How a Nine-Year-Old Australian Landed a Coveted WWDC Apple Scholarship
During Apple’s opening keynote address at this week’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, CEO Tim Cook gave a shout-out to Anvitha Vijay, the youngest ever developer to attend WWDC.
Aged just nine, Vijay applied for and won one of 350 coveted Apple scholarships to attend the conference’s coding and programming sessions, which are typically dominated by high school and college students.
Anvitha Vijay, the 9-year-old developer at WWDC 2016 (Image: USA Today)
A resident of Melbourne, Australia, Vijay was selected for a scholarship after she created an iOS app called Smartkins Animals, which lets young users have fun exploring the sights and sounds of over 100 animals. Prior to WWDC, the app had been downloaded “a few hundred times”.
“It was like a dream to be here and meet so many people,” Vijay said, speaking to USA Today. “I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg in coding, there’s so much to learn.”
Vijay began teaching herself coding skills at the age of seven by watching YouTube instructional videos and using her mum’s iPhone (users have to be aged at least 13 to hold an iTunes account). She said she was motivated to make an app using Xcode to teach her younger sister how to identify the names of animals.
“I want to be an innovator, to build things that people will love and benefit from,” said Vijay as she handed WWDC attendees her business card, on which reads the motto: “I want to make a difference in people’s lives through technology.”
Vijay has now progressed to Apple’s more advanced Swift programming language to develop a new app she’s calling GoalsHi, which aims to give students more confidence in the classroom.
During Apple’s WWDC keynote, the company revealed a new educational app called “Swift Playgrounds”, which aims to introduce users to a new way to learn to code with Swift on an iPad.
The free app, due to be released with iOS 10 this fall, features custom “learn to code” lessons that focus on crafting visual cues around numeric coding data to slowly introduce kids into the world of coding.
All iPad Air and iPad Pro models will be compatible with the app, as well as iPad mini 2-and-later devices.
Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
Tag: Swift
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Battlefield 1 preview: Multiplayer madness doesn’t get better than this
War shouldn’t be fun. But Battlefield 1 is the most fun we’ve had in a first-person massive multiplayer online shooter. Its 64-player team versus co-op is an epic thing to behold. It almost makes us want to be in the trenches.
Which, given the prevalence of first-person shooters in today’s gaming world, is a bold statement indeed. Not all Battlefield titles have quite hit the mark of late (yes Battlefield 4, we’re looking at you), and 64-player isn’t new by any means, but Battlefield 1 feels fresh and exciting because the variety of vehicles and its World War One setting make it stand out.
As a WW1 shooter the weapons on offer don’t extend to futuristic lasers or armoured SWAT teams – which is refreshing in its own right. Instead you’ll need to make the most of pistols, rifles, bayonets, machine guns and the like. Yet a lot of Battlefield 1’s attack happens from within vehicles: from tanks, to biplanes, and motorcycles to epic airships, there’s no holding back from the explosive and destructive power available.
The 32-players per team in the multiplayer session we played in are able to self-assign a role deployment on the map. Whether that means controlling the guns on an armoured vehicle, piloting an airship, manning a tank, flying a biplane, or running amok on the ground as infantry. If you die in battle then you won’t respawn in the same deployment, you’ll have to fit into an available slot from the arsenal that’s in play in order to help out your team.
That means each game – unless you’re a super-sharp sniper who never dies (we doubt it given the mania that unfolds) – will see you manning different guns, vehicles and tactics in a bid to win.
The old French village environment we occupied was a capture-the-flag style of play, with five different map sections available to conquer by remaining within the zone for an ample period of time. The sections in this example were marked from A through E, but your opposing team can recapture or stalemate your occupation too – it’s all about numbers on the ground.
Battlefield 1 not only looks fantastic, its environments fully destructible too – a feature well known to Battlefield players. Topple defences, blow-up buildings, morph the map to your advantage even. Or, like us, get stuck in a six-gun armoured vehicle turned on its side and be forced to respawn. It’s not always perfect, then, but this kind of glitch only really adds to the entertainment factor.
EA / DICE
The vehicles are the most interesting aspect of play, given how different they feel in a typically infantry-led first-person shooter environment. Aboard a giant airship you feel indestructible. Well, at least until a mass of biplanes and ground fire take you down in a giant explosive fireball. Piloting one of those biplanes is the trickiest aspect of the game to control, we found, but mastering them may well be the key; taking them down with ground fire is equally satisfying as flying them.
What’s interesting about the map we played in rural France is its openness. Much like the files and trenches of WW1, cover isn’t as constructed or abundant as you’ll find in many shooters these days. Sometimes running wild and dodging gunfire (or just running away) is as effective as a forward march. This will differ depending on the levels, of course, as Battlefield 1 will also explore the Arabian desert and the Italian Alps.
First Impressions
The trailer shows off what Battlefield 1 does so well. Sure, it might be over-exaggerating the slow and monotonous warfare of WW1, but this is a game, so it’s got to elevate its offering to be engaging.
So whether you’re a hardened first-person shooter, or a gamer looking for an intense experience that puts other generic shooters to bed, Battlefield 1 ticks all the boxes. We’re pleasantly surprised by just how good this game is; it’s been one of the standout titles at the E3 gaming expo 2016.
Fingers crossed it’s a perfectly polished package when it comes to launch on 21 October this year.
Last SpaceX rocket landed hard enough to ‘accordion’ the engines
Don’t start thinking that landing a rocket’s first stage is routine just yet, as SpaceX has just posted video of its latest attempt. The Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered two satellites to orbit, however when it returned to Earth everything did not go exactly to plan. The live video feed cut out so we weren’t sure exactly what happened, but now Elon Musk has tweeted video from afar showing the landing process. According to Musk, one of the engines cut out before it hit the deck of the droneship, causing a landing hard enough to “destroy the primary airframe and accordion the engines.” We’re guessing there’s not enough left for this one to join the trophy case, but that’s just how it happens in 2016, which Musk is calling “the year of experimentation.”
Looks like early liquid oxygen depletion caused engine shutdown just above the deck pic.twitter.com/Sa6uCkpknY
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 17, 2016
Source: Elon Musk (Twitter), SpaceX
A driverless Rolls-Royce means you can fire your chauffeur
While other electric or autonomous vehicle companies might be content to build a sensible, everyday mode of transport, noted luxury automaker Rolls-Royce is rejecting that notion entirely with its first driverless vehicle concept. In a decidedly lavish announcement, Rolls-Royce says its new Vision Next 100 car has been designed for “the most discerning and powerful patrons in the world.”
“Our vision, in its purest form,” the company wrote, “is to create the automotive equivalent of haute couture. This is the future of luxury mobility.”
At more than 19 feet long (or, about 8 inches longer than a Chevrolet Suburban) luxury mobility definitely doesn’t include street parking or speed bumps, but that’s beside the point: “The very size of the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 announces the importance of its precious cargo,” Rolls-Royce explained. And it does so in appropriately over-the-top fashion. When the car arrives at its destination, driven by an unseen AI/chauffeur named Eleanor, the glass canopy pops up and the side door swings open as a red light illuminates, rolling out a virtual red carpet at the the passenger’s feet.
“Thus, as in Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’,” the company wrote without a hint of irony, “our guest is framed and ready to step gracefully into the limelight and greet their audience.”
The interiors are similarly elaborate: without that famous Rolls 12-cylinder engine, the massive body is cavernous enough to hold massive Grand Tourer suitcases. Because car owners will no longer have a need for a personal driver, the front seat is replaced with a “beautifully textured, ivory-coloured luxurious throne upon which our passengers are conveyed.” In other words: you’ll be sitting on a silk loveseat.
While the tech specs are scarce in Rolls’ announcement (it is, after all just a concept for now), the Guardian reports the Vision Next 100 will hit the streets in the appropriately futuristic date of “sometime in the 2040s.” Until then, you can experience the interiors for yourself in a sparkly, 360-degree YouTube video. The height of luxury.
Olli is an IBM Watson-powered driverless electric bus
You might see a cute, driverless bus roaming the streets of Washington DC starting today. It’s called Olli, and it’s an autonomous electric minibus designed by Local Motors, which you might remember as the company that’s planning to sell 3D-printed cars this year. While the automaker itself designed the 12-seater’s self-driving system, it teamed up with IBM to use Watson’s capabilities to power the EV’s other features. Thanks to Watson, you can tell Olli where you’re heading in natural language (“I’d like to go to [workplace.]”) and ask it questions about how the technology works. Best of all, it won’t kick you out even if you keep asking “Are we there yet?”
Olli will be exclusive to DC these next few months, but Miami and Las Vegas will get their own in late 2016. Local Motors is also in talks to test the bus in cities outside the US, including Berlin, Copenhagen and Canberra. It’s unclear if anyone can get the chance to ride one, since these are merely trial runs, but you can ask local authorities if the EV makes its way to your city.
If and when the time comes that driverless public vehicles can legally shuttle passengers, you’ll be able to summon an Olli through an app, just like Uber. And if Local Motors’ plans pan out, a lot of people around the globe will be using that app: Company co-founder John Rogers envisions building hundreds of micro-factories all over the world that can 3D print an Olli within 10 hours and assemble it one.
Source: IBM, PhysOrg, Local Motors
The first livestreamed Broadway show is happening June 30th
There have been theatre and opera performances streamed live over the internet before, but until now the famous Broadway stages have been off limits. That will change June 30th, when BroadwayHD streams She Loves Me to customers not in a movie theater, but at home or on the go. The Roundabout Theater Company production features familiar names from TV like Zachary Levi and Jane Krakowski, and will be available both live and afterwards via video on-demand. BroadwayHD has been streaming replays since late last year, and has apps available for both the new Apple TV and Roku (PC and mobile viewers will need to watch on their web browser.)
The main hangup to livestreaming has been a fear that it will cut into the number of customers who buy tickets, however this production is well-suited as a test since it’s a revival and also has a limited run of performances scheduled. If you prefer to see it in person, tickets are available for between $52 and $162. BroadwayHD offers subscriptions for $15 per month or $170 for a year, although viewers can pay $10 for this individual show. If you’re a theater buff and miss the stream, it will be streaming for a week afterwards, but the real question is how quickly we’ll be able to watch bigger productions (*cough* Hamilton *cough*) without making the trip to NYC and either getting lucky in the ticket lottery or overpaying scalpers.
Source: New York Times, Variety, BroadwayHD
Politico Europe Uses Apple Wallet To Send ‘Brexit’ Notifications to Readers
Apple Wallet was designed to allow users to easily place payment options like credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards alongside tickets and passes from companies like Fandango and EventBrite. However, Politico Europe has decided to try to use the app to deliver news to its readers, reports NiemanLab (via AppleInsider).
As a part of its coverage of the EU Referendum, Politico has started to test Apple Wallet as a news distribution channel via a new tool it calls EU Referendum Tracker. With the tool, which is available only on Apple devices, readers can opt in to receive live polling and results data, as well as breaking news alerts, which appear on the back of the pass.
Although the pass is largely used for the EU Referendum, a process sometimes referred to as “Brexit,” the news organization has been experimenting with breaking news alerts. Earlier today, it pushed a breaking news alert about the death of British politician Jo Cox.
Kate Day, Politico’s editorial director of growth, told NiemanLab that the news site turned to Apple Wallet in an effort to experiment with sending news notifications without developing and maintaining its own app. Currently, Apple only allows websites in Safari to send breaking news alerts on macOS. Politico chose the EU Referendum specifically because they believe users are more open to push notifications if they sign up for the specificity of a topic rather than general news.
Politico considered platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for its project, but thought WhatsApp had scaling issues for publishers while Facebook announced its bot program after Politico began work on the Apple Wallet project. The experiment is a joint effort with ad agency Digitas LBI, which used Apple Wallet to deliver news about the U.K. general election in 2015.
Day told NiemanLab that although Apple Wallet was an unusual choice for breaking news notifications, the limitations allowed Politico to focus and simplify what they wanted to do and get across with the notifications.
The Politico Europe EU Referendum Tracker can be signed up for at Politico’s website while on an iPhone.
Tag: Apple Wallet
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GE CFE28USHSS review – CNET
The Good The Cafe Series refrigerator’s coffee-making feature is smart, practical and unique among high-end French-door models. The fridge’s cooling performance is sound, too.
The Bad The build is the same as previous years’ models, and it doesn’t look as distinctive as competing fridges with more modern designs.
The Bottom Line This is a reasonably priced high-end fridge that’s worth considering, especially if you think you’d put that Keurig coffeemaker to good use.
GE’s Cafe Series French-door refrigerators have always been capable of dispensing hot water for your coffee, tea or soup, but recent models, including the $3,300 CFE28USHSS, take things a step further by featuring a built-in Keurig coffeemaker that’ll go ahead and brew you a cup.
It makes plenty of sense when you think about it. The fridge has its own dedicated source of filtered water, so you won’t need to worry about keeping a reservoir filled up. It’s a smart fridge, too — pull up GE’s app on your phone and you’ll be able to heat the water remotely, or schedule it to heat up at a specific time. And hey, having a coffeemaker built into your refrigerator door helps you save counter space.
It also helps that the Cafe Series refrigerator is a very decent fridge in its own right, with solid cooling performance and plenty of space for your groceries. It’s not as flashy as other smart fridges we’ve seen, like the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator, which costs as much as $6,000, but at roughly half the price, I’d say there’s a lot to like here.
GE’s Cafe Series smart fridge is a wannabe…
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To make a cup of coffee, you pop a K-Cup into the Keurig brewing accessory and snap it into place. Once the water heats up, you turn a knob to start brewing.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Design and features
The team at GE didn’t update the look of the Cafe Series this year like they did with the Profile Series models. As such, the CFE28USHSS is basically the same build as existing Cafe Series fridges, with the same 27.8 cubic-foot capacity (or 22.2 cubic feet if you’re going with a counter-depth model). That also means that it isn’t available in a slate finish like the new Profile Series fridges are — with the Cafe Series, it’s stainless steel or nothing.
What’s new with the CFE28USHSS is that Keurig attachment. Its only real purpose is to hold your K-Cup in place as hot water passes through, so it’s a lot smaller than you might expect. You’ll pop a K-Cup in and slide it into position on the right side of the water dispenser, where GE plumbed a second line specifically for hot water.
Other smart-fridge options
- Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator
- Whirlpool Smart French Door Refrigerator
- LG Signature Refrigerator
Once you do, the LCD touchscreen will automatically jump to the hot-water menu, where you’ll tell it how many ounces you want. The water will then take a few minutes to heat up (this is where preheating via the app really comes in handy). Once the water is ready, you’ll turn a knob to start the flow of java into your waiting mug below. It’s about as easy to use as any other single-serve coffeemaker, and the coffee tastes just as good (which really isn’t saying a whole lot, given that this is single-serve coffee we’re talking about).
Still, the point is that it’s convenient. With this fridge in your kitchen, you can ditch your old single-serve coffeemaker to make room for some other kitchen gadget. And, unlike that countertop coffeemaker, the fridge has its own dedicated water connection, which means you’ll never have to worry about filling up a reservoir. You can even use the app to create a schedule for the water heater, guaranteeing that the fridge will be ready to brew each morning when you wake up.
GE’s high-end French door fridges
| Yes | No | Internal | $3,000 |
| Yes | Yes | In-door, with hands-free Autofill | $3,000 |
| Yes | No | In-door, with hot water presets, LCD touchscreen, and Precise Fill | $3,100 |
| Yes | Yes | In-door, with Keurig brewer | $3,200 |
| Yes | No | In-door, with hot water presets, LCD touchscreen, Precise Fill, and Keurig brewer | $3,300 |
The Precise Fill feature will dispense the exact amount of water you ask for.
Chris Monroe/CNET
In addition to the coffeemaker and the hot-water presets, you’ll find a dedicated button for GE’s Precise Fill feature. With Precise Fill, you get to use the touchscreen to tell the water dispenser exactly how much water you want it to dispense. You’ll still need to hold the button down as it dispenses, though — you can’t just set your pot down, press a button, and come back to four cups of water for your macaroni supper.
GE GFDS260EFWW dryer review – CNET
The Good The GE GFDS260EFWW dryer pulls moisture from clothes quickly. The appliance also has a large 8-cubic-foot capacity to dry big laundry loads. It’s also equipped with 12 cycles to handle specific garment and fabric types.
The Bad The dryer’s control panel is an outdated eyesore, and its display is difficult to read at any angle other than directly head-on.
The Bottom Line The GE GFDS260EFWW dryer’s cluttered controls and an often unreadable screen make the more thoughtfully designed Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam the wiser choice for the same price.
The best home appliances combine impressive performance, high style, and enjoyable operation into a single seductive device. The $1,100 GE GFDS260EFWW dryer unfortunately doesn’t achieve this elusive mix. It’s true, the machine removes water from wet clothes with relative swiftness and features a roomy 8-cubic-foot capacity to accommodate hefty loads. The dryer also ships with many useful cycles and settings tailored to match particular fabrics and clothing.
The shortcomings of this GE dryer, though, reside in how you operate the machine. Equipped with a dated electronic display that’s a challenge to read from just about any angle, as well as a confusing control panel, the GE GFDS260EFWW is very frustrating to use. This fact is especially clear when compared with sleek, modern dryers featuring superior controls such as the $1,099 Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam dryer. While not flawless, the Perfect Steam is much easier to interact with and offers comparable clothes drying performance, making it the smarter choice for the same price.
This GE Dryer has lots of room and speed,…
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Design
The GE GFDS260EFWW measures 39.66 inches high by 28 inches wide by 34.75 inches deep, and is equipped with a large 8-cubic-foot capacity drum. Understandably, it’s a hair bigger than the smaller capacity LG DLEX 5000 (7.2 cu. ft.) but essentially the same size as the Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam which also has an 8-cubic-foot capacity.
Besides its larger-than-average girth, this GE dryer has conventional laundry appliance looks. Essentially a bland white cube, the machine’s only flashy design element is a silver band of trim above its drum door. Also on the front face of the appliance is its confusing control panel. Text labels for the dryer’s various cycles, modes and functions are too tightly packed together for quick comprehension.
The control panel is very busy and confusing.
Chris Monroe/CNET
The circular knob, used for selecting your desired dryer cycle, is simple enough to operate. Unfortunately each tiny, orange light indicating which cycle you’ve landed on (by turning the knob) is faint. Worse, the light practically disappears when viewed at an angle.
Likewise, the digital screen showing the estimated time left in the current cycle suffers from the same problem. The display is illegible looking down on it from above or if your point of view is too far to the left or right. Even the machine’s lights, which underline the status of temperature and dryness settings, lack any real brightness. Frankly, I prefer the GE GTD86ESPJMC’s controls — though they’re also saddled with a poor digital display, they’re far less jumbled, plus they use a knob with brightly lit LED indicators.
The lights and display are hard to see from the side.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Features
Just like the Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam, the GE GFDS260EFWW dryer is not one of the elite vanguard of large home appliances equipped with an app connection and state-of-the-art smart abilities. For that, you’ll have to spend a few hundred dollars more on a luxury clothes drying system such as the LG DLEX 5000 or GE’s dedicated smart laundry unit, the GTD86ESPJMC.
AIVAnet 