Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is now a virtual reality music video
We’ve all heard the dramatic faux-opera that is Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody — but have you ever wondered what a song like that might look like? The folks at Google did. In a new collaboration with Queen and Enosis VR, artists and developers at Google have created The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience — a virtual reality experiment created to take viewers on “a journey through frontman Freddie Mercury’s subconscious mind.” That’s a fancy way of saying they turned the iconic song into a 360-degree virtual reality music video.
The video itself is viewable only through the Bohemian Rhapsody Experience, but it can be seen in a basic 360-degree mode, or in stereoscopic 3D using Google Cardboard. The app takes viewers on a tour of a surreal mindscape of shapes, sound and animation — first leading them through a dreamlike mishmash of images that seems to represent Mercury’s mind, then onto the stage of a Queen Concert, complete with an animated band and then, after a brief stop in the underworld, into outer space for a neon-light finale. It’s gorgeous, and thanks to a spatial audio mix, fairly immersive.
It sounds like a project that came out of left field, but to folks familiar with the band’s lead guitarist, it makes a lot of sense. In addition to being a world-class guitarist and holding a PHD in astronomy, Brian May is also the director of the London Stereoscopic Company, where he maintains resources on streo photographs and helped create the OWL Virtual Reality Kit — a collapsible VR viewer in the vein of Google Cardboard. You can find that over on his company’s website. Just want the Bohemian Rhapsody app? The iOS version isn’t ready quiet yet, but Android users can head on over to Google Play.
Via: Verge
Source: YouTube, The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience
Photos in iOS 10: How to Edit Memories
Within the new Photos app in iOS 10, there’s a tab called “Memories,” which curates various photos and videos you’ve taken in the past into specific memory collections. Without any steps required on your part, Memories gives you an automatic homemade movie from these past family gatherings or vacations, but thanks to a few editing tools, you can also tweak each memory to your liking (note all steps are in portrait mode, although landscape is available).
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Navigate to Photos to find the new “Memories” tab in the center of the app, where you can scroll through your personally curated list of memories and choose whichever one you wish to edit and share. Within each detailed memory view, you’ll find a list of all the photos and videos contained in the memory (tap “Show all” to see more than a summary), the geographic location the pictures were taken, nearby photos, and related memories you might be interested in.
A few examples of Memories in the new Photos app
The last two options at the very bottom let you favorite the memory or delete it permanently. Although the “Select” option on this page might seem like an option to remove photos only from this memory, it should be noted that deleting any content through this method will delete it from your iPhone and iCloud Photo Library, not only the memory. Jump to the instructions for “complex memory editing” below to discover how to delete photos and videos only from the memory, as well as add more.
Simple Memory Editing
There’s a wealth of customization features offered once you actually begin viewing your memories, which are outlined in the following steps:
Tap on the carousel at the top of the memory’s page to play it.
Photos will begin playing the memory, so tap anywhere on the screen to bring up editing controls and tap the pause button.
Choose the emotional theme to assign to your memory, like “Happy” or “Epic,” by scrolling through the topmost editing tool.
After deciding your theme, choose a short (~20 seconds), medium (~40 seconds), or long (~1 minute) video length. You may see only two, or even one, of these options, depending on the breadth of media Apple has included in your memory.
If the memory is now to your liking, you can tap the Share extension in the bottom left corner to show your memory to friends and family via email, text message, AirPlay, Facebook, and more.
Complex Memory Editing
Memories allow for even more in-depth customization tools for anyone who truly wants to personalize each photo and video collection. There are a few interesting tools that let you tweak each memory, but since the potentially most common question surrounding memories will be how to add and remove photos from each collection, we’ll detail that in the steps below:
When looking at the basic editing screen (with the emotion and length toggles), tap the editing slider button in the bottom right corner of the screen, and then tap “Photos & Videos.”
To delete a piece of media, find the photo or video in question by scrolling through the selector at the bottom of the screen.
Simply tap the trash can icon at the bottom right of the menu to remove the image or video from this memory.
To add a piece of media, tap the “+” icon at the bottom left of the menu.
Here you’ll see every item potentially available for inclusion in this memory, as curated by Apple.
Tap any non-selected media to add it into the memory (you can also use this screen to remove content by deselecting its check mark).
Tap “Done.”
You can even edit any video in this section of the app by swiping through to find the desired video in the “Photos & Videos” menu, and then using the yellow toggle slider at the top of the screen to expand or shorten each clip. When you think you’re done touching up the memory, tap the back arrow to return to the main edit screen.
In this section of Photos, you can also edit the title, duration, and even soundtrack of each memory. Additional song cues can be downloaded, and the app supports any song you have downloaded in your iTunes music library in order to add a bit more of a personalized flair. To officially save every alteration made to the memory, tap “Done” to travel back to the basic editing menu with the emotional themes and length toggles. Once again, here you can use the Share extension to spread your new memory to a wider audience.
Some limitations are placed in customizing memories, including the lack of support for streaming tracks from Apple Music. Otherwise, Apple’s automatic algorithm of putting together interesting slideshows of old photos and videos is largely a simple, hassle-free experience, since most of the work is taken off of the user. Although not entirely clear, new memories show up in the Photos app every few days, curating new collections for you to peruse and share, and even ranking events like “Best of Last 3 Months” or “Best of the Year.”
iOS 10 includes a host of new features, and MacRumors will be covering a number of them in guides and how-tos to help users getting their hands on the new operating system version for the first time become familiar with what’s new. Check back for new articles and how-tos, and be sure to visit our forums for discussions on iOS 10, the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and more.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Surveying MacBook Pro Users About Headphone Jack and Other Ports
In recent weeks, Apple has been sending out surveys to users asking about MacBook Pro features, most notably the headphone jack. A survey question shared by MacRumors reader Blake asks “Do you ever use the headphone port on your MacBook Pro with Retina display?”
There are several other reports on Twitter from users who have been asked similar questions about the headphone jack, suggesting Apple is exploring the removal of the headphone jack in a future version of the MacBook Pro. Apple has eliminated the headphone jack from the iPhone, so it makes sense that the trend will continue for other products.
Apple is also asking users about battery life and other ports, including the SD card slot. One question asked “How do you upload photos from a digital camera or phone to your MacBook Pro with Retina Display?”
Based on a leaked MacBook Pro shell, the upcoming MacBook Pro will include four USB-C ports and a headphone jack, with Apple doing away with all other ports on the machine. If the shell is an actual part, the machine will not include an SD card slot, HDMI port, USB-A port, or a MagSafe connection.
The design of the MacBook Pro that’s launching in 2016 has already been finalized ahead of its release, and Apple is likely to continue using the same design for several years going forward, so the removal of the headphone jack is probably not something that MacBook Pro users need to worry about for the foreseeable future.
Rumors suggest Apple will release a redesigned MacBook Pro with a redesigned chassis and an OLED touch panel as early as October.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer’s Guide: Retina MacBook Pro (Don’t Buy)
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This is Sony’s first Ultra HD Blu-ray player with 4K and HDR support
Sony’s really getting into 4K now.
The company is officially supporting 4K in a physical format, with the introduction of the UBP-X1000ES. It’s Sony’s first Blu-ray player capable of Ultra HD Blu-ray playback. It not only brings support for full 4K support but also HDR, though we don’t know if it’s using HDR10 or Dolby Vision.
The X1000ES also supports standard Blu-ray content, CDs, DVDs, and it can upscale 1080p content to 4K 60p resolution.
Sony hasn’t yet announced pricing, but the X1000ES is part of Sony’s ES series, so consider this a high-end option. It’ll likely be expensive. If you want something more affordable that does both 4K and HDR, you should check out the company’s PS4 Pro. Unfortunately, it’s not an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. However, Pocket-lint has a round-up of the best Ultra HD Blu-ray players out there.
- Best Ultra HD Blu-ray players: Spinning 4K discs
Ultra HD Blu-ray is a new thing for 2016. The format has been standardised – discs and players are available. So, it’s full steam ahead as we cast those aging DVD players aside, retire the venerable Blu-ray player, and step into the future.
The X1000ES is expected to ship next spring. Stay tuned to Pocket-lint’s Sony hub for the latest news.
Get 30 Steam games for less than £30 with Steamcrate (70 per cent off)
Looking to breathe some life into your Steam library?
Instead of praying for your favorite games to go on sale, try getting a subscription to Steamcrate. For only £21.83 ($28.99 USD), Steamcrate will deliver 10 random Steam games to your library each month for three months.
WIth each delivery worth between £30 to £527, Steamcrate delivers tremendous savings as well. For a limited time, Pocket-lint readers can save big on Steamcrate subscriptions. Get 3 months for £21.83, 6 for £41.40, or a year for £79.04.
Whether you’re into first-person shooters, indie platformers, or AAA smash hits, Steamcrate pulls from a variety of gaming genres. This monthly service is not only a great way to save on Steam games, but it’s also perfect for dabbling in new genres without having to pay full price.
With titles like Mortal Kombat X, Bioshock Infinite, and Wolfenstein: The New Order found in monthly deliveries, you stand a chance of snagging big name games each month with Steamcrate.
What’s more, each month Steamcrate subscribers are entered into an Uber Crate Giveaway. This special promotion brings over £450 worth of Steam games to one lucky member monthly, giving you even more return on your investment.
A three-month subscription to Steamcrate normally goes for £71.52, but Pocket-lint readers can save 70 per cent off and get the deal for only £21.83. These savings extend to Steamcrate’s 6-month and 12-month plans as well.
Get six months of Steamcrate for £41.40, or a year for £79.04.
Fastrack your coding career with the Complete C Family Programming Bundle (97 per cent off)
Aspiring coders take note!
You can master three of tech world’s most prolific languages with a single course bundle. Whether you’re hoping to design a gaming smash hit or the next wave of Windows software, the C programming family can help you code your next project.
For a limited time, you can take the first step towards your coding career with the Complete C Family Programming Bundle, now on sale for only £29.42 ($39 USD).
The Complete C Family Programming Bundle comes with six courses total, but here are a few highlights:
- C Programming Course: Learn about C’s unique advantages and leverage them to design efficient, highly-portable programs
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- C#: C Sharp Comprehensive Course: Use C# to build apps on the .NET framework and discover how to boost a program’s efficiency and security
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Packed with more than 40 hours of comprehensive training, the Complete C Family Programming Bundle is the perfect way to get your feet wet with C. While you’ll learn plenty from the course’s tutorials, your programming expertise will truly skyrocket as you get hands-on training designing your own programs with multiple C languages.
The Complete C Family Programming Bundle retails for £1,358, but Pocket-lint readers can take over 90 per cent off, making the final price just £29.42.
Anti-pipeline activists claim Facebook censored their live video
Facebook has long had a tough time walking a fine line when it comes to political material, and the pressure isn’t about to let up any time soon. Unicorn Riot maintains that Facebook censored their live stream of a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, deleting the Livestream.com link shortly before two of its reporters were caught up in a mass arrest. Comments and posts popped up security alerts when they contained the link, and Facebook’s debugger insisted that the web address ran afoul of “community standards.”
As you might guess, Facebook disagrees with the notion that there were any sinister motivations. It tells Motherboard that its automated spam filter pulled the link “in error.” The social network restored the link once it had a chance to investigate, and has since apologized. “We sometimes get things wrong,” it says, noting that there are “million of [spam] reports” every week. We’ve reached out to Facebook ourselves for comment and will let you know if it has more to add.
While the evidence appears to support Facebook’s claims, the incident still underscores problems the site has whenever it pulls politically sensitive material. Whether it’s a ban (such as the Terror of War photo) or an error (like with the shooting of Philando Castile), any removal is virtually guaranteed to fan accusations of censorship. Facebook has over 1.7 billion users — it’s by far the most popular place to share content online, and even a relatively rare glitch is bound to be noticed by many people. So long as Facebook’s automated systems (and increasingly rarely, human overseers) are less than bulletproof, these sorts of incidents are more a matter of “when” than “if.”
Via: Motherboard
Source: Unicorn Riot, Anti-Media
Watch what it takes to build a 350HP combat robot right here
Our dreams of watching giant robots battle it out in front of us have almost come true. The folks behind the MegaBots Kickstarter have released the first trailer for their upcoming web series that follows the trials and tribulations of building a 10-ton, 350HP combat robot. The team hired an Emmy-nominated video team to capture all the gory details, and it sounds like the main event — a hand-to-hand battle against Japan’s Kuratas robot — will be the season finale.
The first episode of real-life Titanfall will drop September 28th on the MegaBots YouTube channel and Facebook page. After that, release cadence will be every two weeks. But because the team is still filming, it warns that exact timing could be a little hit or miss for each subsequent episode. Check out the video below for your first taste of the chaos.
Source: Kickstarter
FIIL Diva Pro Review: The Bluetooth headphones from the future
Thanks to Apple’s war on the headphone jack, wireless headsets are about to blow up in a big way – and the FIIL Diva Pro has the specs to stand out from the crowd. With touch-sensitive controls, active noise cancellation, 4GB of onboard storage and a stylish illuminated logo, the Diva Pro blends beauty with brains. (It’s even smart enough to pause your music when you take it off your ears, and resume when you replace it.)
But at almost $300 before discounts, the Diva Pro is entering a space heretofore reserved for more established players like Bose. Does this futuristic headset live up to the challenge? Find out in MrMobile’s FIIL Diva Pro review!
PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO
- FIIL Diva Pro at Kickstarter
- Bose QuietComfort 35
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Evening brief: More Note 7 bans, Android Wear’s holding pattern and Spotify keeps growing
Here’s all of the important news you may have missed in the Android world today.
The Note 7 recall story just keeps rolling along, with the MTA (New York) and NJT (New Jersey) transit organizations telling riders not to use their Note 7s on trains, no matter how unenforceable that may be. In other news about products that people don’t use, Android Wear watches from Google’s biggest partners won’t be coming until 2017, according to a new report.
On the upside, Spotify now has 40 million subscribers and is easily the biggest music streaming service in the world. Qualcomm has announced some new camera tech that promises better photos (as soon as manufacturers use it), and Google is ponying up the big bucks for hackers who can find exploits in the Nexus 6P and 5X. Here’s all of the biggest news for you to get caught up on.
MTA and NJT tell travelers not to use Note 7s in transit or at stations
New York’s MTA and New Jersey Transit are the latest bodies to tell Galaxy Note 7 owners not to use their devices while they travel over battery explosion fears. The former says there’ve been no incidents of Notes blowing up on MTA property. However, developments like this cast doubt on whether the Note 7’s reputation will ever recover, or whether travel restrictions will be raised even after “safe” units are in customers’ hands.
No new Android Wear watches from LG, Huawei or Moto this year
A report from CNET reveals that both Moto and Huawei are holding out for the arrival of new tech, while LG’s waiting to see what sticks with consumers. For its part, Google is expected to launch its own-branded smartwatches along with its new Pixel phones later in the year. More
Honor 8 in blue in short supply in the UK
Current supplies of the blue model are set to run out soon, we’re told, following news that the phone has sold more than 1.5 million units in its first two months of availability. More
Spotify hits 40 million subscribers, and is rising fast
Spotify’s CEO announced today that his company now has 40 million paid subscribers, up from 30 million six months ago. Spotify has the most popular streaming music service in the world, outpacing competitors like Apple Music (which announced 17 million users last week), TIDAL, Deezer, and others.
Google ponying up big money to good hackers
Google is offering prizes to hackers who can find exploits in the Nexus 6P and 5X as part of a new Project Zero bounty meant to encourage crafty coders to do the right thing. There are three prizes: $200k, $100k, and $50k. Don’t spend it all at once!
Qualcomm has new dual-camera tech for manufacturers to use
Much like Huawei has done with the P9 and Honor 8, Qualcomm has announced new “Clear Sight” dual camera technology that lets a color and monochrome camera work together to produce even better photos. It’s available to any manufacturer shipping Snapdragon 820 or 821 phones. More
Android OEMs are dying, again
Another day, another editorial on the woeful state of Android manufacturers. Seems like we hear the death knell of companies like HTC and Sony Mobile every year around this time. Remind us to check on the status of this claim next year with our HTC 11.
AIVAnet 