Celebrate the SNES with Hyperkin’s mechanical keyboard
If you grew up in North America during the early 1990s, there’s probably one color you associate with Nintendo: Purple. The SNES had a distinctly violet tinge in the region, while European and Japanese customers were treated to a grey, slightly more curvaceous model (the controller had multi-colored face buttons too.) If the purple model has a special place in your heart, you might be interested in the Hyper Clack Tactile Mechanical Keyboard by Kyperkin. It costs $99.99 and comes with Gaote Blue switches, which should suit serious but not too serious gamers and writers.
While Nintendo’s classic consoles have always been iconic, they’ve recently found new prominence in the cultural zeitgeist. The NES Classic Mini has been a smash hit (even if people can’t buy it), re-introducing fans to the company’s 8-bit games and design ethos. There’s also the SNES-inspired 3DS — one of the better limited edition variants — and countless other merchandise inspired by the system. Hyperkin isn’t known for its keyboards, having built its brand on retro consoles and replacement controllers instead. The Retron 5 is a decent bit of kit, however, so maybe some of that hardware expertise will translate to PC peripherals.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Hyperkin
Dropbox is now available on the Xbox One
Dropbox has long said that it wants to be available on whatever platforms people use to get things done. That’s why it has done so much to integrate with Microsoft Office over the years, for example. But the latest place you’ll find Dropbox is nonetheless unexpected: The company just launched an app for the Xbox One.
Sure, the Xbox One is, at its core, a Windows 10 computer you hook up to your TV, but it’s still surprising to see a productivity app all about sharing your files show up there. However, Dropbox doesn’t think users will be collaborating on Office docs through their TVs. Dropbox has come up with a few features that make sense for the platform. “We wanted to solve an issue that we all have: making it easy to access and share your content from the biggest screen in your house,” Dropbox staff engineer Rudy Huyn said in an email. “That meant giving users the ability to access files without the need to plug in an HDMI cord or connect to their laptop.”
Once logged in, you can upload screenshots and pictures taken with Kinect straight to your Dropbox. You can also stream any video files in your Dropbox to the Xbox One — something that’ll definitely be handy for those of us who have a large video library but no seamless way to play it on the big screen. You can also upload files from USB drives connected to the Xbox One or upload files from other universal Windows 10 apps you may be running on your console. And other applications (Dropbox specifically mentioned VLC) can see flies in your account and access them.
The rather unusual project was born at Dropbox’s annual hack week, when the entire company takes 5 days to build and show off a wide variety of projects. Some have nothing to do with actual shipping projects, but many others end up making their way into Dropbox in one way or another. “At this year’s event, one of our engineers decided to prototype the app, and demo’d it to other Dropboxers, showing how we can bring a new Dropbox user interface within Xbox that is optimized for TV screens and for gamepad navigation,” Huyn said.
And it turns out this wasn’t just a random pet project but something that users were asking for but in Dropbox’s support channels and on social media. “Given what we heard from our users, we knew that there was demand for this app, and so we decided to make it available to everyone as a full blown offering.”
As for the development process, the universal nature of Windows 10 made it fairly simple. “The simplicity of building this app is part of why we decided to transform the prototype into a real product,” Huyn said. “A big reason that it was so easy to build is that Microsoft makes it easy to develop applications for Windows 10.” But the Dropbox team still had to change a number of things to make this work, as the user interface naturally needs to be different when dealing with an Xbox controller and a TV 10 feet away. Specifically, Huyn noted that the difference in how TVs display colors compared to monitors necessitated a new, darker theme with more contrast “to make the app easier on our users’ eyes.”
There are benefits to having Dropbox on the Xbox One that should extend to app developers as well as your average console owner. “We heard from Xbox developers that they needed a file explorer on Xbox that allowed them to access their files for the cloud, because many of the apps that they were building were useless without having access to files,” Huyn said. “Now developers can easily access files stored directly in Dropbox.”
Of course, Microsoft’s own OneDrive has been available on the Xbox One for some time now, but millions of people are using the service, so giving them an option to easily get their files on the Xbox is a smart move, even if it’ll likely be something of a niche app. If you want to give it a shot yourself, the app is live today in the Xbox Store.
Source: Dropbox
Netflix heads to VR again with Google’s Daydream
Last week we saw HBO and a slew of new apps land on Google’s Daydream VR platform — now, Netflix is joining the fray. The streaming company launched its Daydream app this morning, and it looks pretty similar to its existing Gear VR app. That’s probably not too surprising, since both platforms are based on Android. The Daydream Netflix app places you in a virtual log cabin, where you can peruse your queue and start watching videos as you normally do.
Unfortunately, there’s no offline Netflix support for the app yet, but hopefully that’s something that will be added soon. It would be particularly helpful for sitting back and catching up on Netflix during long flights, for example. Given that Netflix is only allowing downloads on its iOS and Android apps at the moment, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to see it bring the feature to an Android-powered VR platform.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google Play
The best toaster oven
By Brendan Nystedt
This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best homewares. When readers choose to buy The Sweethome’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.
After more than 50 hours of research and testing—and making stacks and stacks of toasted white bread, mini pizza bagels, and cookies—we think the Panasonic FlashXpress toaster oven is the best for most people. This model performed as well as (or better than) models that cost twice as much. Its compact size takes up less space on a counter, yet its interior is still large enough to comfortably reheat leftovers and frozen snacks.
Who should get this
A toaster oven is a great multipurpose small appliance that lets you toast bread and bake and reheat foods without firing up your full-sized oven. A compact one works well when you’re making single-serving meals and snacks or if your rental has a tiny kitchen with an oven that doesn’t work well (or is missing altogether). Looking for regular old toasters? We have picks for those, too.
How we picked and tested
Photo: Michael Hession
We looked for toaster ovens that were easy to use, reliable, quick, great at toasting bread and baking cookies, and available for between $25 and $270. A Sweethome survey revealed that most of our respondents wanted to cook leftovers, pizza, and convenience foods like Hot Pockets, so we looked for a model with enough capacity for those jobs that wasn’t too big. Our pick would ideally take up very little counter space in the type of tiny kitchen you find in small studio apartments or a mother-in-law unit.
Our heat-map test results from five of the better ovens we looked at. Photo: Katie Hausenbauer-Koster
We put seven toasters through a battery of tests with three tasters in our New York City test kitchen. First, for our toast test, we filled each toaster with as many slices of basic white bread as we could. For consistency, we set each machine to the medium shade setting and used the toasted results to create a heat map. This showed us any hot spots, as well as how each one performed as a toaster.
For the second test, we made break-and-bake Toll House cookies and pizza Bagel Bites, evaluating the finished cookies and bagels for color, consistency, and doneness. To keep the ovens on an even playing field, we didn’t turn on any of the ovens’ convection settings when we tested.
In the five models we thought had the most promise after the heat-map toast test, we also ran a bonus round of testing on boneless, skinless chicken thighs to test each oven’s broil mode (except the Panasonic FlashXpress, which doesn’t have one). The results were disappointing on every single model, so don’t expect much from this feature, even if the oven can roast and bake with no problem.
Our pick
The compact Panasonic FlashXpress excels at basic tasks like toasting bread, reheating pizza slices, and cooking bite-size snacks. Photo: Brendan Nystedt
We recommend the Panasonic FlashXpress for its strong baking performance, compact size, and reasonable price. It cooked toast and other foods to an even, lovely golden-brown better than most other models we tried, and its toast shade settings were among the most accurate we tested. For a relatively low price, the FlashXpress stands out from a crowded pack of mediocre, cheap models, offering performance and features we found comparable to toaster ovens that are larger and double the cost.
Bread toasted on the medium setting came out beautifully golden brown without any scorching or charring. Only one other toaster oven we tested was able to toast bread as impressively—the Cuisinart TOB-260N1. Other models we tested, such as the KitchenAid KCO273SS, toasted bread unevenly, with extreme light and dark patches. The Panasonic FlashXpress was the only toaster oven we tested that had both quartz and ceramic infrared heating elements, which consistently produced evenly browned toast batch after batch. For more on different heating elements, check out our full guide.
Low heat—and a lack of color—on the two pieces of bread we put in the front of the oven. Photo: Katie Hausenbauer-Koster
When mapping the Panasonic’s internal heat distribution, we found a 1-inch margin right behind the door where the toast didn’t brown well. Because you can’t fit full slices of bread in that space anyway, it’s not a huge deal (just remember to push your bread all the way to the back of the oven rack). However, it did affect other foods that were in that zone. Though Bagel Bites and cookies placed in the cool area were thoroughly cooked, they weren’t as pleasantly browned. However, similar problems were common in many of the ovens we tested.
A pricier, medium-sized toaster oven
The roomier Breville Smart Oven is our runner-up pick. Photo: Michael Hession.
If you need a larger toaster oven than our main pick, we recommend the Breville Smart Oven. This model did well across the board in our tests, evenly toasting bread almost as well as our upgrade pick, the Cuisinart TOB-260N1. Though it’s pricier than our main pick, the Breville Smart Oven has a more modern, intuitive interface and an easy-to-read display.
This model doesn’t have an internal light, but it turned out consistent results batch after batch.
A large toaster oven with more accessories
Our upgrade pick, the Cuisinart TOB-260N1, is large enough to fit nine pieces of bread. Photo: Brendan Nystedt
If you want your toaster oven to cook nine slices of toast at once, the big, versatile Cuisinart TOB-260N1 convection toaster oven is the best that we found. The Cuisinart TOB-260N1 is a different beast entirely than the Panasonic FlashXpress: It’s more than twice the price and almost twice the size, and its much bigger oven cavity can handle a wider variety of cooking tasks. Compared with all the other large toaster ovens we tested, this was the top performer by an impressive margin. When compared head-to-head with the Breville Smart Oven Pro, the Cuisinart TOB-260N1 cooked toast more evenly. It has a better warranty, more accessories, and a slightly bigger capacity to boot.
This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
Note from The Sweethome: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.
Twitch uses machine learning to moderate your stream chats
Sure, you can already take steps to keep your Twitch chat friendly, but it’s a lot of work if you don’t have a team of moderators. Do you really want to watch conversations like a hawk in case someone gets around your meticulously crafted filters? You might not have to after today. Twitch is introducing an AutoMod feature that uses a mix of machine learning and natural language processing to keep “inappropriate content” out of your stream chats. It not only screens for offensive language, but can spot attempts to dodge your filters through clever uses of characters and emoji. You can even set a general filtering level to determine just how profane you’d like chat to be.
If a message does run afoul of your settings, AutoMod will hold it in a publishing queue for you or moderators. You can make exceptions, in other words, or allow messages that clearly should have gone through.
The AutoMod app is available right now for English broadcasters, and as a beta in 12 other languages (including European languages, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Turkish). No, it won’t be as comprehensive as having a good set of human mods, but it could make the difference between focusing on your stream and distracting yourself when a viewer gets unruly.
Source: Twitch Blog
Facebook now lets you livestream in 360 degrees
Facebook has unveiled the next iteration of its Live video streaming service, dubbed Live 360. As the name implies, the new feature will enable comprehensive surround video broadcasts in real time.
The social network is teaming up with National Geographic to promote the launch. Tomorrow, December 13th at 12pm ET, NatGeo will broadcast live from its Mars Desert Research Station facility in Utah, where, for the past 80 days, eight space scientists have been living in artificial habitats that replicate life on the Red Planet.
The Live 360 feature won’t be everywhere to start. Facebook plans to slowly roll it out to select Pages in the coming months before broadening its distribution to both Pages and user Profiles by the end of next year.
Apple releases iOS 10.2 and its companion TV app
Apple is making good on its promise of giving you a unified video streaming experience. The company has released iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1, both of which include the company’s centerpiece TV app. So long as a given service supports the feature, you no longer have to jump into and out of apps to catch up on your viewing — you can resume your favorite show or check out recommendations from a single place. Netflix isn’t included in TV at the moment, alas, but this and the recently launched single sign-on should save you a lot of hassle.
The iOS update isn’t just a one-trick pony, of course. It includes a slew of new emoji, including a face palm, a gorilla (read: Harambe) and female equivalents for most job emoji. And of course, there are numerous subtler tweaks. You’ll see improved music controls with quicker access to your queue and shuffling, better stabilization and improved frame rates for Live Photos, a dedicated News app section for saved articles and notifications for smart home devices like smoke detectors and door sensors.
Combine these with general fixes (there’s a significant upgrade to Bluetooth performance, for example) and you’ll definitely want to upgrade — if just to see Apple fulfill one of its big end-of-year promises.
Source: MacRumors
Apple Looks to Open New Stores in Washington D.C. and Scottsdale, AZ
Apple is one of a number of retailers looking at opening a store at Scottsdale Fashion Square, in a 100,000-square-foot wing formerly occupied by Barney’s department store, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
Former Barney’s store at Scottsdale Fashion Square (Photo: Phoenix New Times)
Barney’s department store closed its Fashion Square store earlier this year, providing Apple with an opportunity to secure a large space in the largest shopping mall in the Phoenix area, according to the report. The mall has the second-highest profit per square foot of any U.S. malls, according to owner Macerich.
Scottsdale, an eastern suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, has one existing Apple retail store at Scottsdale Quarter. Apple has four other retail stores in the greater area, including locations at Biltmore in Phoenix, Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, SanTan Village in Gilbert, and Arrowhead in Glendale.
Meanwhile, Apple has reached an agreement to proceed with opening a flagship store at the historic Carnegie Library in Washington D.C. as previously rumored, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Carnegie Library (Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri)
Carnegie Library property management Events DC has reportedly proposed a 10-year lease term, with the option for two 5-year extensions. Apple will pay market rent and will give Events DC a payment of “between $1 million and $2 million to offset any losses at the building,” the report added.
Carnegie Library is a 113-year-old building located across the street from the Washington Convention Center in Mount Vernon Square. Apple will work with Foster + Partners as it often does to redesign the 63,000-square-foot space, which will be similar to its flagship stores in San Francisco and London.
Washington D.C.’s historical preservation panel would have to approve Apple as a tenant due to the building’s historical legacy and importance to the city.
Related Roundup: Apple Stores
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Apple Releases tvOS 10.1 With New TV App
Apple today released tvOS 10.1, marking the first major update to the tvOS 10 operating system that was first released in September. tvOS 10.1 has been in testing since October 31, and Apple seeded four betas to developers before its public release.
The tvOS 10.1 update can be downloaded on the fourth-generation Apple TV using the Settings app. Go to System –> Software Update to install. For those who have automatic software updates turned on, the Apple TV will be upgraded to tvOS 10.1 automatically.
Apple has also released an 8.4.2 update for third-generation Apple TV owners, which is available alongside tvOS 10.1.
tvOS 10.1 introduces a brand new “TV” app, which is designed to make it easier for users to discover new content across the dozens of television and movie apps that are available.
It serves as a sort of Apple-designed television guide, giving customers a way to find and watch TV and movies across multiple devices. It features a dedicated store, recommended content, and cross-device syncing.
The TV app works hand-in-hand with Single Sign-On, a long-promised tvOS 10 feature that was introduced last week. Single Sign-On lets users sign in with their cable credentials one time to access all live cable content they’re entitled to across multiple apps.
Single Sign-On is currently available for CenturyLink Prism, DirecTV, Dish, GVTC, GTA, Hawaiian Telcom, Hotwire, Metrocast, Service Electric, and Sling TV.
tvOS 10, for those unfamiliar with the operating system, brings features like improved search, expanded Siri capabilities, a dark mode, a Continuity option for using the iPhone for text input, automatic app downloads, quicker access to live TV, and more. For more details on tvOS 10 and tvOS 10.1, make sure to check out our dedicated roundup.
Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Caution)
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Apple Releases watchOS 3.1.1 With Bug Fixes, Performance Improvements and New Emoji
Apple today released a new software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading watchOS 3.1 to watchOS 3.1.1. The watchOS 3.1.1 update comes more than two months after thewatchOS 3 was provided to the public in September and marks the second update to the operating system. watchOS 3.1.1 has been in testing since October 31.
watchOS 3.1.1 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. An iPhone running iOS 10 or later is required to download the new software, but it is available for all Apple Watch models.
No major outward-facing changes were discovered in watchOS 3.1.1 during the beta testing period, suggesting it focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements. watchOS 3.1.1 does support the new Unicode 9 emoji that have been introduced in iOS 10.2 and it includes a new feature for changing the skin tone of emoji. A full list of bug fixes is below:
– Fixes an issue that could prevent contact names from appearing in the Messages app and notifications
– Fixes an issue that could impact ability to respond to notifications
– Resolves an issue where the Stocks complication may not update on the watch face
– Fixes an issue that may prevent the Activity rings from displaying on the Activity watch faces
– Fixes an issue that prevented the dials on an analog watch face from appearing after changing the temperature unit in the Weather app
– Resolves an issue that could cause the Maps app to stay launched after navigation has ended
– Resolves an issue where the incorrect date could be displayed in the Calendar app month view
watchOS 3 completely overhauls the interface on the Apple Watch, introducing a dedicated app dock, instant launch apps, new watch faces, and new complication options. There are new Activity sharing features, a “Breathe” app guides users through deep breathing sessions, and an SOS feature can automatically call emergency service.
For more details on what’s new in watchOS 3, make sure to check out our watchOS 3 roundup.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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