As Hyperloop progress glides forward, here’s what you need to know

We live in an age of unbelievable progress in the field of computing, with the internet having revolutionized the way information is exchanged on a global scale. It seems like every day the chips get smaller and the storage space gets larger. One would think such changes would have brought about a new age of utopian technology. Yet in many areas of life, things don’t seem to have changed all that much over the years, and transportation is a woeful example of this. The roads are still lined with cars, the skies speckled with airliners. The science fiction stories of decades past foresaw flying cars and teleporters, but the 21st century has had to settle for Segways.

Dreams never die, however, and the fantasy of futuristic transportation is very much alive right now as exemplified by a concept called the Hyperloop. While it’s not quite as mind-shattering as a teleporter or as fun as a personal jetpack, the Hyperloop seems like it could revolutionize mass transit, shortening travel times on land and reducing environmental damage in the process.

What is the Hyperloop?

The Hyperloop is a concept proposed by billionaire inventor Elon Musk, CEO the aerospace firm SpaceX. It is a reaction to the California High-speed Rail system currently under development, a bullet train system that Musk feels is lackluster, as it will be one of the most expensive and slow-moving in the world.

A one way trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Hyperloop is projected to take about 35 minutes.

Musk’s Hyperloop consists of two massive tubes stretching between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Pods carrying passengers would travel through the tubes at speeds topping out over 700 mph. Imagine the pneumatic tubes people in The Jetsons use to move around buildings, but on a much bigger scale. For propulsion, magnetic accelerators will be planted along the length of the tube, propelling the pods forward.  The tubes would house a low pressure environment, surrounding the pod with a cushion of air that permits the pod to move safely at such high speeds, like a puck gliding over an air hockey table.

Given the tight quarters in the tube, pressure buildup in front of the pod could be a problem. The tube needs a system to keep air from building up in this way. Musk’s design recommends an air compressor on the front of the pod that will move air from the front to the tail, keeping it aloft and preventing pressure building up due to air displacement. A one way trip on the Hyperloop is projected to take about 35 minutes (for comparison, traveling the same distance by car takes roughly six hours.)

Why the need?

Conventional means of transportation (road, water, air, and rail) tend to be some mix of expensive, slow, and environmentally harmful. Road travel is particularly problematic, given carbon emissions and the fluctuating price of oil. As the environmental dangers of energy consumption continue to worsen, mass transit will be crucial in the years to come.

Rail travel is relatively energy efficient and offers the most environmentally friendly option, but is too slow and expensive to be massively adopted. At distances less than 900 miles, supersonic travel is unfeasible, as most of the journey would be spent ascending and descending (the slowest parts of a flight.) Given these issues, the Hyperloop aims to make a cost-effective, high speed transportation system for use at moderate distances. As an example of the right type of distance, Musk uses the route from San Francisco to L.A. (a route the high-speed rail system will also cover). The Hyperloop tubes would have solar panels installed on the roof, allowing for a clean and self-powering system.

There are of course drawbacks. Most notably, moving through a tube at such high speeds precludes large turns or changes in elevation. As a result, the system is optimal for straightforward trips across relatively level terrain.

California is, of course, susceptible to earthquakes, and the Hyperloop design takes this into account. The tubes would be mounted on a series of pylons spread along the route, each pylon placed every 100 feet or so. The pylons will allow for slip due to thermal expansion and earthquakes, ensuring that the tubes will not be broken by any such movement.

Realistically, the most important problem in getting any project off the ground is money, doubly so when talking about a public work. Even if one can produce an impressive blueprint, there are still issues of public approval, legislation, regulations, and contractors to worry about. Fortunately, The Hyperloop would be a cost-saving measure, especially when measured against the corpulent rail project currently underway. Musk’s white paper for the Hyperloop estimates the total cost could be kept under six billion dollars. Meanwhile, phase one of the California high-speed rail project is expected to cost at least $68 billion.

The Hyperloop competition and recent developments

Although Elon Musk postulated the idea, SpaceX is not developing a commercial Hyperloop of its own. Instead, it has been holding various competitions to encourage students and engineers to develop prototype pods. To facilitate this, SpaceX has built a one mile test track in California.

The contest was a way for engineers and companies to get the ball rolling to make the Hyperloop system a reality.

On January 30, 2016, the SpaceX Hyperloop design competition concluded. More than 100 prototype pod designs were submitted, and 27 teams have won the chance to test their designs on the SpaceX Hyperloop test track in June 2016. A team of grad students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) won Best Overall Design. According to the MIT team, the pod is lightweight and emphasizes speed and safety, including a fail-safe brake system. Whereas many Hyperloop designs use air jets to levitate, the MIT design uses two arrays of neodymium magnets to keep the pod aloft. Additional magnets inside the pod keep it stable as it races along the track. The power of the prototype was impressive, though it’s still very far from a commercial product given it currently lacks space for passengers or even cargo.

In January 2017, the long-running SpaceX Hyperloop competition wrapped up with “Competition Weekend I,” in which completed pods raced on the test track. A team from Delft University in the Netherlands took the top prize.

We are very proud be the overall winner of the first hyperloop pod competition ever! Thanks everyone for the great support! pic.twitter.com/BKl5bI5iNX

— Delft Hyperloop (@DelftHyperloop) January 30, 2017

Although this particular contest is over, the Hyperloop project is far from finished, as companies and governments around the world explore the concept. For its part, SpaceX will be holding another competition in the Summer of 2017, this one focused entirely on attaining the highest maximum speed.

There’s no guarantee that anything concrete will come out of the competition, though. The contest is a way for engineers and companies to exchange knowledge and maybe get the ball rolling to make the Hyperloop system a reality at some point down the line. Like a world’s fair expo, it’s a place for visions of the future to become a little bit clearer.

Developments abroad

While SpaceX’s contest was a good showcase for engineering students, the Hyperloop concept has also garnered interest from businessmen. Startups such as Hyperloop One (formerly Hyperloop Technologies) and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) are working on Hyperloop systems of their own, and what they lack in clever naming they make up for in ambition. Both companies are building their own test tracks, and HTT has recently announced a partnership with Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum, an engineering firm specializing in vacuum technology, and Aecom, an international corporation providing technical project support. The companies will receive stock options in exchange for their involvement.

HTT’s partnership with Oerlikon and Aecom is a massive development. International, publicly traded companies have deemed the Hyperloop concept solid enough to invest in. They also bring with them much-needed experience: Oerlikon has been a leader in vacuum technology since the dawn of the 20th century, while Aecom has been involved in many high profile engineering projects such as the Cape Town Stadium. This partnership represents a tremendous vote of confidence in the Hyperloop, and brings much needed legitimacy to a project that had been, until recently, a pipe dream.

January 2016 proved to be a big month for Hyperloop progress. HTT applied for a permit to begin construction on a test track along the I-5 freeway in Quay Valley, California. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, progenitor of the Hyperloop idea, partnered with Aecom to build its own test track in Hawthorne, California. With three test tracks currently in development, the Golden State is at the forefront of Hyperloop development.

In March 2016, HTT announced its intention to build a network of Hyperloop tracks connecting Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest, with Slovakia serving as a hub between the three.

In May 2016, Hyperloop One showed off its prototype system at a test track in Las Vegas.

Elsewhere in the world, other Hyperloop-esque projects appear to be springing up. In early 2017, the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) announced plans for a supersonic train that will travel between Seoul and Busan. Like Hyperloop pods, this train will travel through low-pressure tubes, reaching estimated speeds of 620 mph.

It remains unclear whether commercial Hyperloop systems will ever be widely adopted. As the global population swells and the environment declines, however, better mass transit systems will become essential. Leonard Bernstein once claimed that great endeavors require two things: “a plan, and not quite enough time.” The plan for the Hyperloop is there, but how much time do we have?

Updated on February 2, 2017 by Will Nicol: Added new information regarding recent developments.

Blockchain is the best bet for secure, efficient electronic health records

Why it matters to you

When secure electronic health records are universal, your personal medical information will be protected from medical identity theft.

Which makes you cringe more, the threat of ransomware or the current mess of health records? Blockchain, the same technology that enables hackers to collect ransoms with anonymity, is increasingly seen as the best platform to advance universal electronic health records (EHRs), according to Wired.

Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, is widely associated with cryptocurrency such as bitcoin. The blockchain is also used on the “dark web” for the anonymous sale of weapons, drugs, and other illegal exchanges. The same attributes of blockchain technology that make it appealing for criminal use, however, can also help solve the complex data record-keeping needs of systems used for legitimate purposes like EHRs.

More: Blockchain technology may help secure the nuclear weapons of the future

The lack of coordinated and complete electronic health records affects patients, healthcare professionals, and the administrative systems and services that support people on both ends of the stethoscope. From the patient’s perspective, when you have to go over your entire medical history every time you see a new medical provider it’s a pain. The greater issue is bad information. If an incorrect allergy or blood type information is entered into your record, the consequences could be dire when you next go for treatment or a procedure.

On the provider and support service side, the amount of time spent creating and working with health records is astronomical and growing. A Mayo Clinic study found the No. 1 reason for physician burnout, which increased from 45 percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2014, was paperwork.

According to John Halamka, Chief Intelligence Officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, “Now is probably the right time in our history to take a fresh approach to data sharing in healthcare.

“The EHRs may be very different and come from lots of different places,” Halamka says, “but the ledger itself is standardized.”

With a blockchain EHR system, anyone with an access key could see the same patient ledger, which would be the ‘chain’ of all transactions or entries for that person, each entry encrypted and time-stamped. The actual data for each transaction would be stored in widely distributed locations. The data isn’t actually sent around, which helps with confidentiality, but it all points to the same ledger or specific patient record.

Before ledger entries are approved for inclusion in the chain, algorithms make sure they match all other data. If, for example, a new entry says your blood type is A-positive but it’s actually O-negative in the other ‘blocks’ of data, the entry would not be accepted and the person or system at the point of entry would be alerted to the mismatch. Your medical identity would be protected and you wouldn’t have to remember every little piece of data about your medical history every time you see a new doctor.

The full adoption of EHRs isn’t here yet and will have hurdles to jump before finally implemented, but it appears that whatever the final system looks like, it will use blockchain technology.

An early build of Windows 10 Cloud has leaked, proving the new OS is no myth

Why it matters to you

A leaked build confirms that Windows 10 Cloud exists, and will lock users to the Windows Store

Oh boy. Critics, developers, and customers who oppose Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform initiative are likely now gathering their pitchforks and torches, as a recent leak seemingly confirms that Windows 10 Cloud does indeed exist. Even more, the unannounced operating system is locked to the Windows Store, preventing users from installing traditional (Win32) desktop programs.

An early version of Windows 10 Cloud is now available as an ISO file via Twitter user @adguard. Those wanting to see what the fuss is all about should not install this platform on a machine, but create a bootable USB drive or run the ISO file through a virtual machine. The downloadable file resides on a cloud server located in Russia.

More: Epic’s Tim Sweeney isn’t thrilled about the locked nature of Windows 10 Cloud

The idea behind Windows 10 Cloud is to provide a lightweight, optimized version of Windows 10 for notebooks to compete directly with Google’s Chrome OS platform installed on Chromebooks. Following Google’s lead, Windows 10 Cloud will not allow users to install traditional desktop software, but force customers to rely solely on the Windows Store. Chromebooks are similar in nature, locking users to the Chrome Web Store.

That said, customers who try to install traditional Windows software will receive the following message:

This app you’re trying to run isn’t designed for this version of Windows. This version of Windows was made to help protect you and your device by exclusively running Windows Store apps.

What’s the difference between regular desktop software and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps available through the Windows Store? Traditional desktop software typically contains multiple components that may install in multiple locations on a PC, and can be freely downloaded and installed from any source. UWP apps are a single package installed in one location, and can only be obtained through the Windows Store, which is bundled into Windows 10 and controlled by Microsoft.

UWP apps are supposedly more secure than desktop software. That’s because apps sold through the Windows Store are “sandboxed,” meaning Windows 10 controls the environment and permissions apps need to function. If by chance an app is hacked, it will be unable to exit its sandbox and infect the entire operating system. Regular desktop software, however, can cause complete chaos.

Windows 10 Cloud does offer a way to use older desktop software, but the developer needs to take some action to make it possible. Microsoft offers a Desktop App Converter, which takes a desktop program and bundles all components into a sandboxed package that can be placed on the Windows Store. It’s still the same program, just in an app form — and upgraded to take advantage of special Windows 10 features only offered through the Universal Windows Platform model.

There are reports that desktop programs converted to Windows 10 apps and distributed through the Windows Store still can’t run on Windows 10 Cloud due to their Win32-based nature. But given that this is an early build of Microsoft’s “lite” platform, that will likely change in the near future. Windows 10 Cloud isn’t expected to launch until the second half of this year, at the earliest.

An early build of Windows 10 Cloud has leaked, proving the new OS is no myth

Why it matters to you

A leaked build confirms that Windows 10 Cloud exists, and will lock users to the Windows Store

Oh boy. Critics, developers, and customers who oppose Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform initiative are likely now gathering their pitchforks and torches, as a recent leak seemingly confirms that Windows 10 Cloud does indeed exist. Even more, the unannounced operating system is locked to the Windows Store, preventing users from installing traditional (Win32) desktop programs.

An early version of Windows 10 Cloud is now available as an ISO file via Twitter user @adguard. Those wanting to see what the fuss is all about should not install this platform on a machine, but create a bootable USB drive or run the ISO file through a virtual machine. The downloadable file resides on a cloud server located in Russia.

More: Epic’s Tim Sweeney isn’t thrilled about the locked nature of Windows 10 Cloud

The idea behind Windows 10 Cloud is to provide a lightweight, optimized version of Windows 10 for notebooks to compete directly with Google’s Chrome OS platform installed on Chromebooks. Following Google’s lead, Windows 10 Cloud will not allow users to install traditional desktop software, but force customers to rely solely on the Windows Store. Chromebooks are similar in nature, locking users to the Chrome Web Store.

That said, customers who try to install traditional Windows software will receive the following message:

This app you’re trying to run isn’t designed for this version of Windows. This version of Windows was made to help protect you and your device by exclusively running Windows Store apps.

What’s the difference between regular desktop software and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps available through the Windows Store? Traditional desktop software typically contains multiple components that may install in multiple locations on a PC, and can be freely downloaded and installed from any source. UWP apps are a single package installed in one location, and can only be obtained through the Windows Store, which is bundled into Windows 10 and controlled by Microsoft.

UWP apps are supposedly more secure than desktop software. That’s because apps sold through the Windows Store are “sandboxed,” meaning Windows 10 controls the environment and permissions apps need to function. If by chance an app is hacked, it will be unable to exit its sandbox and infect the entire operating system. Regular desktop software, however, can cause complete chaos.

Windows 10 Cloud does offer a way to use older desktop software, but the developer needs to take some action to make it possible. Microsoft offers a Desktop App Converter, which takes a desktop program and bundles all components into a sandboxed package that can be placed on the Windows Store. It’s still the same program, just in an app form — and upgraded to take advantage of special Windows 10 features only offered through the Universal Windows Platform model.

There are reports that desktop programs converted to Windows 10 apps and distributed through the Windows Store still can’t run on Windows 10 Cloud due to their Win32-based nature. But given that this is an early build of Microsoft’s “lite” platform, that will likely change in the near future. Windows 10 Cloud isn’t expected to launch until the second half of this year, at the earliest.

Apple has a great educational discount on Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, and more

Why it matters to you

If you’re a student, teacher, or staff member at an educational institution, you can save big on Apple’s professional-level apps.

Being a teacher, student, or employee at an educational institution brings with it a number of advantages. Not only do you have access to bountiful knowledge, but you can also purchase many technology products at steep discounts. Apple, in particular, is known for its aggressive educational pricing.

Now, Apple has announced a bundle of its professional-level creative apps for anyone who’s eligible for its educational discounts. If you’re learning or teaching how to use PCs as a creative tool and Apple’s best creative apps are in your space, then you’ll want to check out its Pro Apps Bundle for Education for a cool $200.

More: Apple updates GarageBand for iOS, adds Touch Bar support to Logic Pro X

The bundle includes the following apps:

• Final Cut Pro X (retail price $300): professional video editing application with extensive media organization and editing features like the Magnetic Timeline and full support for the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.
• Logic Pro X (retail price $200): advanced music production application with a huge sound library and high-end features like Drummer, Flex Pitch, Smart Controls, and MIDI plug-ins. Logic Pro X also supports Touch Bar functionality.
• Motion 5 (retail price $50): motion-graphics tool for creating animated 3D titles, transitions, and effects for Final Cut Pro X.
• Compressor 4 (retail price $50): encoding application for Final Cut Pro X with customized output settings and the ability to package for the iTunes Store.
• MainStage 3 (retail price $30): live performance app for creating performances using output from Logic Pro X.

That’s a bundled savings of $430 compared to buying each app separately. Once you’ve swiped your credit card and completed your transaction, you’ll receive redemption codes in your email inbox. Download the apps, apply the codes, and you’ll be on your way to creating great things on your Mac — assuming you’re eligible for Apple’s generous educational discounts, of course.

Apple

Fire Emblem Heroes review: Shining brightly on Android

Nintendo proves they know how to bring their franchises to mobile with Fire Emblem: Heroes.

I should preface this review by saying this was actually my first Fire Emblem game, so I came into this game with fresh eyes on the entire franchise as well. As such I’m able to provide, I think, a truly honest opinion of how well this game works without being swayed by the fan service scattered throughout.

The first thing you’re going to notice about Fire Emblem: Heroes game is just how beautiful everything is. The artwork, animation, and sound design here is on point. From the opening cut screen to the menu screens to the fantastic battle transitions and animations, this game just has a really great flow to it and played smooth as butter on the Google Pixel I reviewed it on. Fans of the series are really going to appreciate the loving care that the developers put into this — while folks like myself who are new to the series get a faithful adaptation to introduce them to the franchise’s lore.

From the opening cut screen to the menu screens to the fantastic battle transitions and animations, this game just has a really great flow to it.

There are multiple modes of play, but the main one you’ll start with is Story Maps — the main campaign for Fire Emblem: Heroes. As the story goes, the noble heroes of the Askran Kingdom are putting up a fight against Princess Veronica and the Emblian Empire, which seeks to to rule all worlds. A powerful summoner (you) arrives just in the nick of time, with the ability to summon and control Heroes from across all worlds to join the Askran army. You set off to different worlds to free the heroes who have been cast under Princess Veronica’s spell by defeating them on the battlefield.

If you’re familiar with Fire Emblem’s battle mechanics already, you’re going to love how well they work on a full touch screen. There’s a lot of strategy and tactics to learn and master in Fire Emblem, but fortunately the learning curve is gradual for beginners. There are several different types of heroes, but the main three are red, green and blue, with colourless heroes thrown in as well. The first few chapters in the story mode really help to establish the basics of combat, while you learn the Rock, Paper, Scissors-style battle and figure out how to best position your heroes around the battlefield. It’s simple and easy to grasp, and before too long I was developing my own strategy for moving my heroes into the best position to defend and attack.

Arena Duels are especially intriguing, as you’re able to test your mettle against other players in quick battles, though it certainly won’t feel like a PvP experience.

Once you’ve worked your way through the first few chapters in Story Maps, you’ll unlock other modes: Special Maps, Arena Duels, Training Tower and a fifth mode you unlock once you’ve completed the main campaign. These modes allow you to train and level up your heroes and offer you more ways to play beyond the story mode. This really adds some much needed depth to the game, as you’re also able to go back and replay chapters of the story mode with a new lineup of heroes if you wish to test out new battle strategies and tactics. Arena Duels are especially intriguing, as you’re able to test your mettle against other players in quick battles, though it certainly won’t feel like a PvP experience.

Nevertheless, if you manage to link enough Arena Duel wins together, you can work your way up the global player ranks. It definitely feels like this will become the centrepiece of the game once you’ve worked your way through the main storyline. If you’ve got friends who are playing, you can add each other by tapping the glowing stone in the bottom left corner of the home menu and adding them via their unique friend ID.

A big part of this game, as your role of summoner would suggest, is summoning other heroes to join your cause. This is done, first and foremost, by collecting Orbs by completing chapters in story mode — or through in-app purchases, though it is much more satisfying to unlock them through the spoils of victory. From the Summon menu, you’re able to choose the color of hero you wish to summon, which certainly helps to balance out your army’s hero types. You’re able to assemble and swipe through five assembled teams of heroes — a mix of new characters alongside fan favorites from previous titles.

One of the only complaints I’ve had with the game so far is the lack of explanation for everything you can do from the main menu before heading into battle.

One of the only complaints I’ve had with the game so far is the lack of explanation for everything you can do from the main menu before heading into battle. Perhaps I’m just the type to rush into battle, but I was completely unaware how valuable it would be to upgrade my castle, which is hidden in the Shop menu. Doing so greatly increases the amount of experience points your heroes earn in battle, and is something you’ll probably want to do early and often when you’re first starting out. Beyond the previously mentioned Orbs, there’s also a ton of other items and different currency items that you’ll collect and have no idea what to do with them. Maybe that’s just my own ignorance from being new to the series or not spending enough time digging through the menu system, but I’d much rather spend my time battling.

Battling is limited by your stamina meter which automatically refill, but you’re also given 50 stamina points and missions costs are low, meaning you really won’t run out too often unless you’re really grinding hard. When that does happen, you can simply spend some time tweaking your teams and upgrading your heroes in the shop menu while you wait for the meter to recharge. There’s always something to do.

After seeing mixed reviews from the iOS release of Super Mario Run, I must admit I was somewhat skeptical of what we were going to get with Fire Emblem: Heroes. There’s many ways for a free-to-play game to be bogged down by lame mechanics that either force you to wait or pay to progress, but Nintendo has done a great job of keeping everything balanced and fun. From all that I’ve read and my own experience playing the game, this feels like a really pure entry into a franchise that so many people adore. It would have been easy to give us a direct port of one of the handheld Fire Emblem games or, worse yet, a watered down game that’s been “optimized for mobile” (and profits).

Perhaps most important of all, it’s clear even to someone with no previous experience with the Fire Emblem franchise that a lot of thought and care went into creating a fully fleshed out gaming experience for the mobile audience. In the relatively short time that I’ve spent playing Fire Emblem: Heroes since its release, I’m finding myself loving it more and more. Having not bought into the pre-release hype at all, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I’m enjoying this game.

Download: Fire Emblem: Heroes (Free w/IAPs)

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So now the LG G6 will apparently have a matte metal back?

A photo of the LG G6 leaked on Thursday, revealing a glossy, shiny rear. Now, a new leak has emerged, leaving us all perplexed.

Tracking the rumours on LG’s upcoming flagship has been interesting. What will the phone look like? Who knows. While yesterday’s leak showed a glass-like jet black back, new photos posted by Mydrivers, which has a decent record when it comes to mobile news leaks, show the LG G6 with a matte metal back. Is one of them fake? Or will LG launch the phone with several design options?

• Mobile World Congress 2017: Nokia, Sony, Huawei, and more

The few things that seem to be consistent so far is that the phone will sport dual cameras and a fingerprint sensor on the back. Also, LG is definitely not going with the modular phone strategy it introduced last year with the LG G5. Other than that, from these new images, we can see that the LG G6 features a USB-C port and a headphone jack, both of which have been rumoured in the past.

MyDrivers

Another rumour that seems to be sticking around (and hinted by LG) is that the LG G6 will boast a 5.7-inch screen with a 2880 x 1440 resolution. Check out Pocket-lint’s round-up for details on more leaks. We’ll know for sure in a couple weeks, as LG is set to announce the final details ahead of Mobile World Congress on 26 February.

We’ll be there to bring you the news as it happens.

PS4 system software update 4.50: What’s new in the update?

Sony is planning a new update for the PlayStation 4 that will included some much-requested features.

The updated, called version 4.50 (codenamed Sasuke), will bring things like external hard drive support for games and the ability to view 3D Blu-rays via PSVR. PS4 Pro owners may even get some goodies. Here’s everything you need to know, including when it’ll be out.

PS4: What is system software update 4.50?

Update 4.50 is exactly what it sounds like: an update to the PlayStation 4 system console. The last update, which released 8 December, is called 4.07. You should always update your PS4 to the latest version to enjoy new features, improved usability, and enhanced security.

PS4: What does update 4.50 include?

The PlayStation 4 has supported external hard drives for a while, but Sony limited it to system upgrades and media like videos and music. Games were left out of the loop. However, with 4.50, Sony will let you download and install games directly to USB 3.0 hard drives up to 8TB in size. That’s really handy for those of you who have a digital library but only own the base 500GB console.

The 4.50 update will also let you pick an in-game screenshot for you home screen background. You’ll be able to add effects like drop shadows to text and darken the Function Area to make your icons visible. Another upgrade includes improvements to Quick Menu, which now covers less of your screen and lets you easily access stuff like Party features via Online Friends, so you can create new parties, invite friends, etc.

The Notifications app has condensed all tabs to a single simplified list, making it easier to see all of your notifications all at-a-glance, Sony said. To quickly access your Notification settings, go to the Options Menu, and you will see options to turn off or customize which pop-up appear. Sony has also added the ability to post directly into the Activity Feed, which appears in places like What’s New.

Speaking of What’s New, you’ll see a new option to post text, screenshots, and GIFs directly into your Activity Feed. You may also see screenshots that users upload, because Live from PlayStation will now show screenshots uploaded to PSN as a Public Activity. And finally, you can now view 3D movies in stereoscopic 3D directly on the PS VR headset. To read more about these feature, check Sony’s blog.

Oh, one more thing: Thanks to NeoGAF, Sony may have also added a Boost Mode that forces the PS4 Pro console to support higher frame rates for games that aren’t yet 4K-optimised.

PS4: When will update 4.50 be available?

Starting Friday, if you signed up for PlayStation’s beta program and were chosen, you will receive an email with instructions on how to download and get started with an early peek at update 4.50. Sony said more features are included in 4.50, but isn’t announcing them right now. For everyone else not in the beta, additional features and launch timing will be revealed “in the weeks to come”.

PS4: How do you update your console?

There are several methods available for updating your PS4 system. Go to Sony PlayStation’s support page (here too) to learn more about how.

Medium hopes subscription plans can save it

Popular blogging platform Medium is launching a consumer subscription service, just one month after firing a third of its staff.

The first version will launch later this quarter as “an upgrade to your Medium experience.” Although Medium CEO Ev Williams didn’t offer any additional details yesterday at the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles, he simply encouraged people to, “Please subscribe.”

Medium saw impressive growth last year as it shifted focus from independent writers to established brands like The Awl, Think Progress, and The Ringer. Readership and published posts were up approximately 300 percent last year. But the company also struggled financially. It eliminated 50 jobs last month and closed down offices in New York and DC. At the time, Williams claimed advertising-focused business models aren’t serving content makers or consumers.

He added, “The current system causes increasing amounts of misinformation…and pressure to put out more content more cheaply — depth, originality, or quality be damned. It’s unsustainable and unsatisfying for producers and consumers alike … We need a new model.”

A subscription-based service is obviously Medium’s first step toward finding a new model. If successful, it’ll provide an additional source of revenue to the struggling blogging platform.

Via: Tech Crunch

That was fast: Nazi punching now a game

It’s only been a couple of weeks since a very public incident of face meeting fist, and already there’s a proverbial app for that. Punch A Nazi, as the name suggests, lets you smack virtual members of the alt-right without the inconvenience of heading to a liberal protest. The politically-charged game comes thanks to the speedy work of developer SuperDeluxe, eager to ride the waves of recent Nazi face-punching memes.

The game lets you sock it to Hitler (obvs), Richard Spencer and Milo Yiannopoulis, the latter two of which have become controversial figures of late. SuperDeluxe usually makes weird, episodic videos rather than mobile games, so perhaps this is more of a therapeutic release for them than anything else.

The far-right has been in the news lately as the self-styled movement garners headlines and the attention of a divided nation. The real Spencer actually got punched in the face on Inauguration day last month, leading to a whole spate of mocking images, videos and Twitter posts.

To play Punch A Nazi, you’ll need both a desktop browser and a mobile device. Hitting the mobile site will sync up with your desktop, then you move your phone toward your computer screen to punch the characters that show up. Your jabs need to connect with specific timing; doing so will earn you on-screen praise, such as “SJW,” while missing the mark will get you teased with phrases like “Sad!”

Sure, Punch A Nazi might seem crass, but games with similar themes aren’t super new. Many games from the history of the medium have tackled violence and Nazism. Having a quickly-made mobile game ready with today’s big names in the alt-right, however, is another clue showing how strongly certain people, gamers and otherwise, feel about the current rise of the movement.

If you’re feeling cheeky, you can grab your own copy of Punch A Nazi from the SuperDeluxe site on your iOS or Android phone to then sync up with your desktop computer loaded with the same web page.

Via: Paste Magazine

Source: SuperDeluxe