Intel officially supports the Vulkan 3D graphics API on newest integrated GPUs

Why it matters to you

Your Windows 10 PC with Intel integrated graphics can now run a greater selection of cross-platform games and VR titles.

DirectX 12 is likely the best-known 3D graphics application programming interface (API) for Windows 10, and it’s used for today’s advanced PC games and virtual reality (VR) solutions. However, there’s a cross-platform option from Khronos, known as Vulkan, that provides similar functionality on a wide variety of systems including Windows 7 through 10, Tizen, Linux, and Android, with support for iOS and MacOS provided by third-party solutions like Molten GL.

Vulkan has been supported by Nvidia and AMD for a while, offering an alternative to DirectX 12 on Windows 10 machines for machines built around GPUs from those manufacturers. Now, Intel has joined the fray, adding in official Windows 10 for Vulkan on the integrated graphics included with its most recent CPUs, as CIO reports.

More: Doom running on new Vulkan API is simply insane

Specifically, Intel has enabled Vulkan support on its sixth-generation processors, known as Skylake, and its newest seventh-generation CPUs, known as Kaby Lake. The Apollo Lake series of low-end chips using Intel HD Graphics 505 GPUs are also supported. By integrating support into its integrated graphics, users of lower-end Windows 10 machines, including notebooks, can gain access to games and VR titles utilizing the Vulkan APIs.

The impact of Intel adding Vulkan support could be widespread. At the very least, it makes the open source low-level graphics API available on a far wider range of Windows 10 PCs than before, including the majority of new machines going forward.

In addition, porting titles from DirectX12 to Vulkan is less time-consuming than porting DirectX 12 games to OpenGL, which Vulkan supersedes. Because Vulkan runs faster and is more power-efficient on notebooks and smartphones, it could also provide more advanced gaming and VR capabilities to mobile devices.

All of this means that Vulkan is a more attractive target for game and VR developers. Intel’s official support for Vulkan just makes the platform even more compelling, something that users of less widespread systems like Linux and Steam Machines should appreciate.

Goodbye static backgrounds: Our favorite free live wallpapers for Android

Live wallpapers, a feature of Android that lets you set an animated or interactive scene as your phone’s background, are a great way to spruce up an otherwise static home screen. While the first crop tended to suffer from technical shortcomings such as excessive battery drain and poor performance, live wallpapers have come a long way in the time since.

More: Customize your Android phone with the best launchers, lock screens, and more

The newest offerings are eye-catching and lush, providing fluid and attractive backgrounds that feature everything from simple textures to quirky spaceships that quietly chug through the void of space. Here are our picks for the best free live wallpapers for Android so you can spice up your smartphone or tablet backdrop without having to dip into your wallet.

Setting live wallpapers

Before you see what beautiful backgrounds Android’s developer community has to offer, you should know how to apply them. Luckily, the process isn’t challenging. The first step is installing a live wallpaper (or several) from the Google Play Store. Once that’s done, you’re nearly home free.

Step 1: Press and hold on any home screen.

Step 2: Tap Wallpapers in the resulting menu.

Step 3: Tap Live Wallpapers.

Step 4: Select a live wallpaper from the resulting list.

Step 5: Tap the gear icon in the upper-left corner to adjust the live wallpaper’s settings.

Step 6: Tap Set Wallpaper to set the live wallpaper as your background.

Are cash payments to blame for assaults against Uber drivers in Brazil?

Why it matters to you

This serves as a reminder that driver safety, and not just rider safety, needs to be prioritized by ridesharing services.

Uber has caught plenty of heat in Brazil, but not over misleading drivers about wages or #DeleteUber. Rather, the ridesharing service has been criticized for not doing enough to address the increasing number of murders and robberies that Uber drivers in the country face, reports Reuters.

What makes Uber relatively more convenient than traditional taxis is the ability for riders to register their credit and debit cards to their profile. Not only does this make transactions more secure, but it allows an easier way to verify passengers and track them down if need be.

More: Uber Flat: Ridesharing service offers rides in NYC for cheap fees

At the end of July 2016, however, Uber allowed riders to pay with cash as a means to increase growth in Brazil. The idea is that, since credit cards are less common in poorer countries, being able to pay for your Uber ride with cash would be the catalyst for increased growth in such regions. So far, that business strategy has worked for Uber, which saw 15 percent growth in its São Paulo operations throughout 2016. The company also saw at least 30 percent of rides in Brazil paid in cash, with reportedly higher rates in poor areas in the country.

However, cash payments might also be the reason for increased assaults against Uber drivers in the country. According to numbers gathered by Reuters, the average number of attacks involving Uber drivers increased from 13 per month from January to July 2016 to 141 per month from August through December of that year. By comparison, assaults involving regular taxi drivers increased by a third during the same period.

Even worse, there have been six confirmed murders of Uber drivers in Brazil since September 2016, with local outlets reporting that over twice as many murders have taken place.

More: Uber offers $1 per driver to resolve labor questions, drivers’ attorney agrees

Reuters acknowledges there is a margin of error in these statistics, since the statistics potentially include assaults on passengers. Even so, these are grim, but not entirely surprising, numbers — Brazil features 21 of the 50 most violent cities in the world, according to The Economist.

Uber responded to queries and confirmed that “additional safety measures” are in the works. One such measure involves a rider verification feature that requires riders who opt for a cash payment to enter their Brazilian national ID number before they can request a ride. Some cities also feature a pilot program that allows a driver to opt out of cash payments.

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

Slidebox

Swipe through your photos one by one and quickly swipe up to trash or tap to save to an iOS album. You can finally get your photos organized.

Available on:

iOS

Forager

This app is a professional meal planner in your pocket which optimizes your nutrition and leads toward the body you want fast.

Available on:

iOS

FancyDays

FancyDays helps you manage those days that matter to you and count down to them. You will never forget those important days with this app.

Available on:

iOS

TranslateSafari

The app is a Safari extension that translates and speaks aloud the entire web page of the Safari app.
A must-have app to translate and speak aloud web pages of Safari.

Available on:

iOS

Pimp My Message

Your friends won’t believe their eyes when they see color text messages arrive. Pick colors to match your school, company, favorite teams, your mood, or message.

Available on:

iOS

Size Your Ring

There is no need to go into the jeweler to get your finger sized. This app has it all — be extra prepared for next Valentine’s Day with Size Your Ring.

Available on:

iOS

Facebook videos will now auto-play with the sound on by default

Facebook’s auto-playing videos are about to get much more annoying.

If you’re not a fan of Facebook’s auto-playing videos, get ready to be annoyed. Starting today, videos will auto-play with the sound enabled by default. If you don’t have your phone set on silent, every time you scroll past an auto-playing video, you’ll now hear the audio associated with it.

Facebook says that it introduced the change after receiving “positive feedback” from a beta test conducted last year:

Videos in News Feed have previously played silently — you tap on a video to hear sound. As people watch more video on phones, they’ve come to expect sound when the volume on their device is turned on. After testing sound on in News Feed and hearing positive feedback, we’re slowly bringing it to more people. With this update, sound fades in and out as you scroll through videos in News Feed, bringing those videos to life.

Although videos will now play with the sound enabled, you’ll be able to turn it off via settings:

If your phone is set to silent, videos will not play with sound. If you never want videos to play with sound, you can disable this feature by switching off “Videos in News Feed Start With Sound” in Settings. We’ll also be showing in-product messages to tell people about the new sound on experience and controls.

You can now minimize a video and scroll through your News Feed, with the video continuing to play in the corner of your screen. Facebook is also making changes to the way vertical videos look on Android and iOS, including larger previews. Finally, Facebook’s video app will make its debut on Amazon Fire TV, Samsung’s smart TVs, and Apple TV.

HTC will launch a mobile version of the Vive this year

HTC will design and release a mobile VR solution this year.

HTC isn’t selling as many phones as it used to, and is now referring to itself as a “VR company,” much to the delight of its shareholders.

The company has informed CNET UK that is working on a mobile version of the HTC Vive, though the design and functionality is not yet clear. What is clear is that “it’s not a phone slapped onto a headset. It’d be a different thing,” according to CFO Chia-lin Chang.

The Vive, while great, requires a very powerful PC and a rat’s nest of wires to function properly, while solutions like Google Daydream and Samsung Gear VR merely require a compatible smartphone. They’re not as powerful, obviously, but you can take it with you.

HTC promises something in the middle, perhaps a bit more standalone, and slightly more powerful, than Google’s and Samsung’s approaches, but more portable than a Vive. According to HTC, the solution will be compatible with its new HTC U Ultra flagship, and will be released before the end of 2017.

Adding a SubPac to your VR setup makes a huge difference!

Is there such a thing as too much immersion?

A great VR experience pulls you in and keeps you totally engaged. It doesn’t matter if you’re battling sorcerers, diffusing bombs, operating on people, or just running a convenience store for robots. That immersed feeling is everything, and it’s never just one thing that pulls you in. A polished, natural-feeling environment coupled with some great audio can come together to build something truly special, but how much further can you go with home VR equipment?

For some, the next step is better whole-body detection. Others want a way to feel what is happening in VR with better vibration and impact vests. Some just want to increase the sense of presence by adding smells or air movement. The truth is there is no one way to move forward, as long as the ultimate goal is to increase immersion. The folks at SubPac have been working for a long time on making it easier for you to feel sounds as though they’re coming from more than just your headphones, and it makes a surprisingly big difference in VR.

Read more at VR Heads!

Master Product Management with this bundle for 79% off

Product Management is a skill that many companies are looking for these days as they bring new products to market, test new ideas, and figure out which direction to go. In today’s world, things change so fast that you’ve always got to be ahead of the curve or you get left behind quickly, and no one wants that. Wouldn’t it be cool to get involved with the next big thing, before it is the next big thing? Well, you can with the right skills.

Master these new skills for $45! Learn More

The complete Product Management bundle will help get you started with the skills you need to jumpstart your new career path. From learning the basic skillsets you need to shift your career to mastering the interview and becoming a Product Manager, you’ll get it all. With 7 different courses and nearly 500 lessons, you’ll get a whole lot of information at a huge discount here.

The courses include:

• Skillsets to Shift Your Career to Product Management – $45 Value
• The Complete Product Management Course – $35 Value
• Master the Product Manager Interview – The Complete Guide – $35 Value
• The Non-Technical Person’s Guide to Building Products & Apps – $30 Value
• Become a Product Manager | Learn the Skills & Get the Job – $35 Value
• Product Management: Product Market Strategy – $20 Value
• Buyer Personas for Your B2B Business – $20 Value

Take a chance at a new career for 79% off! Learn More

Normally, you’d pay around $220 for these courses on their own, but right now you can pay a fraction of that. Priced at just $45 for a limited time you can finally make the move towards a new career path without going broke. Be sure to act quick as this deal won’t last long, your future self will thank you.

How to fix a stuck keyboard in your Gear VR

Getting the keyboard to open in Samsung Internet is easy, but closing it requires an extra step.

One of the coolest things you can do while playing with your Gear VR, is spend some time surfing the internet. That’s entirely possible too, with the help of the Samsung Internet app. This means you can check out 360 degree videos, or check out the latest SNL clip to give yourself a guffaw. However, some users have reported a problem where they can open up the virtual keyboard in Samsung Internet, but are unable to close it or access voice search. Thankfully there is an easy fix to this problem!

Read more at VRHeads.com

Essential Accessories for Huawei Mate 9

Got a fancy new Huawei Mate 9 sticking out of your pocket? Accessorize it with these useful add-ons.

The best part about bringing a new smartphone into your home is all the accessories that you
get to buy in celebration. Here are a few ideas of how to initially equip yourself for life with the Huawei Mate 9. And if you need some cases to accompany those new accessories, we’ve got you covered there, too.

• Ranyi Premium Hybrid case
• AUKEY Magnetic Car Mount
• Huawei Mate Desktop Charging Dock
• Arctek Type-C Car Charger
• Foneso Extendable Monopod

Ranyi Premium Hybrid case

A great case doesn’t need to be expensive or bulky. Ranyi’s Premium Hybrid case for the Mate 9 is neither, but at $8.99 it’s well worth the price.

Featuring a hardened carbon fiber back and plastic sides, the Ranyi case protects against drops and scratches without adding weight or thickness.

See at Amazon

AUKEY Magnetic Car Mount

It’s illegal in many states to hold your smartphone while you’re driving, even if you’re not actively using it. Keep it out of your hands and easy to see with a magnetic car mount that slides inside your air conditioning vent. The ultra-strong magnet comes with sticky magnetic strips you can adhere to the back of your phone or inside a case.

See at Amazon

Huawei Mate 9 Desktop Charging Dock

Keep the Mate 9 handsomly docked by your bedside or on your desk with this desktop charging dock from Encased. The stand is Type-C compatible and features a height adjustable design, in case your smartphone case is keeping the Mate 9 from properly docking. The built-in cable also enables data transfers.

See at Amazon

Arctek Type-C Car Charger

If you spend quite a bit of time in your car — commuting sure is rough — be sure to grab the Arctek USB car charger, which supports QuickCharge 3.0. It also has built in protection for overheating and overcharging, in case you need to keep your Mate 9 plugged in for the ride. This car charger is also compatible with some laptops, including the ChromeBook Pixel and Apple MacBook.

See at Amazon

Foneso Extendable Monopod

Planning to shoot photos with the Mate 9’s dual rear-facing cameras? Get the Foneso tripod and selfie stick combination! It’s the ultimate travel accessory because it holds up your phone for selfies and stands up for group shots! The camera mount stows down to 7 inches and features a Bluetooth remote. It also offers a 1/4-inch standard screw for GoPros and other smaller cameras.

See at Amazon