Apple’s First iOS Developer Academy Opens October 6 at University of Naples

Apple’s first iOS Developer Academy is set to open this week at the University of Naples Federico II’s new San Giovanni a Teduccio campus, located in a coastal suburb east of Naples, Italy.

The campus will see Apple teaching 200 Italian students how to write code to create apps that will run on Apple’s iOS devices during the nine month course. Students will be provided with a current-generation MacBook, iPhone, and iPad, along with tuition, all for free.

More than 4,000 students applied for 200 spots during an open enrollment program. Next year, more spots will be available, as the university plans to accept 400 students.

Leopoldo Angrisani, a professor who has helped get the program up and running, spoke with The Guardian and shared some details on the campus ahead of its opening on October 6. Apple had a hand in the design of the academy, which is housed in one of three modern-looking buildings with glass facades.

The layout of the large, open-plan classroom was designed by Apple. “The didactic model is very new [for us],” Angrisani said. Small groups of students will sit at round tables equipped with special acoustic systems so the teacher can communicate with each table individually about their work. All courses will be taught in English, since it is meant to be open to students from around the world.

“Competition will be a fundamental part of the class,” Angrisani said.

Couches and a lounge area are included in the classroom, giving students a chance to rest, and Apple expects collaboration between students will be a key part of the classroom experience. “Apple thinks that all of these activities, learning and rest and so on, have to stay very close to each other, because this is the best way to ensure that the concepts are absorbed and understood very well,” Angrisani told The Guardian.

During its visit to the campus, The Guardian was shown the classroom where classes will be held, but was not allowed to sit in on a meeting where an Apple official was instructing academy teachers. University officials also said Apple had been “very, very” involved in the work at the academy, down to details like the lighting in the classroom and the color on the walls.

In the past, Apple has said the iOS Developer Academy will be expanded to other countries around the world in the future.

Tags: Italy, iOS Developer Academy
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Eyes in Google’s Daydream View

Stepping into Google’s super powered Google Cardboard.

There are two types of people when it comes to smartphone-based VR — those who are eagerly awaiting what comes next and those who have never tried any of it. Google Cardboard is a great way to see something quick in a 360-degree peek, but it’s not good for long-term use. Samsung’s Gear VR is more capable, but limited only to Samsung phones. At Google I/O this year, Daydream was announced as the thing that happens next in smartphone-based VR by creating a higher quality platform with a new headset and controller system.

Alongside the launch of the Pixel phones, Google also unveiled Daydream View. It’s the first headset designed specifically for phones Google approves as “Daydream Ready” in order to offer a more complete VR experience. After an extended period of time in the headset, it’s clear Google has created something well above the experiences so many have had with Cardboard.

Comfort first, with some style

Daydream View looks a lot like a highly stylized Google Cardboard headset. It’s a set of lenses in a casing with a strap on one side for your head and a strap on the other side to hold your phone in place. There are no buttons, no trackpads, and no ports to dock your phone. Instead of a plastic exterior, Daydream View is covered in several kinds of fabric. Google’s Clay Bavor explained the material was a combination of microfiber cloth and the kind of material you find in workout clothes. The overall goal is to encourage airflow and decrease that gross, sweaty feeling when you’re in some VR headsets for a while. Somewhere in that process, Daydream View came out looking kind of like sweatpants. Really nice sweatpants though, and in three colors —Slate, Snow, and Crimson.

A fair bit of light can leak in from both sides if you’re in a brightly lit room.

The important parts of this fabric-covered headset are the parts that touch you when you wear it. The strap is unique, a single band with a pair of clips so you can quickly tighten or loosen the strap with a press and pull. No other VR headset has a fabric strap this easy to use, and it’s complimented well by the cushiony texture that fits around your eyes. Instead of creating a seal, the cushion across your forehead and down across your nose are extended beyond the profile of your face. This means the headset can accommodate people who need to wear prescription glasses inside a VR headset, but it also means a fair bit of light can leak in from both sides if you’re in a brightly lit room. This may be a worthwhile tradeoff for those who wear glasses and those who aren’t a fan of lenses fogging up, but it also means the color of your phone could cause some reflection issues inside the headset.

Daydream View is light even by smartphone-based VR headset standards. With a Pixel XL onboard it was noticeably lighter than the Samsung Gear VR with a Note 7, and quite a bit more comfortable than any other phone VR kit available today. The design appears simple, but really it’s the result of two years practice by other companies in getting the headset design wrong. Fortunately for everyone, this headset isn’t tied to any one phone so many can enjoy it.

A tiny, capable controller

Opening Daydream View reveals a small controller, something that looks like it would be used to control a Roku TV. The Daydream Controller is special though, and it’s a big part of what makes Daydream special. This controller can track movement across several axis, making it so you can rotate the controller in your hand and have those motions appear in Daydream. You can point the controller like a laser pointer and select things from menu options, which is a great deal more convenient than pointing with your face and waiting for a loading bar to complete in order to make a selection.

Daydream Controller represents your Wizard’s Wand in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them demo for Daydream, and it’s here that you get an appreciation for just how capable this controller is. The controller can’t tell how far it is from the ground, so the wand is in a fixed position next to your head. As you point with your controller, the wand selects things and brings them to you to examine. Once you locate a spell to try, a quick flick of the wrist sends sparks flying from the tip of the wand. These movements are tracked with remarkable accuracy, feeling almost like you’re using a tiny HTC Vive controller at times.

The lack of full spatial awareness is a challenge, but one Google’s partners seem eager to face. During a tilt game demo, the whole board turned as you rolled the controller around, making accuracy very important. This is the kind of experience where spacial awareness matters a lot less, and the illusion created by your environment is much easier to hold.

Sometimes you just want to kick back and watch something though, and that is what Daydream Controller does best. No reaching up and tapping the side of your head or fumbling around for a gamepad here, your controller allows you to quickly navigate menus and pause when necessary. The volume buttons on the side of the controller help you get the experience you want, and the home button at the bottom lets you quickly return to the main menu if you’re finished with what you are doing. It’s a solid system, and as far as smartphone-based VR goes it’s without equal.

A solid challenger

There’s a lot of promise in a platform like Daydream. Google’s first efforts with the Pixel XL created an experience with little of the “screen door effect” that plagues other VR headsets, and head tracking is a dream. Even the setup process is convenient — you place the phone down on the pad in the casing and an NFC tag launches Daydream and pairs you with the controller. When you close your phone against the lenses, alignment happens immediately with no QR codes to scan to make sure you have the best lens form on the display.

Everyone with a Pixel can enjoy something new and great.

The big question here is how any of this is different from Cardboard, and the answer to that is in the system itself. Head tracking is much smoother, the menu system feels like it could compete with the likes of Oculus Rift, and the content is much more dynamic. This happens because Google can control which phones get Daydream by making sure 60FPS animations are a default and the displays are all tuned in the same way. More accurate sensors for more accurate head tracking means the chances of you getting sick in VR decreases significantly, and the controller completes the experience by offering a dynamic pointer and video game stick. It’s not that a lot of this couldn’t be done with a Pixel XL and Cardboard with a strap, but the overall experience matters here and that only happens when all of these little pieces come together.

With this $79 headset on the way, Google’s next big hurdle is content. The starting selection, which includes HBO and Netflix among several high quality games, is impressive but still on the small side. With developer tools making it fairly easy to port VR projects from one platform to another, it’s likely this won’t be a problem for long and that’s a very good thing. By the time the next Daydream Ready phone is around, there’s likely to be quite a bit more to do. In the mean time, everyone with a Pixel can enjoy something new and great.

Google’s Tango phone, the Lenovo PHAB 2 Pro, is launching in November

Lenovo showcased the PHAB 2 Pro — the first consumer-ready Tango phone — at its Tech World earlier this year, and we haven’t heard much regarding the phone since. The handset was initially slated to make its debut at the end of summer, which got pushed to fall. It now looks like the phone will debut in November, according to a statement from Google’s AR head Clay Bavor to CNET.

The PHAB 2 Pro comes with a massive 6.4-inch QHD LCD display, a Snapdragon 652, 4GB of RAM, microSD slot, and three cameras at the back for Tango’s motion tracking, area learning, and depth perception tech: a standard 16MP sensor joined by an depth-sensing IR camera and a motion tracking camera. At the front, there’s an 8MP shooter, and the phone also sports a fingerprint sensor at the back, Dolby Atmos speakers at the bottom, and a 4050mAh battery.

The PHAB 2 Pro takes advantage of the specialized cameras to take detailed 3D maps of your surroundings, creating immersive augmented reality experiences. Google announced that it would have 25 Tango-specific apps available at launch, with that number extending to 100 by the end of the year.

Unlike the Pixel and Pixel XL, the PHAB 2 Pro isn’t compatible with the Daydream VR platform as it doesn’t feature an AMOLED panel. Bavor talked about a possibility of a phone that supports both Tango and Daydream, but for now, we’ll have to choose between the two: “You can imagine in the future you won’t have to make a choice, but that’s a bit further out.”

The PHAB 2 Pro will retail for $499, and will be available at Best Buy and Lowe’s stores around the country.

Lenovo PHAB 2 Pro preview

Google Pixel vs Pixel XL: Which should you buy?

One of these things is not entirely like the other. Here’s how to choose between the Pixel and Pixel XL.

There’s no doubt that the question that’s plaguing you this very moment as you salivate over the varying color options for the Pixel and Pixel XL is: Which one is even worth bringing home? Well, that will depend entirely on your need, but we’ve put together a quick, helpful guide so that you can choose the right phone for you.

What’s the difference?

Unlike last year’s Google event, which revealed two different Nexus devices developed by two entirely different manufacturers, this year’s Pixel and Pixel XL are both made by Taiwan-based HTC. As a result, they both look quite similar—so much so, that from far away, you can’t really tell them apart, despite their differing screen sizes.

The biggest difference between the Pixel and Pixel XL are their display and battery sizes, though the 5.5-inch Pixel XL isn’t that much larger than its 5-inch sibling. The Pixel also feels more like a refined, matte HTC One A9, while the Pixel XL sits in the hand as comfortably as the OnePlus 3.

Here’s quick specification breakdown:

But which one is better?

Well, let’s weigh the options. The Pixel features a regular 1080p AMOLED display with a 2,770 mAh battery, so chances are that its battery life might manage a longer day than the Pixel XL’s Quad HD AMOLED display and 3,450 mAh battery simply because the display doesn’t require as many resources. Then again, larger batteries do usually manage longer uptime. It all comes down to whether you want a phone to be usable in one hand, or one that can double as a small tablet, used with Nougat’s new Multi Window mode in landscape with two apps side by side.

You’re still getting the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, however, coupled with 4GB of RAM and the improved 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, as well as rear-facing fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C, and fast charging. Both phones are also IP53 rated, so you don’t have to go into freakout mode if either phone gets rained on.

Which one is better for virtual reality?

Both will do just fine! The Pixel and Pixel XL are both Daydream-ready. The larger Pixel XL does have a higher-resolution display, which translates to better per-eye density in VR, a definite advantage for current content, and a semblance of future-proofing as well. The larger battery may also eke a few more minutes in battery life while playing VR, which is nice.

What’s the price difference between the two?

The Pixel starts at $649 for the 32GB version, while the Pixel XL starts at a whopping $769. If you bump up the storage to 128GB, it’s an extra $100. And if you add on device protection, that’s another $100. These smartphones aren’t as cheap as Nexuses used to be.

Want to know more?

Be sure to peek at our hands-on with both the Pixel and Pixel XL for the full rundown on Google’s two new smartphones. Let us know which one you’ve preordered in the comments!

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL hands-on preview
• In pictures: Google Pixel and Pixel XL
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Verizon is the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Google Pixels
• Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store

Recap the Google Pixel announcement in just 13 minutes!

Google’s announcement this week was full of important details about the company’s future, and how it plans to maintain its dominance in the mobile space. But it was also nearly two hours long — which is why we condensed it down to 13 minutes, just for you!

From the Pixel phones to Google Home to the Chromecast Ultra, Google Wifi and Daydream, we’ve got it all here, just shorter.

Like these kinds of videos? Let us know and we’ll be sure to do more of them!

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL hands-on preview
• In pictures: Google Pixel and Pixel XL
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Verizon is the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Google Pixels
• Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store

Caption Contest: Chanel and the art of Robocouture

Karl Lagerfeld’s love of technology runs deep. For his latest fashion show at the Grand Palais in Paris, Chanel’s Creative Director celebrated the surreal beauty of information infrastructure by anointing his fashion runway with data center aesthetics. Lagerfeld even went so far as have some of his models don robot helmets like high-fashion Cybermen. But what was going through those models minds as they were crammed inside those robodomes?

Well, that’s for them to know and you to make up, because it’s time to play Caption Contest! The rules are simple: Tweet us (@engadget) with the hashtag #EngadgetCaptionContest whichever funny, weird or oddball idea you think they’re talking about and we’ll retweet the best submissions as well as add them to this post. You’ll be internet-famous! Unless, of course, you decide to act like a major hoser and engage in personal attacks or lascivious conduct, in which case we’ll mute/ban/ruthlessly mock you. Here are some suggestions by our staff to get your creative juices flowing.

Cherlynn Low: “Presenting the tributes from District 1 for the 77th Hunger Games!”

Billy Steele: “New IT uniforms are FIERCE.”

Devindra Hardawar: “Pulling. It. Off.”

Dana Wollman: “Which is it, ladies? Are you a Jackie or a Marilyn?”

Andrew Tarantola: [extremely Darth Vader voice] *Shkoooooooo-kahhhhh, Shkoooooooo-kahhhhh* “Luke, I am your tailor.”

Jessica Conditt: “Brr, I’m getting the chills. I hope I don’t have a virus.”

David Lumb: “Grids are SO in this year”

Roberto Baldwin: “The Downton Abbey reboot seems to be going well.”

Jon Fingas: “We think Daft Punk could use a few fashion pointers.”

Christopher Trout: “This season, try replacing your sun-kissed skin with hard, white plastic. You’ll save on hair and makeup AND be the envy of all your kitchen appliances.”

OurMine retaliates against BuzzFeed for exposing an attacker

The account hijackers at OurMine are fond of intruding into the personal worlds of their celebrity targets, but they don’t respond kindly when someone turns the tables. BuzzFeed is recovering after OurMine compromised its website in retaliation for an article that claimed a Saudi teen is likely responsible for many of the group’s attacks. The OurMine team “altered several posts,” including the article in question. The stories should return to normal soon, BuzzFeed says.

OurMine didn’t mince words on the modified posts. It claimed that BuzzFeed was sharing “fake news about us” (read: it could be accurate) and threatened to make the site’s “database” public if there’s ever a follow-up attack. It’s not clear that OurMine actually has what it says, though. To date, its ‘hacks’ have really involved discovering account login details — it doesn’t compromise whole servers, like you’d expect with a conventional hack. While we don’t want to rule anything out, it’s entirely possible that this is bluster meant to discourage investigators from pursuing the truth.

Source: BuzzFeed (Twitter), (archived)