Nevada gives its first license to a daily fantasy sports game
Nevada’s gaming board shut down daily fantasy games from DraftKings and FanDuel late last year for fairly obvious reasons: they’re gambling, and they need a license to operate in the state. Now for the first time, the board has issued a license to a daily fantasy operator called USFantasy. Unsurprisingly, the Vegas-approved fantasy game is planning to operate through the race and sports books of casinos, and won’t look much like other daily fantasy sports games.
Instead of a “salary cap” limited team, the games players choose athletes at a particular position and bet where they’ll rank at the position. Called a pari-mutuel system, it’s a lot more like horse racing than fantasy sports. In an interview with ESPN, president Vic Salerno said that for players “it feels like 80 to 90 percent will get some money back.” That’s different from current daily fantasy games, where much of the winnings go to a relatively small group of elite players.
The company claims it’s the first DFS license granted by any regulatory body in the US, and the big question is if others will follow. USFantasy appears to embrace its status as a form of gambling, and a game that’s not exactly the same as what we’ve seen before. On the other hand, the existing crop of games that have spun out from older rotisserie-style fantasy leagues insist they are games of skill, and won’t be so accepting of tight regulation.
Source: PRNewswire, Nevada Gaming Board
Best SD cards for your Chromebook
Expanding your Chromebook’s storage.
If you want to expand your Chromebook’s storage, you can use an SD or microSD card and boom, you’ve got more space.
Whether you use a full-size SD card, a microSD card, or a half-height SD card depends on your particular model of Chromebook.
- Full-size SD cards
- MicroSD cards
- Half-height SD cards
Full-size SD cards
Full-size SD cards are the largest SD cards in terms of physical size. Whether or not your Chromebook will fit a full-size SD card depends on the model and manufacturer.
Even then, a full-sized SD card may stick out of the SD card slot on your Chromebook and if this is the case, we don’t recommend that you use a full-sized SD card in your Chromebook all the time, since it could catch on something. Instead, insert it when you need to transfer files over or access files you’ve stored on it previously, then remove it again.
SanDisk Extreme Pro 512GB SDXC
The highly-rated SanDisk Extreme Pro SD card is fast and has a large capacity, so it makes a good choice to expand the storage of your Chromebook.
It has data transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s, so you can transfer those Blu-ray movies you’ve got sitting on your Chromebook’s hard drive without a problem. Even games with gigabytes of data can be moved over with ease.
Additionally, this card features write protection, which prevents you from accidentally erasing or overwriting your important files. No more worrying about accidentally erasing those old family pictures.
If you’re looking for a fast, reliable SD card, this may be the one for you.
See at Amazon
Transcend 128GB SDXC
If you don’t want to spend close to $300 on an SD card, the Transcend 128GB SD card is bargain-priced and gives you close-to-premium performance.
While not the fastest SD card out there, you get a read/write speed of up to 30MB/s, and this card still has a decent capacity for storing your files.
If you want to save money but still want an SD card that performs well, this one is a great option.
See at Amazon
MicroSD cards
MicroSD cards are much smaller in physical size than their larger SD card cousins — about as large as a fingernail whereas SD cards are about the size of a postage stamp.
Their smaller size doesn’t mean that they have smaller capacities than their larger brethren, however; they simply have a smaller form factor, and that means they’re typically used in smaller devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
For the most part, if your Chromebook can fit an SD card, it’ll take a microSD card. You’d just need an adapter, such as the Raspberry PI Shortening MicroSD Adapter.
SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSDXC
The SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD card is about as fast as they come, and with a 200GB capacity, it provides a lot of space for your files.
Transferring large files won’t be a problem with its 90MB/s transfer rate and with all of that space available, it can hold up to 20 hours of HD video. That’s right, 20 hours.
If you’re looking for an expandable storage option for your Chromebook that’s fast and has a large capacity, check out the SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD card.
See at Amazon
Samsung EVO Plus 128GB microSDXC
Slightly slower than the SanDisk Ultra microSD card, Samsung’s EVO Plus 128GB is still fast enough for most uses and is correspondingly cheaper too.
While it doesn’t have as large a capacity as the SanDisk Ultra 200GB, the Samsung EVO Plus may have enough to suit your needs if you are looking for a bargain. Though it’s a little slower, you won’t notice much of a difference when transferring files or media.
If you want a fast microSD card, but you want to save a buck, choose this one.
See at Amazon
Half-height SD cards
Half-height SD cards, as the name implies, are SD cards that have a shorter form factor. They’re a great alternative if regular-height SD cards protrude from your Chromebook’s SD card slot and microSD cards aren’t compatible.
Transcend JetDrive Lite 330
The Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 comes in three capacities: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.
With a maximum read speed of up to 95MB/s and write speeds of up to 60MB/s, this half-height SD card is fast enough for downloading large files, and with its three capacity options, you can choose just the amount you need (and the price, too).
If you don’t want to or can’t use a microSD card, the Transcend JetDrive may be the card for you.
See at Amazon
We’ve told you which SD cards we prefer, but what about you? Let us know in the comments below!
Chromebooks
- The best Chromebooks
- Should you buy a Chromebook?
- Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
- Acer Chromebook 14 review
- Join our Chromebook forums
Save $110 on the 16GB Moto X Pure Edition
Right now you can score the 16GB Moto X Pure Edition for just $239 at Amazon, which is $110 lower than its normal price. Being an unlocked phone you’ll be able to pop in a SIM card from any GSM carrier and begin using it right away. The Moto X Pure Edition features a 5.7-inch display, runs Marshmallow and much more.
If you are in need of more storage, you can also grab the 32GB model for $349 or jump up to the 64GB for $319 (if you can wait about two weeks to get it). If interested, be sure to get your order in quick as we don’t know how long these prices will last.
See at Amazon
Is this what Android N’s redesigned navigation keys will look like?
Google will apparently switch up the look of Android’s navigation keys, with the release of Android N later this summer, according to a new report that can’t share its primary source.
When you look at your Android device, you’ll notice software keys that work as navigation buttons. Those keys resemble a triangle, a circle, and a square. The last time they were aesthetically improved was with Android Lollipop, but now, Google is reportedly planning a new redesign for them. Android Police has published a recreated image of what the new keys in Android N might look like.
As you can see from the recreated image, which is available below, the new keys will have colours. The multi-coloured home button will even animate when long-pressed, causing the colours to expand in their “corresponding directions until they all file out horizontally”, Android Police has claimed. All the keys are also opaque. We can expect this new look to initially arrive for the next Nexus devices.
Android Police
Google’s Nexus devices are flagship phones that run the latest version of Android, but it’s not yet clear if all devices running Android N will get the new look for navigation keys. Android Police didn’t cite a source and couldn’t confirm whether the new keys will ever see the light of day. If they are exclusive to the latest Nexus devices, however, Google will essentially be giving those devices unique software features.
And with unique features, the next Nexus phones – rumoured to be codenamed Marlin and Sailfish – will certainly stand out from the crowd.
Samsung’s making a Galaxy S7 Olympic Edition – see leaked pic
There it is – in all its glory.
Samsung is known for making special editions of its flagship phones. It made a Batman edition of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, for instance, and in 2012, it made a limited edition of the Samsung Galaxy S III to celebrate the Olympic Games in London. It’s therefore no surprise to learn that the Korea-based company is working on another Olympic edition of its flagship device for the Olympic Games in Rio.
According to SamMobile, the device is now under development. Olympic apps are also being developed, along with some Olympic VR content. To corroborate this report, Evan Blass, a major leakster formerly known as @evleaks, posted a photo of the device. It is obviously a render, but you can still see the Olympic symbols stamped on the rear and appearing, presumably, as a restart message on the phone’s screen.
It also appears as though the phone’s buttons, cameras, and flash have been outlined with blue and yellow colours, and the speaker grille has been entirely coloured in too. But that’s all we got to go on… There is no release date yet. We should hear more from Samsung soon.
After all, the 2016 Olympics kick off 5 August.
The Public Access Weekly: Same love
It’s Pride Weekend in San Francisco, which means there will be over a million extra rainbow clad lovelies parading, dancing and celebrating in the streets and that’s always fun. There’s nothing San Francisco loves more than shutting down a street for a party, and SF residents take particular pride in the city’s history of acceptance, tolerance and love. I hope that everyone has a safe and amazing Pride, remember to hydrate and wear sunscreen!
Over in community news, remember that Q&A contest post I kept promising? It’s live! Click here to get the goods, but the TL; DR version is: you guess all the references to the Public Access Weekly titles, you get to be our next Q&A interviewee. We’ll be accepting answers until next month, good luck to everyone who enters!
Also, it’s been a little while since we cross-posted anything to the Engadget home page. So just a reminder that outstanding, well-written original posts will often get promoted to our home page for all of our readers to see and comment on. If you want to see your work appear on the Engadget home page, make sure you are following all the Community Guidelines, you’ve fact-checked and linked appropriately (no SEO. Ever.), everything is correctly spelled and you’ve got a cogent, clear article with support for your statements. Oh yeah, and you absolutely must have an image (which is legally used and appropriately cited).
Next week will be our last week of anniversary posts and celebrations and I’ll be releasing be some special topic suggestions. Those of you who have been frequent posters will get access to exclusive writing prompts. Those of you out there who haven’t logged in over a year will also get a prompt with a list of recent topic suggestions and must-read articles, and those of you who have never logged in … Who are you? Where have you been? Did you change your mind? We will be in touch.
Looking for something to read? Check out:
Managing Editor Dana Wollman gives us a run through of MacOS Sierra with this detailed hands-on that includes info on new features like picture-in-picture mode and “invisible ink” messaging.
Mona’s interview with Robert Stromberg (The Martian, Avatar, Maleficient) on how VR is changing the way the entertainment industry creates and tells stories is a compelling look at how technology alters more than just the gear that is used — it changes everything down to the story itself.
Facebook wants you to use Messenger, really, really badly. So badly in fact that the Android SMS For Messenger app may actually violate Googles policies about “deceptive device settings changes” by hiding the opt-out choice behind a tiny “settings” button. To add insult to injury, some commenters are saying that trying to opt-out of the SMS/Messenger integration feature is giving them a “Not now” screen.
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
A group of nearly two hundred musical artists, including Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney, want Congress to reform the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). The DMCA provides a safe harbor for websites whose users may upload content that potentially violates copyright infringement laws. The comments to this story are rife with strong opinions so here’s your chance to tell us in detail: Should the DMCA be revised or updated? If so, how? Do artists deserve to protect their works, and should websites be held responsible in any way for the activity of their users?
Regardless about how you feel about gun control (and if you have strong opinions, feel free to weigh in in the lengthy comments thread), it is striking that these Democratic lawmakers are using social media to broadcast government activities. “The sit-in says a lot about the difficulty of trying to control the media in the internet era.” More and more, the cameras on smartphones are being used to broadcast citizen journalism — even, it would appear, from members of the government. The question here is: How should lawmakers use social media to help them perform their jobs? In what ways should technology and government interact in order to better serve the people?
There was a good amount of talk this week about Mark Zuckerberg’s laptop camera and mic –A savvy Twitter user noticed that a recent picture taken of the Facebook founder revealed that he tapes over his laptops camera and mic. This lead to opposing reactions from news media (“Mark Zuckerburg Covers His Laptop Camera. You should consider it too.” from the New York Times vs. “Wow, Mark Zuckerberg Is Paranoid As Fuck” from Gizmodo). Our question to you is: Do you tape over your laptops camera? Or mic? What about your smartphone camera? Why or why not? And is this overly paranoid?
‘Destiny’ distances itself from PS3 and Xbox 360 in August
It was bound to happen, the question was just a matter of when. The “it” I’m referring to, of course, is developer Bungie cutting off support for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Destiny. In a post on Bungie.net, the company says that starting in August, progression won’t be shared among last-gen hardware and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. “Characters progress separately on two parallel paths,” an infographic reads. Importing your character from last-gen hardware to a PS4 or Xbox One and then going back to your old system to play a strike or two with friends means that the experience points and gear earned will no longer carry over.
New content packs (like this fall’s Rise of Iron expansion), Trials of Osiris weekly event, Iron Banner event and Live Events like the Valentine’s Day-themed Crimson Days or Sparrow Racing League will be going away in a few months. This affects how purchases with the in-game currency bought with real money, silver, work as well. For starters, the in-game “buy silver” button is going away on PS3 and Xbox 360, as are options to buy it via each console’s marketplace or online storefront. Any emotes or other cosmetic items purchased with silver on old hardware won’t appear on your Guardian the next time you fire up your PS4.
However, all the Nightfall Strikes; featured Crucible playlists; previous raids; Prison of Elders, and, yes, Xûr weapon sales will still be available if you haven’t upgraded to a new console yet.
It’s honestly kind of impressive that Bungie’s been supporting the PS3 and Xbox 360 this long. Third-party publishers and developers stopped releasing last-gen versions of their games awhile ago; Microsoft and Sony cut off the supply of new games before the PS4 and Xbox One launched in 2013.
The timeline for Bungie’s cutoff is interesting, though. August is when Microsoft is scheduled to launch the Xbox One S, but the company hasn’t nailed down a specific date for that yet. Bungie hasn’t outlined when Destiny as it currently exists will change, either. Smart money says both of those will change at about the same time. So relax, there’s no reason to upgrade to the current generation just yet if you’ve been holding out.
Source: Bungie.net
Celebrate 20 years of ‘Quake’ with a brand new game episode
Quake fans have plenty of reasons to celebrate these days. Wolfenstein: The New Order developer MachineGames is championing id Software’s classic first-person shooter’s 20th anniversary and offering fans a little something special in return: A brand new episode of the game, downloadable for free.
MachineGames is serving up the special episode for free via zipped RAR file that you’ll need to extract into a new folder named “dopa” into Quake’s main directory. To run the episode, you’ll need to start up a new single-player game and launch the executable “dopa” file in the same folder and tear it up from there!
Happy 20th to Quake @idsoftware! As a gift to the fans, we created a new episode of the game https://t.co/BTgju8tLuI pic.twitter.com/gHlxBgjcBU
— machinegames (@machinegames) June 24, 2016
If you’ve never played Quake before, now’s a great time to get into it, especially as it’s part of the Steam Summer Sale and can be nabbed for as little as $2.50. You’ll have the benefit of a whole other episode to play.
Via: IGN
Optoma NuForce BE6i Wireless Earphone Review
It’s no doubt that Bluetooth wireless headphones are the hotness in audio gear today. Many of our favorite headphone manufacturers now have a Bluetooth device somewhere in their lineup. Optoma is one of the newer guys to join the fray.
This week, the company has just launched the NuForce BE6i in-ears. Folks who are into the audio scene may have seen the NuForce earphone brand before, which can reach audiophile-grade, HiFi levels (and pricing). However, the BE6i looks to compete with today’s popular wireless in-ears, like from Jaybird and Plantronics, with a strong package and cool retail price of $129. Let’s check it out.
Design
From the bat, you can tell that Optoma means business. Most of the wireless in-ears you see today have a somewhat cheap-feeling plastic build. The BE6i earpieces are completely Aluminum.
Their cylindrical shape is nothing special, and it’s a little too reminiscent to Jaybird’s X models, so thankfully the BE6i have the metal to help them stand out. There’s slight tapers on the front and back of the chassis that also help the basic design. And at the back end, the “Nu” branding is etched into the metal.
A small mention is that the caps of the earpieces are magnetically attracted. It’s not a big deal, but nice to see them cleanly clasp when not in use.
The cord is also not unlike that I’ve seen from the competition. It’s a flat, rubbery cable (meant to route behind the neck), with an in-line 3-button remote/mic. The remote succumbs to cheap plastic, but I like that it’s exactly the same color as the cable, so that fact doesn’t distract that much.
This is also from where you charge the BE6i. The microUSB charging port is under a flap on the side of the remote. A small LED light indicates when it’s charging and when it’s fully charged.
Function
Optoma was quite considerate with the BE6i’s packaging. You’ll see a robust zipper case when you open the box. Within it are a total of six silicone ear tip pairs (three shorter and three longer), two pairs of Comply tips, silicone ear fins (help secure the fit in your ear), a cable clip (to tidy the cable slack), and a microUSB-to-USB charging cable.
It’s easy to get started. Simply hold down the middle button on the remote for a couple seconds and the BE6i powers up in discover mode. Simply find it in your mobile device’s Bluetooth settings and voila.
The fit is decent. Some folks may be concerned about the metal’s weight, but only the earpieces are metal (and light metal, at that). The rest of the unit is very lightweight. Bear in mind that the earpieces are a tad on the large side, but not unlike its competition.
Granted, they stay in the ear well. However, I’m not a big fan of the silicone tips. I tried multiple ones and can’t get a tight seal. So I’m glad that Optoma includes foam tips.
It’s important to know that although the BE6i have a premium aesthetic, that doesn’t mean they compromise on durability. Just like the other guys, they have sweat and water resistance (IPX5 rating). The Bluetooth range is also not hindered by the metal design. It is rated at a whopping 100 feet. Battery is decent too, at up to 8 hours.
Sound
Of course, nothing I’ve discussed so far matters unless the earphones sound good. Does Optoma manage to carry over its expertise into the Bluetooth arena? I think so. The quality definitely justifies the price tag, which says a lot, because the BE6i incorporates a lot of other technology.
The sound’s biggest strengths are the bass and treble. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean that the sound signature is V-shaped (forward bass/treble but recessed mid-range). The mids do have a good presence, albeit, the quality doesn’t quite match to the rest of the spectrum. They’re a little hollow, or flat, to my ears.
I would give the cake to highs. They’re satisfyingly detailed; instruments like cymbals and percussions have a fullness/richness (but not piercing or exaggerated). Bass is decent as a whole. The delivery is solid, with a nice kick from the mid-bass, but the depth and energy from the lower-end could be better.
The width of the soundstage is above average, but nothing to write home about. I would’ve liked it to be more 3D than 2D (there’s more width than height or depth). All in all, decent sound quality, but nothing that will blow you away.
Final Thoughts
I think that Optoma did a good job, but unsure if it’s enough to stand out in what’s now becoming a crowded market. I would definitely recommend the BE6i, though. It’s solidly built, functions well, sounds good, and is competitively priced, at $129. My only gripe is the silicone tips; they don’t have the best fit in my ears.
NuForce BE6i product page
2017 Chevrolet Volt review – Roadshow
The Good Genuinely usable range on a single charge, plus stress-free hybrid motoring and the EV torque we love.
The Bad Muted handling and styling that still won’t win anyone over.
The Bottom Line Not a quantum leap, but a big step forward. The new Volt really impresses.
The first-generation Volt was a bit of a hard car to love, one of those cases where a product shoots down the middle and fails to impress on either ends of the spectrum. It had styling that looked like a very conservative attempt at being different, performance quite good in some regards and quite middling in others, and a powertrain that behaved unlike a hybrid but certainly wasn’t an EV — despite numerous marketing attempts to the contrary.
It was, in short, a bit of a tough sell for many, but those who bought into the cult of Volt tended to be pretty happy campers. For the rest of us needing more convincing, here’s the new 2017 model. It’s better-looking, better-performing, goes further on a charge and has a whole raft of new abilities that will keep you safer and more entertained when on the road.
What’s new?
For 2017, the Volt gets a 20-percent boost in battery capacity, up to 18.4 kWh. Despite that, the battery pack is actually 20 pounds lighter than before! (Viva technology.) These improvements plus plenty of other engineering tweaks result in a huge, 40-percent improvement on EV range compared to the outgoing Volt, offering up to 53 miles on a charge.
Volt’s new battery pack offers 20 percent more range and weighs 20 pounds less. Viva technology.
But the Volt’s changes aren’t restricted to improvements under the skin. There’s the new look, which brings the car more in line with Chevrolet’s other offerings. In that way it asks for a little less attention than the outgoing Volt, but it also lacks the sort of edgy appeal found in other modern Chevys, like the latest Corvette or even the new Malibu. It is, in other words, a fine but boring-looking car with a very orthodontial grin.
Many more updates are found on the inside, including a raft of new safety and convenience features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep-assist and support for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Those last two earn the car major bonus points in my book, but even if you’re not the sort of person who wants to let their smartphone call the shots, the Volt’s updated infotainment system is a much faster and more compelling option than that found on the original Volt.
On the road
The best thing about driving the last-generation Volt was the throttle response. It zipped away from the line with far more aplomb than you’d expect, and I’m glad to say that genetic trait has been inherited. The new Volt, too, will squirt itself into openings in traffic with just a light twitch of your right foot, which makes this thing far more fun to drive than to look at.
This thing is far more fun to drive than to look at.
The handling, however, is pretty conventional. The Volt pitches and rolls quite a bit and is easily disturbed. The car tips the scales at 3,500 pounds, down about 200 pounds over the outgoing model but hefty for a car of this size. Still, given the bulk of that mass is positioned down low, I’d actually hoped for better handling. Steering, too, is vague. The lack of resistance makes for a relaxing drive, but the lack of feedback makes you wish the car would just drive itself.
Headroom and comfort up front is fine, offering much the same relaxed seating position as found in the old car. Rear seat legroom is ample too, but headroom back there leaves a lot to be desired. I can’t help wishing Chevy would turn the Volt into a proper hatchback, giving a lot more room in the rear for passengers, cargo, plants, dogs and whatever else you feel like hauling emissions-free.
AIVAnet 