Facebook is streamlining its Messenger app for Android, adding “M” integration

Why it matters to you

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular apps around, and now it’s getting a makeover.

If you’re one of the billion or so people who use Facebook Messenger, you might notice a change in the coming days — if you’re an Android user, that is. As first reported by Android Police, it would appear that the popular messaging app is undergoing a bit of a redesign, as well as an integration of the social network’s personal assistant named “M.”

So what’s changing? In general, it looks as though Facebook is streamlining the Messenger app, somewhat uncluttering the text field at the bottom of your smartphone. Instead of having various elements like inserting an image, a voice recording, or a GIF spread out over two rows, Facebook has opted to move everything into just one row. That means that you can see a bit more of your messages, and you’ll also have to do a bit more navigating if you’re someone who tends to add a lot of non-text messages to your messages.

More: AOL appears to be killing third-party access to AOL Instant Messenger

The actual text field has also shrunk quite a bit, so you’ll need to be a bit more precise about what you’re tapping and where.

In fact, that’s the overall change — more careful taps, and more taps as a whole. Rather than displaying all of Facebook Messenger’s elements up front and center, the new Messenger app consolidates all those features into a “plus” folder, which means you have to first open the folder, then select an option like games, your camera, or something else.

As for the M integration, it’s not much to write home about. While the AI-based assistant was announced with quite a bit of fanfare back in 2015, it’s not doing a whole lot yet. Really, it seems that the only thing M is currently capable of doing is to “pop up in chats when it sees greetings or wishes such as “happy birthday,” “Happy New Year,” and “good morning” sent to you.” Still in beta, so perhaps more will happen as the update is rolled out to a greater number of people.

Finally, Facebook has allowed you to opt out of being notified every time your app is updated.

How well does your system handle VR? Nvidia’s new FCAT VR benchmark will tell you

Why it matters to you

Want to know how well your system handles consumer-grade virtual reality? Nvidia’s new FCAT VR benchmark will tell you.

Nvidia is joining the likes of VRMark and VRScore in helping virtual reality fans around the world figure out just how capable their system is at handling consumer-grade virtual reality. The new version of its Frame Capture and Analysis Tool (FCAT) is catered specifically to virtual reality, and will go deeper than just spitting out a score, helping to give a better picture of what VR performance might actually be like on your system.

The Nvidia FCAT tool has been around for a while now, offering users an insight into aspects such as frame pacing and micro-stuttering to help determine the consistency of the gameplay experience, which can’t always be quantified in a score or average frame rate. That deeper look at how a game might perform is what Nvidia is hoping to offer to consumers with the FCAT VR tool.

More: Wondering if your PC can handle VR? Basemark’s VRScore will let you know

Much like its non-VR predecessor, FCAT VR is analyzing frame data at a low level. That means that it can measure the time it takes for a frame to be rendered, how often frames are dropped for being rendered too slowly, and how well native reprojection within the headset is operating. All of that information is much more important within VR, as it can tell you just how smooth the gameplay experience is. That’s better than just letting you know the average is hitting the 90FPS minimum required for consumer-grade VR headsets like the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.

While this sort of data was technically available as part of the original FCAT release, what Nvidia has done with its latest rendition is make it more easily accessible. There’s a new UI to play with and a new results screen that spits out stats and graphs in an easy-to-read manner. There’s even an in-game VR overlay that lets users wearing the headset have a better idea of how the system is performing on the fly, according to RoadtoVR.

This is all very useful for those looking to tune their systems for virtual reality gaming. While it may not be too difficult to reach the 90 FPS minimum, especially when using safety net features like reprojection, space warp and time warp, not every user wants to make use of those features.

Knowing how often your otherwise-capable system makes use of them is important and something Nvidia hopes will help separate its benchmarking tool from the alternatives.

FCAT VR will become available for general use in mid-March.

Google gets serious about gaming with playable ads and Play Store updates

Why it matters to you

Google’s recent work should make it easier for Android users to discover, try, and buy new games.

Google announced an advertising initiative at the Game Developers Conference on Wednesday that aims to make it easier for developers and publishers to pull in new players. It’s called “Playables,” and it’s functionally an HTML5-based ad that features some light gameplay, so users can test drive games without buying or installing.

While useful, the concept isn’t necessarily new, as startups like mNectar have partnered with mobile gaming giants like Zynga and King Digital to accomplish a similar goal in the past. What makes Google’s proposal potentially more compelling is, well, Google. The company’s Universal App Campaigns, of which Playables are a part, distribute ads over many of Google’s properties, like YouTube, Google Search, and the Play Store itself, as well as millions of third-party apps that utilize the Google Display Network. Playables will be rolling out “in the coming months,” the company says.

More: Google’s Progressive Web Apps turn mobile sites into Android apps

Wednesday’s announcement accompanies two other measures Google revealed earlier in the week that are designed to increase app visibility and sales. Going forward, the algorithms that determine the promotion of games on the Google Play Store will be tuned to prioritize play time, frequency, and user ratings over just downloads. The company hopes the emphasis on engagement will turn gamers on to interesting, high-quality titles they might otherwise miss due to a lack of commercial success or little word of mouth.

Another small but crucial change coming to Google’s marketplace is the visibility of sale prices. Formerly, app publishers had to simply modify the price of their products if they wanted to offer discounts. The sale couldn’t be highlighted or made known to shoppers, unless the publisher added it to the description. With a new update, discounted apps will display a standard “list price” crossed out above the purchase button, which will display the sale. Publishers will also be able to communicate the length of the promotion. According to Google, sales currently apply only to app downloads, not in-app purchases or subscriptions.

Here’s how you access YouTube links in Daydream

Opening up YouTube links in Daydream is easy, provided you know what you’re doing.

Everybody has navigated to YouTube at least once, whether it’s for a movie trailer, a music video, or just a news clip that they want to watch. What you may not have realized is that YouTube has a pretty significant offering of 360 degree videos that can be enjoyed from within VR. If you’ve found one of these videos, and you’re ready to watch it in VR you may have a pretty obvious question. ‘How in the devil do I open this YouTube link in Daydream?’ Well have no fear, it’s simple and we have the details for you here.

Read more at VRHeads.com

Binge your heart out with these anime wallpapers!

There’s so much anime out there, it’s enough to make a fangirl blush.

Back when I was in high school, there weren’t that many places to watch anime (legally). Now, look at the market! We’ve got anime everywhere! Toonami is back and more awesome than ever, Crunchyroll and Funimation have teamed up to offer more awesome subs and dubs mere hours after they air in Japan, and the diversity and quality of the anime out today is jaw-dropping. Now, there’s a whole, whole, WHOLE lot of anime wallpapers out there for the discerning fan, but unfortunately, most of it is going to have to wait for another week, because these come first!

Classicaloid is kinda like Hetalia (or more recently Bungo Stray Dogs) taking some of history’s most famous composers and reimagining them as crazy superpowered characters. We have famous composers like Bach, Chopin, and this absolutely savage-looking Beethoven. He’s fierce, he’s sporting a leather jacket in this reincarnation, and he is a BOSS.

He’s also introduced with the nickname Beethes and he likes to play with flamethrowers.

FEEL MY MUSIC!

ClassicaLoid Wallpaper 07 by sanoboss

This awkwardly-named anime features an adorable schoolgirl who always has her awesome, blood-red headphones on. Truly, a girl after my own heart… and one that’s gonna crush my heart when she dies. But until then, I shall savor that blue hair, those red headphones, and those eyes that see straight into my music-loving soul!

Fuuka Minimalist Wallpaper by Fremy-Speeddraw

SWORD ART ONLINE IS BACK! Forgive me for shouting, but I’m so happy! I’ve been jonesing for more SAO for a while, and this time we’re getting a feature-length film, and not one of those fake-out recap films like Extra Edition. It wouldn’t be a new chapter of Sword Art Online without a new BEST GIRL for the cast, and this time around it’s the singer Yuna, seen here dueting with the ultimate best girl Asuna. In bikinis. Because why not?

Ordinal Scale is coming to theaters in America on March 9th, subtitled, and you should really grab tickets before they’re completely sold out!

Asuna and Yuna! by Fulbring

Volume Four of RWBY ended at the beginning of February, and while it’s been a whole season since Pyrrha died, it still stings. Her fabulous red hair, her piercing green eyes, her unbridled skill… Pyrrha’s romance with Jaune was adorable and delicious, and now that it’s gone it’s left a void. Her sword may live on in Jaune’s, but it’s not the same…

Long live Pyrrha!

Battle Armor Pyrrha by dishwasher 1910

KonoSuba is a standout in a great and growing field that pokes fun at the traditional fantasy world RPG narrative, pairing a NEET gamer with a haughty but mostly worthless goddess, a masochist tank who gets off on getting beat up and humiliated, and this adorable little fireball. Megumin is an oddly-speaking magician who has no patience or tolerance for anything but the most ridiculously powerful Explosion spell. She can’t move once she casts it, she can only use it once a day, and she refuses to learn or use any other magic, meaning she’s a one-shot cannon and a liability the rest of the time. But that doesn’t stop us from loving Megumin or her one-track magical mind.

EXPLOSION!!!

Megumin-KonoSuba by Matcha2

YouTube TV FAQ: All your questions answered!

YouTube TV is coming, and you probably have questions.

It’s always exciting to see a company like Google offer something new, but YouTube TV is not the first time this company has tried to do something innovative with streaming video. Here’s what you need to know about Google’s latest efforts to shake up television as we know it.

What is YouTube TV?

Think of YouTube TV as an internet-based cable television subscription. For a monthly fee, you can stream live television directly to your phone without needing an account through your local cable company. You can use this as a way to watch live television when you aren’t at home, or you can completely replace your home cable service with YouTube TV.

Aren’t there other apps that do this right already?

As a matter of fact, there are three rather popular services offering similar services. Sony’s PlayStation Vue lets you watch and record live TV across many different screens, DirecTV Now is a satellite-free alternative to cable companies, and SlingTV exists as an alternative to watching your favorite shows with a cable box.

YouTube TV is looking to compete with these services by offering a price point in the middle of these services, with expanded features a promise of more consistent streaming video quality.

What channels do I get with YouTube TV?

Currently, YouTube TV is offering:

• ABC
• CBS
• FOX
• NBC
• NBCSN
• USA
• FX
• FreeForm
• Oxygen
• Bravo
• MSNBC
• Fox News
• CNBC
• FXX
• FXM
• SyFy
• Fox Business
• Local Now
• Disney
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• The CW
• E!
• Universo
• Universal
• Sprout
• National Geographic
• Nat Geo Wild
• Chiller
• ESPN
• ESPN 2
• ESPN 3
• ESPN News
• ESPN U
• SEC ESPN
• CSN
• Fox Sports
• BTN
• NBC Golf
• Telemundo
• FS1
• FS2

YouTube TV also includes YouTube Originals, which are shows and movies previously available only to YouTube Red subscribers.

There will also be the ability to add networks to your subscription for an additional fee. Currently, Fox Soccer Plus and Showtime are on the list of add-on networks to be available at launch.

Can I record shows with YouTube TV?

You can! YouTube TV includes a “Cloud DVR” service that allows you to record multiple shows simultaneously so you can watch them later. This feature includes a commercial skipping feature if you’re watching a recorded show, available with a simple tap in the YouTube TV app.

This Cloud DVR service comes with unlimited storage, and videos you have recorded can only live on your account for nine months before they need to be erased.

How many people can use my account at the same time?

Each YouTube TV account allows you to connect up to six accounts in a family plan for no additional fee. Currently no other live TV streaming service supports six simultaneous users as part of the base price, and each of these connected accounts will get separate recommendations and offers based on their viewing habits. This means you kids can watch all the Pokemon they want and it won’t interfere with reminders about Game of Thrones or Football.

So far, Google has not mentioned any need to prove those six people live in the same house or share any other Google services.

What do I need to use YouTube TV?

According to Google, YouTube TV will work on just about everything with a screen. Android and iOS apps will be available, as well as a website for watching and controlling your account.

If you have a TV with a Chromecast dongle or Google Cast service embedded, you will be able so stream anything from YouTube to your television easily.

How much does YouTube TV cost?

Right now Google is offering a flat rate of $35 per month for YouTube TV. There’s currently no mention of the individual costs for the add-on networks.

This monthly plan does not include any contracts or commitments, so you can quickly cancel the service if you decide you are unhappy with it.

What about people outside of the US?

As is often the case with Google products and streaming TV services, YouTube TV is currently US only and will likely remain US only for quite a while.

In order to launch in other countries, Google needs to secure streaming rights in each country. That kind of thing takes a lot of time, so the current focus is delivering in the US for now.

Can I get YouTube TV now?

Not yet! YouTube TV is going to be available “soon” and when it is actually available it won’t be available across the whole US all at once. Google’s plan is to make the service available first in the largest US markets and expand rapidly after the launch. In case you are curious, the 10 largest media markets in the US are:

• 1 New York, NY
• 2 Los Angeles, CA
• 3 Chicago, IL
• 4 Philadelphia, PA
• 5 Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
• 6 San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA
• 7 Washington DC/Maryland
• 8 Boston MA/NH
• 9 Atlanta, GA
• 10 Houston, TX

To sign up so you can be notified of when this service is available in your area, head here and let Google know you’re eager to try YouTube TV.

We’ll be sure to update this FAQ as more information becomes available!

Google expands its Launchpad Accelerator program to Africa and Europe

The submission process is now open to more technology startups based in emerging markets.

Google is expanding its Launchpad Accelerator program to two more continents. African and European countries have been added to the lineup. They include Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

Launchpad Accelerator already fields entries from Latin America and Asia. Those countries include Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The six-month mentorship program provides equity-free support for technology startups. Startups that have been funded in the past include HashLearn, an Android app in Indian that offers on-demand tutoring; iGrow, an app that helps people in Indonesia essentially pay farmers to grow food for them; and Delivery Direto, Brazil’s own on-demand food delivery service.

Entries are open until April 24. If you’re interested, you can apply here. Training at the Google campus in San Francisco begins on July 17.

Here’s a reel of last year’s Launchpad Accelerator startups.

No more renders or blurry shots, this Galaxy S8 leak is as legit as it gets

We aren’t even at peak Galaxy S8 leak yet.

The steady flow of Galaxy S8 leaks continues, and while each gives us a little more information about the design of this phone it’s starting to feel a little familiar. We know the phone is going to be extra tall like the LG G6, and whether it’s a good thing or not the bezels on the side of this thing are going to basically not exist.

This latest leak gives a higher quality look at the outer shell of this phone, and just how impossibly small these bezels are.

The folks at BGR scored a number of decent body shots of the Galaxy S8, and it’s starting to become clear that the outside isn’t really going to tell us anything new. As impressive as that display looks in these shots and some of the videos that have leaked recently, it’s clear the really important things aren’t going to be on the outside.

A lot of people got really excited when it looked like the bottom navigation bar could be customized, and when you couple that with the “Bixby” AI we keep hearing about and the race to make the software more polished and the camera even better, the outer shell isn’t really as exciting anymore. Some of this is because we’ve seen this form factor leak quite a bit, but really Samsung’s big reveal for the S8 is going to be about how capable this phone is and how unique an experience it can create for users.

The outside of this phone is beautiful, but come on leakers. There’s a lot of time between now and when the Galaxy S8 is officially unveiled at the end of March. Lets see a little more of the good stuff!

Peugeot concept learns from your IoT gear to improve the ride

While the Geneva Motor Show is just days away, Peugeot didn’t wait for the festivities in Switzerland to debut its latest concept. Instead, the automaker revealed an autonomous car here at Mobile World Congress. Dubbed the Instinct Concept, the vehicle blends self-driving tech, home automation and cloud-based connectivity to define user profiles. The vehicle uses Samsung’s ARTIK IoT platform to pull in all of your information from mobile devices, wearables and connected home gear to adapt the best driving or riding experience.

It’s not just pulling in the information, either. The car also gives you access to all of those connected devices from the interior of the Instinct Concept. We’re talking about temperature information from your Nest, what you like to watch from your smart TV or details from your virtual assistant on a gadget like Amazon Echo.

Speaking of Amazon, a number of other automakers have already enlisted Alexa to power AI inside their vehicles, Peugeot decided instead to go with Samsung’s cloud platform to collect all of the info and data science company Sentience analyzes the details for what’s relevant to the system. The car has it’s own AI that passengers can interact with via spoken cues.

The Instinct Concept also features four modes that tailor the ride to you. There are two driving modes — Drive Boost and Drive Relax — for performance or more every day driving scenarios. The former configures all of the drivetrain settings to produce the most power while the latter employs semi-autonomous features to ease the burden of evening traffic. There are also two self-driving modes: Auto Sharp will get you where you need to be in the most efficient manner and Auto Soft that makes comfort the top priority. Auto Soft will also take the scenic route so you have plenty of time to take a nap or finish a movie.

This particular vehicle hasn’t been tested just yet, but Peugeot has already been doing trials with the underlying technology in other cars. Of course, at the concept stage there’s no telling if the Instinct will make the leap to a full production model. However, the setup that pulls in all of your information to improve your ride that also makes your sportscar part of your home IoT setup is certainly an interesting idea. The automaker is part of the PSA Group which already has permission to conduct real-world self-driving car testing. Those trials are set to start this month and the plan is for the group to bring autonomous tech to its production vehicles by 2020.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.

Amazing Samsung Galaxy S8 hands-on pics available already

We appeared to get a bit ahead of ourselves earlier when we reported on a highly detailed marketing render of the Samsung Galaxy S8 was released by Evan Blass aka @evleaks on Twitter.

• Samsung Galaxy S8: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Well, now it seems tech website BGR has obtained actual images of an actual Galaxy S8 smartphone. Fortunately, they look an awful lot like the render leaked this morning, so at least the details we reported, referring to buttons and cameras, were correct.

BGR has confirmed the standard size Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch screen, while the Plus model will have a larger 6.2in, but the actual sizes of the phones will be more compact than you’d assume, because Samsung has taken up the entire front of the phone with the display.

BGR

Actual specs and features of the two phones should be by and large the same. That means both will get curved Quad HD AMOLED displays with minimal bezels.

The processor for the US bound versions of the phones is expected to be the Snapdragon 835, a chip that Samsung was thought to have exclusivity of until its phones were released, however Qualcomm has since denied those rumours.

The S8 and S8+ phones bound for other markets will use one of Samsung’s own Exynos processors, which will have similar performance to the Snapdragon 835.

All models will get the same 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and microSDXC expansion support up to 2TB.

BGR

The previously rumoured 12-megapixel Dual Pixel camera has been confirmed to feature on the rear, while an 8MP snapper will be on the front. The rear camera is flanked by a flash and the fingerprint scanner that has been moved from the front.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know
• What is Bixby?: Everything you need to know about Samsung’s assistant

BGR

A dedicated button for Samsung’s own voice assistant Bixby is thought to be on the side, although this hasn’t been confirmed by BGR just yet. USB-C and 3.5mm headphoyne ports can be found on the bottom, and despite having both, the S8 phones are IP68-rated water and dust-resistant.

Samsung has confirmed it will officially unveil the Galaxy S8 at an event in New York on 29 March – although, now we pretty much know everything, there’s not much point – and there’s expected to be available from 21 April