including an emojifier that can detect specific words and replace them with the relevant emoji. With web and GIF search, Google still maybe has an edge over its rival, but it’s good to see both companies implementing more keyboard-centric features on iOS devices.
#Gboard for iPhone is here. No more app switching; search and send, right from your keyboard https://t.co/qNpPdrghGp pic.twitter.com/x5nkMhaxW6
— Google UK (@GoogleUK) June 17, 2016
Via: Google UK
Source: Gboard (App Store)
Microsoft partners with a legal weed startup
Microsoft is going into the legal marijuana business by teaming with a weed financing startup called “Kind,” according to the New York Times. The two companies will create Azure-powered cloud apps that track plants from “seed to sale,” helping legal dealers comply with laws. The decision to enter the trade was probably not taken lightly by Microsoft, as most corporations still won’t touch it with a ten-foot bong. However, the software giant is based in Washington state, where it’s perfectly legal to sell pot, and sees the potential for profits.
“We do think there will be significant growth,” Microsoft’s Kimberly Nelson tells the NYT. “As the industry is regulated, there will be more transactions, and we believe there will be more sophisticated requirements and tools down the road.” Twenty-five states in the US have legalized pot, either for medical or recreational use, and five more are voting this year to approve it, including California and Nevada. That’s created a kind of (Acapulco) gold rush in Silicon Valley, with startups sprouting everywhere.
The software giant is based in Washington state, where it’s perfectly legal to sell pot, and sees the potential for profits.
However, corporate America still sees weed as a turnoff — it’s been difficult for legal pot dealers to get loans from banks, for example. To push it into the mainstream, businesses will need to ensure they comply with laws so that the industry doesn’t become a bad scene. “The goal of this relationship is to leverage each company’s resources to provide state, county, and municipalities with purpose built solutions for [cannabis seed to sale] technology,” Kind said.
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