Draw Together review: Artwork in progress
Draw Together provides a fun canvas for collaborative art, but it can only ever be as strong as the community that holds the brushes.
Draw Together is a social drawing app that aims to have strangers work together to create collective works of art produced one tile at a time. Relying on anonymous folks from the internet to work together towards a common goal typically results in one of two outcomes: an oddly beautiful mesh of ideas, or an ugly parade of trolls. The result here is something like a digital quilting circle, except every other quilt becomes a dickbutt.
To jump in, you need to create an account, or log in via Facebook. Once you’re in the app, you can browse through the works in progress, or start your own drawing by tapping the floating “+” icon in the bottom right corner. To create your own drawing, you need keys. The size of your canvas is determined by the number of keys you spend two keys for a 2-by-2 drawing, three keys for a 3-by-3 and so on. You get the idea. If you’d rather contribute to an ongoing drawing, just tap one to expand it and then choose the blank tile you wish to draw on.
Drawing in Draw Together is pretty basic, and if you’ve ever spent any significant time sketching in Snapchat, everything will instantly feel familiar.
As it stands now, with a relatively small but growing user base, there’s a limited number of active drawings. Despite that, there’s still enough variety to show off the creativity the app is attempting to court — from nice landscapes, calls to “draw your favorite ____”, collections of random and abstract doodles and even an attempt at a crowdsourced game of tic-tac-toe. You’re also able to report any tiles you consider worthy of moderator review, an absolutely essential tool for an app of this kind. Yes, this is the internet, so expect memes galore (though the more creative ones are at least incorporated in the overall theme of the drawing).
Creating in Draw Together is pretty basic, and if you’ve ever spent any significant time sketching in Snapchat or other drawing apps, everything will instantly feel familiar. When adding to an existing project, you can drag from the edge of your tile to pull over and see what was drawn on adjacent tiles, but you are unable to back out to see the full picture until you are finished. And once you’re finished, you can’t go back in and edit it.
In terms of user interface, Draw Together has a few things going for it this early in its life, including direct and easy communication with the app developer via the Community tab to ask support and suggestions. That’s a pretty big gesture from the developer DroidBender, since this is designed to be a social app for casual artists, and there’s still a number of kinks to be worked out — both on the app development side of things, and in terms of community development.
Once you realize you need over 200 coins to buy new color packs or keys, it becomes pretty clear they expect you to pay for more coins via in-app purchases
On the app-side of things, the in-game economy seems pretty busted. You start off with 40 or so coins (used to buy new color packs and keys) and two keys (uses to start new canvases), but quickly learn that you only earn one to four coins per completed tile, along with the very occasional key. Once you realize you need over 200 coins to buy new color packs or keys, it becomes pretty clear they expect you to pay for more coins via in-app purchases, which range from $0.99 to $5.49. That, or spam your way to collecting enough coins to buy the colors you want.
Now I don’t typically care if a game has in-app purchases. But Draw Together will only continue to grow if there’s an active community of creators. And you’re probably going to turn off a huge swath of your potential audience when they realize you basically need to pay to earn the privilege of creating more than one drawing with a canvas bigger than 2-by-2.
The truth is, this isn’t the first attempt at creating a space for collaborative artwork online — hell, it’s not even the first app in the Google Play Store using the name Draw Together — and if not for the wonky structure of buying keys with coins to create new drawings, the concept delivered here might have legs. Ultimately, Draw Together will live or die based on whether or not it’s able to build and connect with a user base. If they were aiming for a kid-friendly market, there’s few things that worry parents more than leaving their child with an app that’s connected to their credit card.
Draw Together is a great concept, and manages to do a few things really well, but falls short in a couple places that might turn people away. And when your app relies on courting a strong community to keep the collaboration ever-expanding and fresh, that’s a problem.
It’s a shame, really, because Draw Together can create some special moments. When you get a notification that someone has drawn in the tile next to yours, and you’ve seen that they tried to add on to the idea you started in your tile, it’s a great feeling.
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Report claims Galaxy Note 7 batteries exploded because they were too big
Instrumental report says there wasn’t sufficient clearance between the battery and its enclosure, and that ‘aggressive design’ led to the battery being squeezed.
Ever since the late Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was withdrawn from sale, there has been no shortage of theories — both legitimate and dubious — about exactly what caused the phone’s battery to go boom. Samsung originally blamed a battery cell issue in cells from one supplier, however the second recall and subsequent cancellation of the phone would seem to discount that.
Now a report from engineering firm Instrumental claims to have solved the mystery. The cause of the catastrophic Note 7 battery failures, the firm’s CEO says, basically has to do with the battery being too big. In her report, Anna Shedletsky concludes that there wasn’t enough space around the battery to allow for various manufacturing tolerances, and the slight expansion of the battery through use.
What’s interesting is that there is evidence in the design of an intellectual tension between safety and pushing the boundaries. Samsung engineers designed out all of the margin in the thickness of the battery, which is the direction where you get the most capacity gain for each unit of volume. But, the battery also sits within a CNC-machined pocket — a costly choice likely made to protect it from being poked by other internal components. Looking at the design, Samsung engineers were clearly trying to balance the risk of a super-aggressive manufacturing process to maximize capacity, while attempting to protect it internally.
High-res images posted by Instrumental show less than 0.1mm between that “machined pocket” and the top of the battery. Other dimensions are similarly constrained.
While this is all based on a sample size of one, Instrumental’s full report is well worth a read if you’re at all interested in how a modern smartphone is put together, and the challenges involved in cramming ever more technology into a smaller space. Interestingly, Shedletsky says that even if the Note 7 hadn’t suffered an early demise, the shortage of space around the battery would have eventually caused the phones to break apart through battery swelling.
One thing’s for sure: With a new Samsung flagship expected early next year, the Korean company is sure to be paying extra attention to engineering tolerances and battery size.
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- Galaxy Note 7 fires, recall and cancellation: Everything you need to know
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Grab a refurbished Acer Chromebook for just $99 today
If you have been considering picking up a Chromebook, you won’t want to miss out on this deal. Right now you can grab a refurbished Acer Chromebook for just $99, which is 50% of its original price. While it may not be the latest, nor the greatest Chromebook out there, it does come with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 11.6-inch display.
This model will run Android apps when the functionality is finally enabled, and for anyone looking to try one out for the first time, this is a great deal. You’ll only be able to take advantage of this deal today, December 5, so don’t wait too long to make your purchase.
See at Newegg
LG V20 makes its debut in India for ₹54,999
Sales kick off December 6 at retail stores and Amazon India.
The LG V20 is now official in India. The phone will be available from retail stores and online on Amazon India starting tomorrow, December 6, for ₹54,999 ($805). LG is throwing in a free B&O Play in-ear headphones for free with every order.
The LG V20 features a 5.7-inch QHD display, and a secondary 2.1-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 160 that shows frequently used apps, contacts, calendar items, and more. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 820 SoC, and offers 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, microSD slot, 16MP f/1.8 camera with an 8MP wide-angle lens, 5MP front camera, LTE, Wi-Fi ac, 32-bit “Quad DAC,” USB-C, and a 3200mAh removable battery.
On the software front, you get the latest iteration of LG UX running on Android 7.0 Nougat. Anyone interested in picking up the V20 in India?
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How to set up a Google Pixel from an old iPhone or Android
What’s the best way to transfer data from my old phone to my Pixel?
One of the first things you’ll want to do when you get your brand new Pixel phone is make sure all the data from your is transferred over from your old phone, and Google has done the work to make sure it’s as painless as possible.
Included in the box with your Pixel is a USB-C to USB-A adapter which is used for the quickest and easiest method for transferring your data. We’ll walk you through how to transfer your data from either an Android device or an iPhone. The process is mostly the same, with a few differences.
- How to transfer data from another Android phone
- How to transfer data from an iPhone
How to transfer your data from another Android phone
If you’ve just powered up your Pixel for the first time, tap Let’s Go to start the setup process.
Tap Copy your data.
Tap to connect to a trusted Wi-Fi network.
Enter the password for your Wi-Fi network and then tap Connect.
Once your phone is connected to the internet, it will automatically check for system updates.
Connect your old Android phone to your Pixel with the USB-A to USB-C adapter and a USB cable as shown in the diagram.
Switch back to your old phone and follow the onscreen instructions to unlock your phone.
Tap Copy on your old phone to start the transfer process.
Switch back over to your Pixel. Swipe up to scroll down and review the data to be transferred.
Back on the Pixel, swipe up to scroll down and review the data to be transferred.
Tap Copy to begin the transfer process. It will likely take a few minutes.
Once your data transfer is complete, tap Next to continue with the setup process.
How to transfer your data from an iPhone
If you’ve just powered up your Pixel for the first time, tap Let’s Go to start the setup process.
Tap Copy your data.
Tap to connect to a trusted Wi-Fi network.
Enter the password for your Wi-Fi network and then tap Connect.
Once your phone is connected to the internet, it will automatically check for system updates.
Connect your iPhone to your Pixel with the USB-A to USB-C adapter and a Lightning cable as shown in the diagram.
Let the Pixel find your iPhone.
Select the data you want to transfer over to the Pixel.
Tap Copy to begin the transfer process. It will likely take a few minutes.
Once your data transfer is complete, tap Next to continue with the setup process.
Questions? Having problems?
Let us know in the comments if you’re having issues! With our iPhone, messages and photo attachments were automatically added to the Messages app, while photos were added to the main photos app.
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5 Portable Battery Pack Gifts Under $25
No one wants a dead phone, but for less than $25 you can make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Cell phone batteries don’t always last as long as our days do, and no one wants to be carrying around a dead phone or be tied to the wall to charge it up, right? Well, luckily you can charge your phone while you walk around, sit on the subway, have drinks with friends, or anywhere else you may be with ease. Portable batteries are a must-have these days since most phones have non-removable batteries, and they don’t have to cost a fortune.
There are a bunch of great portable batteries out there, and here are some affordable ones to consider for less than $25.
Aukey mini 5000mAh
Your first thought about a portable battery is that you don’t have the space to carry it around all day and don’t want something big and bulky in your bag. Well, Aukey’s 5000mAh power bank offers a nice small cylinder design that is shorter than a can of soda. You should be able to get up to two full charges out of the battery pack, so you can keep yourself powered up wherever you may be.
It has a single USB-A output, so you can bring your own charging cable, be it Micro-USB, USB-C, or even Lightning. You charge the battery itself with a Micro-USB cable, and it has built-in safeguards to protect against excessive currents, overheating, and overcharging. At $10, there is really no reason for everyone in your family not to have one of these.
See at Amazon
Kmashi 15000mAh
Depending on your usage habits or how many devices you are carrying around with you, you may need to have a large battery with you to be safe. Kmashi’s 15000mAh portable battery should offer anywhere from three to five full charges, depending whether it is a phone or table that you are charging up. It has two USB outputs, so you can add the cable of your choice to charge what is in your hand.
The built-in LED lights will let you know how much power is left in the battery so you don’t take a dead battery pack with you the following day. At under $15, this is the perfect option for anyone using more than one device during the day.
See at Amazon
Jackery 12000mAh
Looking for a happy medium between being small and having plenty of power to meet your needs? Jackery’s 12000mAh portable battery is only just over 4 inches tall and 3 inches wide, so you should be able to easily keep this in your bag, jacket pocket, glove compartment or anywhere else you may find it useful. You’ll have two USB outputs for charging your phone, tablet, action camera, or other electronics, and it charges through a Micro-USB port.
If you find yourself without power, or no flashlight around, the battery pack has a dual-LED flashlight built-in, so you can make sure you see where you are trying to go. Coming in at just over $20, it is a bit more expensive than some of the other options at this capacity, but the convenience of its size makes up for that.
See at Amazon
RAVPower 13400mAh
Some electronics need a higher output in order to avoid charging at a snail pace, and the RAVPower portable battery offers the highest output in the market. With 4.5A of output, the RAVPower 13400mAh power pack can charge two of your devices at the same time with ease. It utilizes exclusive iSmart technology which can automatically detect and deliver the optimal charging current for the device attached.
It has four LEDs to easily show you how much power remains in it, and thanks to its capacity you should be able to charge anywhere from three to five times depending on your device. Priced at just under $25, this is quite a value if you want a quicker charge while walking around.
See at Amazon
Anker Astro 5200mAh
If small is what you are looking for, Anker’s Astro 5200mAh is a great option to look at. While only marginally larger in capacity than some of the others in this size, it offers exclusive PowerIQ technology to detect the best charging for your phone or tablet and then offer that output (up to 2A). This means that it will charge your device as quick as it can, but it doesn’t support Qualcomm Quick Charge.
It is available in white, black, and red, so you can pick which one may be most visually appealing, or have one of each laying around to match your outfit. Coming in at just over $15, this is a great option to have around for yourself as well as grabbing a few for loved ones.
See at Amazon
Your favorite?
Do you have a favorite portable battery pack under $25 that isn’t listed here? Be sure to drop a line in the comments with a link to the battery and why you like it so much!
Google and Elon Musk open their AI platforms to researchers
Artificial intelligence got a big push today as both Google and OpenAI announced plans to open-source their deep learning code. Elon Musk’s OpenAI released Universe, a software platform that “lets us train a single [AI] agent on any task a human can complete with a computer.” At the same time, Google parent Alphabet is putting its entire DeepMind Lab training environment codebase on GitHub, helping anyone train their own AI systems.
DeepMind first burrowed into the public consciousness by defeating a world champion at the notoriously difficult game Go. However, to advance deep learning further, Alphabet says that such AI “agents” require highly detailed environments to serve as laboratories for AI research. The company is now open-sourcing that environment, called DeepMind Lab, to any programmers that want to use it.
“DeepMind Lab is a fully 3D game-like platform tailored for agent-based AI research,” Alphabet said in a blog. The agent floats around the environment, levitating and moving via thrusters, with a virtual camera that can track around its “body.” Google describes some of the chores it can do:
Example tasks include collecting fruit, navigating in mazes, traversing dangerous passages while avoiding falling off cliffs, bouncing through space using launch pads to move between platforms, playing laser tag, and quickly learning and remembering random procedurally generated environments.
The first-person 3D environment, Alphabet explains, should make for smarter AI. “If you or I had grown up in a world that looked like Space Invaders or Pac-Man, it doesn’t seem likely we would have achieved much general intelligence.”
An example of a the kind of decision-making is shown in the video below, where an agent foregoes tasty apples in favor of a bitter lemon, in order to get the ultimate reward (melon). (As a more specific example, Alphabet recently announced a partnership with Activision Blizzard, letting AI researchers attempt to build an AI agent that can master Starcraft II.)
It’s not likely coincidental that OpenAI, spearheaded by Elon Musk, happens to be releasing a very similar platform called Universe at the same time. Like DeepMind Lab, the idea is to give researchers a way to test and train their agents. OpenAI’s aim is pretty ambitious — the release consists of “a thousand environments including Flash games, browser tasks and games like slither.io and GTA V.” In its blog, the group expresses its aim:
Our goal is to develop a single AI agent that can flexibly apply its past experience on Universe environments to quickly master unfamiliar, difficult environments, which would be a major step towards general intelligence.
OpenAI says that deep learning systems are too specialized: “[DeepMind’s] AlphaGo can easily defeat you at Go, but you can’t explain the rules of a different board game to it and expect it to play with you.” As such, it’s using Universe to allow AI to run a lot of different types of tasks, “so they can develop world knowledge and problem solving strategies that can be efficiently reused in a new task.”
A single Python script can drive 20 different 1,024 x 768 environments at 60 fps simultaneously. In the first Universe release, those environments include Atari 2600 games, Flash games and Browser tasks like searching for a flight. Since the agent uses a virtual mouse, keyboard and screen like a human, it can do anything we can on a computer, and the plan is to eventually run them through more complex games and tasks.
An OpenAI “agent” plays “Dusk Drive”
OpenAI has already received permission from EA, Microsoft Studios, Valve and other companies to freely access games like Wing Commander III, Portal and Rimworld for learning. It’s reaching out to other companies, researchers and users, seeking “permission on your games, training agents across Universe tasks, (soon) integrating new games, or (soon) playing the games.
The DeepMind Lab repository will go live on GitHub later this week (look for the link here) and OpenAI’s Universe is now available. Both companies say they want to keep their AI systems open, but reading between the lines, they have selfish reasons for doing so. AI has now progressed to the point that a lot more learning data is needed, so normally insular tech companies are now forced to collaborate with the outside world.
Via: Bloomberg
Source: DeepMind Lab, OpenAI
Amazon Go is a grocery store with no checkout lines
It looks like those rumors of Amazon convenience stores were true. The online shopping giant unveiled Amazon Go today, its spin on brick and mortar retail. It uses computer vision, a whole bunch of sensors and deep learning to let you walk into a store, sign in with an Amazon Go app, fill up your bags and leave without stopping for a checkout line. Amazon is calling it a “Just Walk Out Shopping” experience, a self-descriptive name if there ever was one. The company is starting out with a large store in Seattle, but it’s clearly meant to serve as a model for other locations and retail stores.
For now, the Amazon Go store is only open to the company’s employees, but you can sign up to be alerted when it’s available to all. In many ways, it’s exactly how I would imagine Amazon’s approach to physical retail: incredibly convenient and potentially disruptive. While the company’s technology looks like it can effectively tell when you add and remove items from your “cart,” I’m more curious about how it would prevent people without the Amazon Go from entering the store. And potentially even more damning, what would a store like this mean for retail jobs?
Oculus’ Touch controllers are well worth the wait
The Oculus Rift proved that high-end VR has a place in your home, but so far it’s lacked one major feature: motion controls. That’s something both the HTC Vive and Sony PlayStation VR offered from the start, and it’s gone a long way toward helping those platforms deliver more immersive virtual-reality experiences. Now with the long-awaited $199 Touch Controllers, Rift users can finally join in on the fun. Sure, it’s taken nine months for Oculus to actually put motion controls in the hands of consumers, but it’s clear that the company hasn’t been twiddling its thumbs. Instead, it’s delivered one of the most refined game controllers I’ve ever held.
Hardware
Even if you’re a diehard gamer, the Oculus Touch controllers probably don’t look like anything you’ve seen before. They’re more like how a sci-fi film would imagine a futuristic gaming-input device: beautiful, but unwieldy at first glance. The Touch controllers are made from smooth black plastic (they look a lot like the Xbox One’s controller), and they feel pretty sturdy. It’s hard to tell this is Oculus’ first attempt at a gamepad.
Once you get past the unique design and get your hands on them, though, you’ll notice something surprising: They’re actually incredibly intuitive. The Touch controllers are contoured for your left and right hands, and once you grab their rounded handles, your fingers will naturally fall into place. Both feature analog sticks; two face buttons; triggers, which your index fingers rest on; and grip buttons, located underneath your middle fingers. Additionally, the left controller features a menu button right below the analog stick, while the Oculus home button sits on the right controller. Their prominent circular rings help with motion tracking, but you won’t ever need to hold them.
You also get another Oculus sensor in the controller’s box, which allows the Rift to handle VR experiences in which you’re standing and moving around. It’s not quite room-scale VR like the HTC Vive, though you can buy a third sensor for $79 to make that happen (or a fourth for very large spaces). Because the original Rift sensor sits on the far right side of my office desk, I set up the second on the far left.
Since they’re both smaller and lighter than the Vive and PS VR’s gamepads, the Oculus Touch controllers are also better suited for extended virtual-reality sessions. Admittedly, size and weight isn’t a huge issue with the competition, either, but the Oculus controllers feel significantly more comfortable. I’d also attribute that partly to better ergonomics. HTC’s Vive controllers fit into your hands well, but they’re very large. And the PlayStation Motion controller wasn’t built specifically with VR in mind, so it’s a bit tougher to use when your eyes are covered with a headset.
Each Touch controller is powered by a single AA battery, which fits inside the base via a magnetic latch. As usual, I would have preferred it if Oculus had included removable, rechargeable batteries instead (perhaps with micro-USB support to make life easier). I can understand not building in rechargeable batteries, like on the HTC Vive and PS VR, because they make for much more expensive replacements if anything goes wrong. But it would be nice to re-energize these controllers as easily as the other gadgets in my life. According to Oculus engineers, the controllers should last around 30 hours on a single battery without haptic feedback, and 20 hours with haptic feedback.
In use
Setting up the Touch controllers was simple: I plugged the additional sensor into a USB 3.0 port and followed the on-screen instructions in the Oculus app. I was surprised to learn that both sensors have to be facing straight forward to work with the Touch devices — mostly because I was used to having them point toward me from a corner of my desk. Similar to the Vive’s setup, you’ll also have to trace out the boundary of playable free space in your area. That information is used for the Oculus Guardian feature, which creates virtual walls when you’re in VR to keep you from bumping into obstacles.
Once everything is configured, you’re thrown into “First Contact,” a retro VR experience that steps you through the Touch controller’s capabilities. It teaches you how to recognize all of the individual buttons, grab objects and make gestures like pointing your fingers all while playing with things like virtual fireworks. It’s a good way to whet your appetite, because plenty of games will use similar input schemes.
When it comes to motion tracking, the Touch controllers kept up with hectic things — like shooting several enemies virtual gun — or more-precise movements, like setting down an object gently on a table. On my desktop, which is powered by an Intel Core i7 4790k CPU running at 4GHz, 16GB of 2400MHz DDR3 RAM, and an NVIDIA GTX 1080 GPU, I didn’t have any issues with spotty motion tracking, even in instances where I had to aim at something behind me. It felt significantly more stable than the PlayStation VR’s motion tracking, which relies on a single depth-sensing camera and less-powerful hardware.
What really surprised me about the Oculus Touch controllers, though, is that they’re also very good game controllers. The analog sticks rotate smoothly and have a ridged outer ring, which keeps your thumbs from slipping off. The four face buttons and triggers all deliver a solid amount of feedback (once again, they remind me of the Xbox One’s gamepad).
Of course, those are just my thoughts after playing with them for a few weeks; the real test of a controller is seeing how it feels after a month or so of strenuous play. I’ve only had a few weeks with these (and for the record, my battery life for each is around 20 percent).
One aspect that I didn’t appreciate as much in earlier Touch demos: Each button on the controllers is capacitive, so it can tell when you have your finger on a button while not pressing it down. It can also detect if you lift your fingers off a button — which is useful for things like the pointing gesture I mentioned above. Thanks to this refined finger detection, the controllers do a better job of keeping you “present” in VR experiences. And it’s also something I expect we’ll see in other gamepads in the future.
I’ve had game controllers in my hand since I got an NES at age 5, but the Oculus Touch are the first to feel as if they’re practically extensions of my body.
The games
At this point, we’re well into the second major wave of VR releases (the first coincided with the launch of the Rift and Vive; this one was kicked off by the PS VR). Oculus says 53 titles will offer Touch support at launch, including existing games like The Climb and Job Simulator. As for next year, you’ve got games like Arkitka.1 and Giant Cop: Justice Above to look forward to. Plenty of Vive Steam VR titles will also work with the Oculus Touch, even if they’re not available in the Oculus store.
One thing is for sure: Your Touch controllers won’t be gathering any dust soon. Here are my impressions of a few titles available at launch:
‘I Expect You to Die’
VR was practically made for locked-room puzzles, and I Expect You to Die doesn’t disappoint. Developed by Schell Games, it puts you in the role of a spy who always finds himself in sticky situations. At first, it’s a booby-trapped car that you need to drive out of a plane, but it’s not long before you’re stopping superviruses from wiping out millions. It’s a fine showing for the Oculus Touch controllers because it demonstrates how well they can manage fine, methodical movement.
At one point, you have to maneuver something through an array of laser sensors, all while spraying window-washer fluid to make the lasers visible. Shortly after that, you’re handling beakers of potentially exploding material. You’ll die a lot, but as with the best games, it’ll usually be your fault — not the controller’s.
‘Serious Sam’ VR
“I just spent 30 minutes in VR and boy are my arms tired.” That’s me after every Serious Sam VR session.
The original game was an insane mashup of action-movie machismo, big guns and boatloads of carnage … so you’d imagine that would translate to VR pretty well. The VR version is just as bombastic, but because you’re actually physically aiming guns and dodging an assortment of projectiles, it’s also quite the workout. I could only play it for around a half hour at a time without getting exhausted. But for those glorious minutes, I was in shooter heaven. It’s exactly what my 13-year-old self dreamed of.
Serious Sam is the fastest-paced VR game I’ve played, and it’s a testament to the Oculus Touch’s tracking capabilities. Even as I was whipping guns all around my office and spraying bullets everywhere, the controllers never skipped a motion-tracking beat.
The Unspoken
A Doctor Strange fan’s dream come true, The Unspoken is a multiplayer magic battle game that puts you right in the shoes of a destructive spellcaster. Most of your time will be spent throwing fireballs at your enemies and shielding incoming fire while teleporting around a stage. But you’ll also have to do things like make motion gestures for powerful spells and hammer out mystical items mid-battle. It’s a prime example of the versatility of Oculus Touch — they’re able to keep up with the fast-paced action while also being accurate enough for complex gestures.
‘Robo Recall’ (demo)
While the full game will be available free next year, the Robo Recall demo I played was sublime. Developed by the Unreal Engine masterminds Epic — people who really know their shooters — the game puts you in the role of an enforcer who has to take down rogue robots. And, yes, you can bet that’ll involve plenty of guns and explosions.
Like many VR games, you move around by teleporting (a mechanic that’ll hopefully get refined before launch, because reorienting yourself is a pain). The real focus, though, is on shooting — and it’s spectacular. The Oculus Touch controllers are incredibly accurate, both when it comes to fast-paced blasting and slowing down to nail an accurate shot. And like Epic’s Bullet Train demo (which was used to show off Touch prototypes), you can also slow down time, yank bullets out of the air and throw them right back at those nasty bots.
Quill
Much like Google’s Tilt Brush, Quill is Oculus’ attempt at a VR painting app. It was originally created to help develop the VR short Dear Angelica, but it has since evolved into a worthy virtual drawing tool in its own right. I’m not the best person to judge the merit of artistic tools, but I can say that the motion tracking of your virtual brushes seems on-par with Google’s app. And even for those who can’t draw, there’s still something magical about doodling in three-dimensional space.
The competition
It’s pretty clear what Oculus is up against: the HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR. Sony’s option is still the cheapest pathway to consumer VR — and if anything, the Touch controllers make the Rift an even more inaccessible platform. Because they’re another $200 on top of the Rift’s $600 cost, it puts the platform on the same level as the $800 Vive.
The choice really comes down to which headset and platform you prefer. If you want to walk around in VR environments today, the Vive’s hardware can do that. The Rift, together with the Touch, will let you only stand and take a few steps around a small space. You can also play games on both platforms, no matter which headset you own. Personally, I’ll probably end up spending more time with the Rift, because the headset is so much more comfortable to wear.
Wrap-up
Oculus had one job: Bring motion controls to the Rift. With the Touch controllers, it managed to do that well. And, surprisingly enough, the company also proved it could make a damn fine game controller. If you’ve already invested in a Rift, the Oculus Touch is a no-brainer purchase. And if you’ve been holding out for VR platforms to iron out some wrinkles, it’s a sign that the virtual-reality ecosystem’s growth isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Google’s Trusted Contacts app lets people know you’re safe
In the event of an emergency, it’s not always easy to notify people that you are safe. Google knows that, so it’s created Trusted Contacts, a new app that can automatically share your status and location with friends or loved ones. It’s available today on Android and will soon be available on iOS devices.
The idea is simple: you select specific people in your address book as “trusted contacts,” friends or family members who you would feel confident knowing your phone’s activity status. When they open the app, they’ll be able to see if you’re “active,” basically that your phone is connected and moving, whether you were active in the past hour or whether your device has a low battery, is completely out of juice or has no connectivity.
Trusted contacts can also ask for your location if they feel you might be in danger. The app offers a five-minute window for you to approve or deny the request but should it not receive a response, it will share your position in order to “make sure that someone you trust will know how to find you if you really are in trouble.”
If you’re walking home late at night and would feel safer knowing that someone knew exactly where you are, Trusted Contacts can help there too. Instead of waiting for someone to request your whereabouts, you can proactively share your location with a friend or loved one and include a short status explaining what it is you’re doing. Once you arrive at your destination, hit the banner top of the screen or from the lockscreen and it’ll stop broadcasting.
Google says that while trusted contacts won’t need a Google account to see shared locations, they may need to sign in with one to request them. The app’s settings can also be tweaked at any time, allowing users to decide who they do and don’t want seeing their activity without having to re-add them at a later date.
Via: Google Blog
Source: Trusted Contacts (Play Store), Trusted Contacts Dashboard
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