Samsung launches ‘Pink Gold’ Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, exclusive to Best Buy in the U.S.
You’re sure to stand out if you go with this color.
Looking for a little bump in sales as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have been out for several months now, Samsung has partnered up with Best Buy in the U.S. to launch an exclusive new “Pink Gold” color option of the phones. The new color will be available for Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T.
The color looks extremely flashy and adorns both the front and back of the phones, which may not be particularly sleek alongside the black-edged displays but then again Samsung obviously wasn’t thinking about “subtle” when it made this one. It’s also a solid departure from the more subtle looks of the black, silver and even gold colors that were available at launch for the phones.
Another bold color choice from Samsung, several months later for some reason
It’s also rather annoying to those who bought their phone in the past couple of months and may have liked a flashier color choice. Though I completely understand the need to get a little spike in sales, launching an altogether new color within a year of the original launch can sometimes rub people the wrong way. Keeping it exclusive to Best Buy goes a step further in accomplishing that annoyance for customers.
But that group of would-be potential customers will surely be overshadowed by the number of people who will walk into a Best Buy and just pick up a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, not understanding all of the color options prior to their interest in the phones. It’s a brand new color that will definitely stand out, both in stores and out in the wild after you take it home.
If you’re going to pick up a Pink Gold Galaxy S7 from Best Buy, you’ll also get the added benefit of a $150 Best Buy gift card when you activate it in the store, which is a generous gift — plenty big enough to pick up a couple cases and a wireless charger, if you wish.
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ICYMI: This power tool might save you from yourself
Today on In Case You Missed It: Shaper’s Origin is designed to use augmented reality and an on-screen display to guide you through cutting wood pieces. And Australian National University researchers developed the most efficient solar receiver in the world.
The chopstick piano video is here and the airship crashing in what looks like slo-mo; here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Google adds even more 3D Touch support to its iOS app
The Google app on iOS has supported 3D Touch for awhile, but that’s going, ahem, deeper. Now you can deep press on the big G at the bottom of the screen to start a new search query from anywhere within the app. Doing the same on Search and Maps results will offer previews of web pages and maps, respectively, while an even firmer press will open the links or Map. If you don’t have an iOS device that supports the feature, long pressing will net you the same results. Beyond that, version 18’s patch notes are barren aside from word that there are more Doodles and games coming in the future.
Source: iTunes
Creating and sharing GIFs with Giphy Capture is dead simple
While we might not be able to agree on the correct pronunciation of “GIF” (hint: it’s the one that doesn’t sound like the peanut butter brand chosen by choosy moms), we can find some common ground on the animated image format’s utility. Giphy, the internet’s preeminent GIF repository, has dabbled with custom-GIF tools before, but its GIF Maker is a web app and is pretty basic in terms of functionality. With the latest version of Giphy Capture, the outfit is looking to streamline the creation process from any video source and add a few bits that it didn’t have prior.
Unlike GIF Brewery, GIF Capture is free. But, that price tag comes at the cost of space-saving tools like cropping, compression and custom frame-rate settings. We tested a beta of GIPHY Capture 2.0, so things might differ after wide release, but the latest revision changes the spartan app a bit and adds options for calculating output-file size, a trio of presets for framerate (high is 23 FPS, standard is 15 FPS and low is 10FPS) and social sharing buttons. It’s not as full-featured as GIF Brewery, sure, but it’s also $5 cheaper.
Using the app is fairly straightforward, too. Just drag the capture selection over the video you want to GIF, hit the record button and really, that’s about it. From there you can tag, upload to Giphy or share on your social network of choice — all without leaving the program window. you can save your creation as an MP4 file, too.
It’s a lot easier to use than my typical method of capturing a screen video with Quicktime, saving, remembering where in the hell I saved the file, opening with GIF Brewery, tweaking compression algorithm and color depth settings and then exporting. And while the toolset provided might be a little on the slim side, the app was easier for me to get the results I wanted compared to Gfycat and even Giphy’s own web tool. The only real downside is that like its predecessor, the application is available exclusively for OSX at the moment.
Source: Giphy
President Obama delivers an ode to America’s national parks in VR
The first virtual reality film to feature President Obama is, not surprisingly, a love letter to some of America’s greatest treasures: its National Parks. Together with Oculus, National Geographic and the VR studio Felix & Paul, the President filmed Through the Ages, a VR experience meant to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service.
The film shows off some grand sights from Yosemite, including the El Capitan mountain range and Mariposa Grove’s sequoia trees. And we also get a chance to see President Obama exploring the sights with his family. Most importantly, it issues a strong environmental message focused on preserving the parks for future generations.
Through the Ages is available today free on the Oculus Store for Gear VR and Oculus Rift owners, as well as a 360-degree video on Facebook. As you’d expect, the film takes full advantage of VR’s immersiveness — or at least, as much as it can being a mere video recording, rather than a fully rendered environment. It was shot stereoscopically, so there’s a greater sense of depth to the images compared to most other 360-degree videos, making you feel as if you’re actually standing atop mountains or right below the tallest trees in the world. It’s also one of the sharpest virtual videos I’ve ever seen, with none of the mudiness we saw in the Olympics’ VR videos.
Felix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael, the founders of the VR studio producing the film, wouldn’t give up any specifics on how they shot the film, but they revealed their rig is a “custom designed body with multiple sensors” and a variety of lenses. At this point, their equipment can deliver the equivalent of “3.5K” video resolution to each eye, but of course the actual video quality is limited to the VR equipment you’re using (most recent Samsung phones use displays with 2,560 by 1,440 resolutions, while the Oculus Rift delivers 2,160 by 1,200 across both of its lenses). Still, Felix & Paul will be able to offer higher quality versions of the film as newer VR tech hits the market.
Ultimately, the film gives people who might not get a chance to visit Yosemite a way to experience brief moments of its grandeur. President Obama mentions at one point that visiting the park as a child was a life-changing experience, and his hope to preserve it feels genuine. Sure, a VR film won’t replace actually trekking to Yosemite in person, but it’s the best option you’ll have until making that trip.
‘Evolve’ continues its rebirth with new co-op mode
The asymmetric shooter Evolve is experiencing a renaissance. Reacting to dwindling player number, developer Turtle Rock made Evolve free to play, rebalanced the gameplay and promised more additions down the line. The changes, at least so far, have been a success, and now the developer is introducing a new mode that scraps the core 4-vs-1 dynamic in favor of a more traditional co-op experience. Called “The Deepest Dark,” the mode sits alongside the other play options, rather than replacing them.
The Deepest Dark sees players face off an AI-controlled monster, hunting it down and destroying its eggs before they hatch. The monster, a Gorgon Queen, has different characteristics to the regular game’s human-controlled beasts. Rather than gaining energy from eating NPC fauna, the Gorgon extracts power from player-controlled characters. In addition to dealing with the Queen and her eggs, gamers will also find local wildlife aggressive. Gameplay is punctuated by a gravelly narrator, whose canned phrases will feel familiar to anyone that’s played the brutal Lovecraftian RPG Darkest Dungeon.
The new mode is out now on PC in open beta. As with the free-to-play switch, the developers will wait until they’ve perfected the changes before considering a console rollout. While you wait for that to happen, you can watch The Deepest Dark’s very ’80s trailer:
Via: Destructoid
Source: Turtle Rock
Google’s high-speed Fiber internet goes live in Salt Lake City
If Google’s experimental Fiber plans pan out, 24 locations across the US will be able to try it out. You know which place doesn’t have to wait for that to happen, though? Salt Lake City, Utah. The service officially went live in the state capital at 9AM on August 24th. Fiber’s initial rollout covers roughly 112 blocks from 100 South to 800 South between 400 West and 1300 East, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Google even launched a portal where you can check if your address is within that area. Even if it’s not, you might not have to wait that long anyway — the company said the rest of the city will get access to Fiber within the coming months.
To refresh your memory, Google’s Gigabit internet will set you back $70 a month — $50 if you only want a 100Mbps connection for some reason. A Gigabit connection bundled with a TV service will cost you double at $140 a month. No matter which option you choose, though, you won’t ever have to deal with data caps, and you can add a home phone for an additional $10 a month.
Source: Google Fiber, The Salt Lake Tribune
‘Titanfall 2’ multiplayer will be tweaked after fan feedback
Last weekend Titanfall 2 opened its doors for the first of two multiplayer test weekends, allowing fans to play an alpha version of the game for free on Xbox One and PS4. While it achieved a goal of testing out some of Respawn Entertainment’s revamped cloud-based server technology (and will be followed by the second test this weekend running Friday through Sunday), players also had a lot of feedback about how the game plays.
In the original game, the eponymous mech drops were an ability that charged both passively and based on kills, a shift from the usual Call of Duty-style killstreak rewards that only reward actions. In the test last weekend, the passive charging was gone, but Respawn says it’s coming back. It’s unclear if the passive charging of a pilot’s Titan Meter will be implemented for the upcoming test, but in a blog post multiplayer game designer Steven DeRose explains “We still want objectives to be the fastest way to get a Titan, but the goal of every player being guaranteed a Titan per match hasn’t changed.” Other changes that should feel familiar to Titanfall vets include making air and wall-running speed faster and letting players retain more speed while wall-running.
Those are the kinds of abilities that separated the first game from its shooter competition when it launched, and it’s important to nail them again this time around — especially since Call of Duty has included them in games released post-Titanfall. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any word on more integration with AI bots in most game modes, which is different from the original.
Still, some players are concerned, particularly given an interview with ShackNews where game director Steve Fukuda remarked on an intentional decision to slow things down “just a touch” from the original game, and maps designed around “more fundamental” lanes of movement. DeRose’s blog post says the team will showcase other map types soon, including some traditional maps. The HUD and Titans themselves will also undergo significant tweaks before the game is released October 28th on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Source: Titanfall 2 MP Tech Test and Your Feedback, MP Tech Test Successes
WhatsApp to Share User Data With Facebook to Show Targeted Ads
WhatsApp has updated its terms of service and privacy policy to reflect that it will begin sharing select data with Facebook, including the phone number a user verifies during the registration process and the last time a user accessed the service. Facebook, which acquired WhatsApp in 2014, will use the information to provide better friend suggestions and targeted ads and offers to users of its own service.
By coordinating more with Facebook, we’ll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp. And by connecting your phone number with Facebook’s systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them. For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you’ve never heard of.
WhatsApp ensures that nothing users share on the service, including messages, photos, and account information, will be publicly shared onto Facebook for others to see. The updated terms and privacy policy also state that the new data sharing measures will help WhatsApp more accurately count unique users, fight spam and abuse, and improve the overall experience of its messaging service.
Existing WhatsApp users can choose not to share their account information with Facebook. On the iPhone app, before you tap “Agree” to accept the updated terms, tap on “Read,” scroll to the bottom, and toggle the control. Users that agree to the updated terms also have an additional 30 days to opt out by going to Settings > Account > Share My Account Info and toggling the appropriate control in the app.
WhatsApp remains committed to providing private communications. All messages sent through the service are not stored on its servers, and end-to-end encryption has been in place since April on the latest version of the app. The updated terms and privacy policy do not affect these security measures.
In a new FAQ about its updated terms and privacy policy, WhatsApp says it will still not allow third-party banner ads on the service.
WhatsApp is free on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone.
Tags: Facebook, WhatsApp
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Telstra Joins T-Mobile in Offering Data-Free Apple Music
Australia’s largest carrier Telstra has announced that all of its Go Mobile plans now include data-free Apple Music streaming as of this week, enabling customers to listen to songs and albums without tapping into their monthly data allowance. Telstra’s FairPlay policy regarding unreasonable usage applies. In tandem, it continues to offer free six-month Apple Music subscriptions to new customers.
Telstra also now includes a three-month subscription to popular streaming services Netflix, Stan, and Presto on select mobile plans. Additionally, all plans include a free 200GB OneDrive cloud storage subscription, free and unlimited Telstra Air hotspot data, and a NRL and AFL 2016 Footy Season Pass.
Many carriers offer free subscriptions to services like Apple Music or Spotify to attract new customers. Telstra became the first carrier to gift Apple Music with a mobile plan when it offered a 12-month subscription for free last August. German carrier Deutsche Telekom is similarly planning to offer new customers six months of Apple Music service for free starting in September, according to a recent report.
When the six-month Apple Music subscription ends, Telstra will automatically charge customers $11.99 per month until the plan is canceled, but data-free streaming will continue. The carrier has posted an Apple Music FAQ with more information about the offer, including how to sign up.
Tags: Australia, Apple Music, Telstra
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