The smarthome journey so far
The term smarthome has become increasingly common, no longer a phrase we associate with the future, instead become something of the now.
The evolution of the smarthome hasn’t happened overnight however. It has been a long road to bring us to the present day and there have been many key milestones along the smart home road, such as the very thing that connects it all together becoming more affordable.
You might think that smarthomes started with a connected thermostat or lightbulb, but there was a lot more happening before we arrived at that point.
Without home appliances emerging in the first place, we couldn’t even begin to consider the possibility of receiving notifications from them, Or even sending them messages.
The smarthome journey has followed a long and winding road and will continue to do so as new technologies and devices continue to launch.
We’ve pulled out some key markers in the smarthome’s journey so far. Click here to head to the gallery to see where it all begun and run through some of the biggest influences to where the smarthome is now.
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Hot Jupiter planets can speed up their stars’ rotation
Hot Jupiter exoplanets are the farthest thing from habitable, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring. Scientists from Princeton University and elsewhere have discovered one that is so large and close to a star that it actually changes its rotational speed. Called HATS-18 after the main telescope (HATSouth) used to discover it, the planetary system is about 2,100 light-years away. However, it’s ridiculously near its star (closer than Mercury is to our sun) and huge, at 1.34 times the size of Jupiter, so it completes an orbit in less than an Earth day.
After taking about 10,000 images of the star with HATSouth and other telescopes, the researchers inferred the planet’s transit around it. They concluded that it actually causes disruptive tides on the star that change its orbital speed. “The high planet mass, combined with its short orbital period, implies strong tidal coupling between the planetary orbit and the star. In fact, given its inferred age, HATS-18 shows evidence of significant tidal spin up,” wrote the researchers.
The team believes that the system could become a laboratory of sorts to help scientists learn about planetary formation. They next want to compare the results with the few other hot Jupiter-style planets out there to more accurately predict how planetary tides affect stars and vice-versa. For instance, their calculations suggest that the planet will take a full extra minute to orbit the star in just 28 years. “HATS-18 is an extreme short-period planet which is among the best targets for testing theories of planet-star interactions,” they say.
Via: Popular Mechanics
Source: Cornel University (PDF)
The BBC takes its first steps into ‘true VR’
The BBC is in something of an enviable position. As part of its duty to “inform, educate and entertain,” the broadcaster is effectively mandated to innovate — to explore new technologies that can better serve the public. This is the job of BBC R&D, which is looking to virtual reality as a new way to tell stories, without the same commercial pressures other broadcasters face. There’s a certain freedom in this, and it’s allowing the BBC to go beyond 360-degree video and dip its toe into more immersive “true VR” experiences, with the first of these being published today.
Easily accessible, 360-degree video has already found favour at the BBC. You don’t even need a cheap headset like Google Cardboard to take a tour of the Large Hadron Collider, walk alongside a titanosaur with David Attenborough, learn about Rome’s Pantheon or get the best seats in the house at a Strictly Come Dancing show. This type of content is (relatively) quick and inexpensive to produce, making it attractive in the nearer-term.
The BBC’s latest 360-degree video, launched today on BBC Taster, Facebook and YouTube, puts you in the front row of the recent dress rehearsal of “Trooping the Colour,” the annual pageant that this year will mark the Queen’s 90th birthday. The beauty of 360-degree video is you can consume it on pretty much any device in one form of another. Aided by third-party expertise, though, the BBC has also begun testing more powerful hardware and creating “true VR” experiences in fully computer-generated worlds to tell stories in new and different ways.
A couple of these early experiments are available to download from today on the BBC Taster site, including “Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel,” created for the Oculus Rift. This almost dreamlike production puts you in the shoes of Willie McNieve, who participated in the Irish rebellion against British rule in Dublin, 1916. It succeeds in making this historical event an extremely personal one, using an audio account McNieve himself recorded to guide the story.
Also designed for Oculus Rift and published on BBC Taster today is the slightly more arresting “We Wait.” In it, you become one of a group of fictional migrants waiting in the night to cross from Turkey to Greece in an ill-suited smugglers’ boat. Despite the angular looks of the computer-generated avatars, elements like the blinding flashlight beams, the rumble of the boat’s small motor, and the shudder in your companions’ voices leave you with a palpable sense of unease.
On a lighter note, “The Turning Forest” is a modern VR fairytale that uses 3D audio to compelling effect. A rustle of leaves in the enchanted wood may be telling you where to look, or perhaps it’s just a distraction. Several light, interactive elements anchor you in this psychedelic fantasy, while a giant friend takes you on a journey of pure escapism. “The Turning Forest” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, and will be available for the Oculus Rift via BBC Taster in the coming months.
Probably the BBC’s most ambitious project, “Home – A VR Spacewalk” uses the HTC Vive and motion controllers to put you to work on the International Space Station. My demo also entailed wearing a heart-rate monitor that fed real-time data and sound back into my spacesuit, and sitting in a haptic feedback chair for even greater immersion. The premise of the player-driven experience is simple: get out there and repair some minor external damage. It ends up being far from simple. Debuting at the Sheffield Doc/Fest today alongside several other VR experiences, it’ll be available on BBC Taster later this year.
These first steps into “true VR” aren’t just an opportunity for the BBC to explore different headset hardware, virtual reality formats and techniques, but a range of content too: from educational to emotive, entertaining to unnerving. The BBC is well aware that only the earliest of adopters have Rifts and Vives at home, but there was also a time when TV was a brand new medium, and sets scarce.
By conducting these trials, the BBC wants to put itself in a position to work with VR if and when powerful headsets become more common. “The BBC’s storytelling tradition is all around experiences,” BBC R&D Controller Andy Conroy told me. “I suspect somewhere in here is one of the genres where that notion of ‘experiencing VR’ is the perfect way of telling that story. And that’s what it’ll add to us.”
Source: BBC (1), (2), BBC Taster
Tesla’s most affordable Model S returns with bigger battery
Tesla’s more affordable Model S 60 is back, and it comes with a more attractive base price of $66,000 (£53,000). That’s around $4,000 less for the 60kWh sedan that the automaker originally sold from 2012 to 2015 before it was replaced by the 70D. To sweeten the deal, Tesla added a 75kWh battery pack to the car and the extra power and range can be unlocked via a software update if the owner needs to do so. Of course, there’s an added cost involved for the update, but exact pricing for that hasn’t been revealed.
So, why is Tesla bringing back the lower-cost option? It’s simple: consumer demand. “We’ve heard from a number of people who would like to buy a Model S, but can more easily afford it only at a lower price point,” Tesla spokesperson Alexis Georgeson told CNBC. The 60 and 60D won’t be the the most affordable option in the company’s garage for long though, as its $35,000 Model 3 is set to debut next year. For now, the Model S 60’s 210 miles of range (pre-upgrade), 130 MPH top speed and 0-60 MPH in 5.5 seconds is the most budget-friendly Tesla.
Model S 60 & 60D now available starting at $66K https://t.co/6SRhJSbtBK pic.twitter.com/LVPxEu3fvn
— Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) June 9, 2016
Via: CNBC
Source: Tesla Motors (Twitter)
HTC launches the Vive Business Edition for $1,200
HTC has just made a surprising reveal of a new version of a business version of its Vive VR headset. It’s called the Vive Business Edition (BE), and you basically get the same headset and accessories (two Vive controllers, two base stations and four face cushions) as consumers. However, business buyers also get a dedicated customer support line and the option to buy more than one headset (right now, consumers sales are limited to a single device). For all that, you’ll pay $1,200 in the US, or £849 in the UK and €1,080 in Europe — a significant premium to the $799 consumer price.
After strong initial sales, you can now get a regular Vive pretty soon after you order it — a sign that consumer demand may have waned. While $799 is a big ask for you or me, $1,200 isn’t a big deal for many companies, so HTC obviously wants to tap that market. “Virtual reality has already proven its appeal among consumers and is now revealing its potential for enterprise, says VP Daniel O’Brien. “We are answering the overwhelming demand from global industries for a complete VR experience.”
HTC recently launched the Vive X fund to help companies build VR apps for the device. Virtual reality also has huge potential in the business world for architecture, visualization and design, among other applications. As an example, it cited partner Dassault, which has developed software to help companies design and collaborate in a VR environment.
As such, HTC is offering a commercial license and limited 12-month guarantee as part of the Vive BE package (the consumer guarantee is limited to non-commercial applications). The Vive BE is launching this month in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and France, and will arrive elsewhere “in the coming weeks.”
YouTube makes it cheaper to store videos offline in India
Eighteen months ago Google launched an offline mode for YouTube users in India. Now, the company is finessing the feature with a “Smart Offline” option that schedules videos to be downloaded overnight. That’s useful in India because many carriers offer cheaper data rates during the early hours. So when a user finds a clip they like, they can add it to their queue and go to bed knowing it’ll be ready the following day. It sounds pretty handy, especially for people who live or travel to places with poor connectivity. The new option is rolling out to Airtel and Telenor customers today — Google says it hopes to bring it to everyone in India “eventually.”
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Google India Blog
Play Xbox online for free this weekend
Microsoft has offered its Free Multiplayer Weekends before, but at the end of this week, the promotion will be available to both Xbox One and Xbox 360 together for the first time. In fact, it’s the first time the free trial has been available on Microsoft’s current-gen console. This means that from Thursday to Sunday (June 9-12), you’ll be able to play with your pals online free of charge if you don’t have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. During that same period, Rocket League for Xbox One will also be free to play, so we hope you didn’t already have plans.
Starting Sunday, all Xbox Live Gold members will be able to play games from the EA Access library for free until June 22nd. That’s usually a $5 monthly or $30 annual fee for titles like Battlefield, Titanfall, Madden NFL 16, FIFA 16, Dead Space and more. If you decide to splurge for a subscription after the trial period is up, you’ll be able to pick up any saved progress from where you left off.
Source: Major Nelson (1), (2)
Engadget giveaway: Win an UMI Super smartphone!
Apparently we’ve been missing out on a world of mobile devices, but in the last few years we’ve seen an influx of previously unfamiliar names hitting US shores and beyond. Among these is UMI, a smartphone brand that’s just released the Super, its “4GB flagship killer.” This handset packs a ton of quality ingredients including a Sharp 5.5-inch display, a quick-charging 4,000mAh battery from Sony and a 13-megapixel camera courtesy of Panasonic. The Super runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow inside its aluminum unibody exterior and includes a fingerprint reader along the back and a USB-C cable for charging and data transfer. All this will be available for $250 in the near future, but if you get in on a pre-order, that price drops to just $180. There’s also a variety of discounts and info available on the company’s blog. This week, however, one lucky reader will get an UMI Super smartphone and case for free. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- 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) UMI Super smartphone (Grey, GSM/WCDMA/LTE) and case.
- 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.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until June 10th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
The free ‘Street Fighter V’ story mode treads on familiar ground
Just as Capcom promised, the first-ever story mode for the Street Fighter series will arrive later this month. “A Shadow Falls,” a five-chapter, story-based addition to Street Fighter V, will be available at the end of June as a free download. Based on the time I spent playing the first chapter, hard-core Street Fighter V fans should be happy to get the story mode they’ve been asking for — but from a gameplay perspective, Capcom played it safe.
As with other story modes in games like the recent Mortal Kombat, “A Shadow Falls” basically consists of standard, one-round Street Fighter V matches bookended by lengthy cinematic scenes to tell the story and explain why those fights are happening in the first place. So if you’re familiar with SFV gameplay, you’ll feel right at home. I was a little disappointed not to see more innovation or new gameplay styles here, but on the other hand, that’s probably not what fans of the series are looking for. It’s more about letting you play some matches with your favorite characters while getting more backstory than any other SF game has offered thus far.
Again, though, how much you get out of that story will depend on how well you know the Street Fighter universe. As someone who only knows the basics (M. Bison is bad, obviously), I felt a bit lost in the game’s mythology as the story started. That said, a lot of the mystery comes from the way the presentation unfolds. By the end of the first chapter, I had a decent sense of what was going on, though the motivations for many of the characters still weren’t clear. That’ll likely become more obvious as the game goes on, but those with less SF experience should expect to be in the dark at first.
The gameplay, however, will be familiar to anyone who has played a recent Street Fighter game. The match-ups are identical to other battles in the game, except for the fact that they only last one round (rather than best of two out of three). What does make the fighting interesting is that from fight to fight, you don’t know the identify of the character you’ll be controlling. A few times, I found myself in control of one of the “good” guys for several battles only to have the viewpoint switch up as I needed to dispatch the character I was previously in control of. Although that formula is standard in story mode for fighting games, it was still fun to see how your next match would get set up.
This update will also contain a few other bits of new content beyond story mode. Most notable is a new character named Ibuki. She’s showed up in other Street Fighter games, but her style and moves have been revamped for SFV. Probably the most notable thing about her gameplay style is that she has to “reload” her projectile weapons. She holds five knives at a time and can fire them all off at once or in various combos — but once she’s out, you’ll need to find a quick break in the action to initiate a reload.
You’ll also be able to purchase in-game items using cold, hard cash rather than earning in-game “fight money” as you play. Capcom also says there will be a handful of new stages and costumes and teased a few surprises that I didn’t get to see just yet. The exact launch date hasn’t been finalized, but Capcom promises the mode will be available by the end of June.
‘Minecraft: Education Edition’ launches in early access
A new version of Minecraft developed for the classroom is now available in early access. Minecraft: Education Edition was announced back in January alongside Microsoft’s acquisition of MinecraftEdu, a team that had already been tweaking the game for teachers. The replacement is available for free this summer before a per-student pricing model is introduced for the academic year. As a small thank you, Microsoft has promised existing MinecraftEdu customers a year of free access to Education Edition — presumably that will kick in once the early access trial wraps up.
Education Edition has a few advantages over the vanilla version of Minecraft. Right off the bat, up to 30 students can learn and collaborate in the same world, negating the need to set up a private server through a service like Minecraft Realms. Teachers can create non-player characters (NPCs) to create a more guided experience, and equip them with web links so that students can access additional resources. There’s also a chalkboard item for providing instructions and a camera that students can use to take snapshots of their work, building an in-game portfolio along the way.
Microsoft says it’s still working on a bunch of other features that the community has requested. These include a new interface which gives teachers a map (with markers for every student), the ability to teleport users (should they start to mess around or wander off accidentally) and a chat window for managing both private and classroom-wide conversations. Minecraft has already proven itself to be an effective education tool, teaching art, geology and coding — with an official version for school, its potential and successes are almost certain to grow.
Source: Minecraft: Education Edition
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