YouTube changes its app interface yet again, moving to bottom tab navigation

A subtle tweak that should simplify the experience for many users.

YouTube is once again tweaking its Android app interface, aiming to hopefully clean things up and make the most-used YouTube functions easier to quickly reach. The crux of the new interface is the move to a bottom navigation bar that lets you quickly tap one of five tabs: home, trending, subscriptions, shared and library. The trending and subscription tabs use a familiar bubble interface at the top of the page to let you refine your view.

Outside of the tabs moving from the top of the interface to the bottom, not much else has changed to our eyes. The live video button is no longer a floating action button and now has a permanent place in the top bar, and your account icon is also stuck up on the top bar rather than in a submenu.

The YouTube app listing in Google Play hasn’t actually been updated for a few days, but we’re actually seeing this new interface arrive without a distinct update to the app itself. To force the update we just force-closed the app and reopened it. This is likely rolling out in waves, though, so be patient if it doesn’t arrive right away.

Twitter now separates Direct Messages from people you don’t know

Don’t know the guy? That’s fine, because now he can’t bother you.

Twitter now enables you to preview Direct Messages in your inbox from anyone that you don’t follow. Those sending the messages won’t receive a read receipt unless you select the “Accept” option. Media won’t be displayed in the preview either, unless you actively opt in to show the media prior to accepting the message.

This is a nice middle ground for those who have opted in to having wide open DMs on Twitter — letting anyone send them a message — but at the same time don’t want their inbox to be bogged down with lots of random messages. But of course, as we’ve seen time and time again with new features, the ability to review Direct Message requests also won’t be available inside third-party Twitter clients.

If you’re thinking you’ve seen this feature before, that’s because it’s almost exactly like the review feature that Facebook’s long offered with its Messages functionality. But this sort of ability makes sense on Twitter, which is suffering partly because of its rampant user-to-user harassment issues. At least in this sense, Twitter users have more control over who has direct access to them.

The ability to review Direct Messages is slowly rolling out to Twitter on the web and to both the Android and iOS apps. You won’t need an app update, either — the feature will just appear once Twitter has rolled it out to you.

ROG Zephyrus preview: Ultra-slim gaming laptop with Nvidia’s latest architecture

The opening day at this year’s Computex saw some impressive announcements from Nvidia regarding its new Q-max architecture.

It was also the first to show off Republic of Gamers’ (ROG) exceptionally impressive-looking gaming Laptop: the Zephyrus. Essentially forget everything you think you know about the necessary form factor for a powerful and efficient gaming laptop, because Asus and Nvidia have just rewritten the script. The Zephyrus is packing a vast amount of power in a minuscule package, for instance/

We’re talking a gaming laptop with is just 17.9mm thin at the thickest point and 16.9mm at the thinnest. Of course, any gamer’s immediate thought would be, “How can you run GeForce GTX 1080 on something so slim without some serious overheating?” ROG has come up with an ingenious cooling system it calls Active Aerodynamic System (AAS).

Essentially, there is a flap on the rear of the base that flips out as you open the lid, allowing for a clear airflow. Plus, heat escapes from the large perforated area above the keyboard. Of course, we’d need to see it in action to see if it lives up to the promise.ROG also says that the Q-max allows the Zephyrus to run at 85-per cent performance for just 50 per cent of the battery use.

• Computex 2017: All the announcements that matter
• Asus Zenbook Flip S preview: A thin convertible jam packed with top kit
• Asus Vivo Book Pro S15 preview: The world’s first laptop with Intel Optane
• Asus Zenbook Pro UX550 preview: Next-level machine with a 4K touchscreen

Again, we’d love to run our own tests when a test model becomes available. The Zephyrus is a sleek, slim device, and despite the slim form, it’s unmistakably got the cool design of other ROG devices. As well as the large perforated vents above the keyboard, we liked the hexagonal power key and the trackpad to the left of the keyboard that transmogrifies into a numeric keypad at the press of a button. 

Alongside the GTX Geforce 1080, it also boasts a 7th-generation Core i7 Kaby Lake processor. It also has the Windows 10 Creator update, which should improve performance via the Games mode.

The lid is made of contoured steel and there’s a lovely diamond cut edge as we have come to expect from the ROG/Asus team. We loved the way that the lid was smooth to open – plus it activates the cooling flap 5 and that it was easy to hold in just one hand at just 1.9 kg or thereabouts.

This really appears to be an innovative device and we are really looking forward to getting our hands on it to put it through its paces.

Reddit continues to get more social with location tagging

In continuing its attempt to be just like Twitter, Reddit will now let you tag posts with your location. The optional feature, powered by Foursquare, is launching today on Reddit’s mobile app.

Reddit has been making quite a few changes lately and it’s beginning to resemble typical social networks much more than it once did. In March, the site began testing an option for users to post on their own profile pages rather than just to communities. And the profiles (which better highlight the user’s avatar, have a short bio, and can be followed by other users) are remarkably similar to those of Twitter and Facebook.

In April, Reddit announced that it would also be moving away from its cascading style sheets, which is what subreddit moderators use to personalize their communities. The announcement caused some to worry that the redesign would take away some of the moderators control and creativity, but Reddit plans to work those customization options into the site itself, meaning there might not be cause for alarm.

Reddit’s collaboration with Foursquare to provide its location tagging services is also reminiscent of other social media. Foursquare already powers location tagging for Snapchat, Pinterest and Twitter. And the new function is completely opt-in. So, for those wanting to protect their privacy, posts can remain location-less. However, you can’t, as of now, search for posts by location, which would be a great community-powered tool for, say, vetting that new restaurant or planning your next vacation if they choose to implement it in the future.

Via: The Verge

Source: Foursquare

Haptic feedback gives prosthetics ‘muscle sense’

For all the actuators, artificial tendons and glitter cannons that researchers are packing into modern prosthetics, these devices still lack an noninvasive means of transmitting haptic feedback to its user. However a device developed by Rice University in partnership with the University of Pisa and the Italian Institute of Technology aims to do just that.

Dubbed the “Rice Haptic Rocker”, this device is fitted on the user’s upper arm and brushes a soft rubber pad against the skin. The more the hand closes, the farther the pad brushes. Based on this tactile feedback, the wearer is able to infer the relative position of the prosthetic without having to actively look at it, a sensation known as “muscle sense” or proprioception.

“This ‘muscle sense’ is what allows people to type on a keyboard, hold a cup, throw a ball, use a brake pedal and do countless other daily tasks,” Marcia O’Malley, professor of mechanical engineering at Rice, explained in a press statement.

During a recent small-scale trial, 18 able-bodied volunteers donned prosthetic hands which open and close based on which forearm muscles the user is flexing (which you can see in the video above). While blindfolded, they were asked to hold two objects in the prosthetic hand and guess which was larger. The test subjects guessed correctly 70 percent of the time using the Haptic Rocker, compared to just 33 percent without. What’s more, subjects were able to deftly pick up objects ranging in size from grapefruit down to quarters.

The team will present its findings June 7 at the World Haptics 2017 conference in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany.

Source: Rice Univeristy

Aphex Twin’s first concert livestream includes online-only visuals

Aphex Twin (aka Richard D. James) may have a reputation as a tech-savvy artist, but he hasn’t exactly embraced livestreaming. You’ve usually had to attend one of his concerts to see him venture beyond his album cuts. At last, though, you’ll get to see him perform live… and then some. He’s hosting his first-ever livestreamed concert at London’s Field Day Festival at 8:55PM local time (3:55PM ET) on June 3rd, and this isn’t just the usual feed that shows the stage performance and nothing else.

The IDM artist is partnering with Weirdcore to make a “bespoke online visual immersion” that should bring his warped, mischievous art style to your screen. We wouldn’t count on a “Windowlicker” level of choreography, but this is definitely more than you tend to get when you’re watching from home. the only shame is that Aphex Twin is unlikely to make a habit of this. While plenty of musicians coordinate digital graphics with their live sets, that doesn’t happen very often with streams — this may be your one and only chance to see James experiment with online visuals during a live gig.

Via: Pitchfork

Source: NTS Radio

Uber fires self-driving lead and focus of Waymo lawsuit

Uber has taken a stand in the current legal wrangling around its vice president of technology, Anthony Levandowski. According to The New York Times, the ride-sharing company has fired the former Google employee who came to Uber’s own self-driving automobile division. Google sued Uber recently, claiming that Mr. Levandowski allegedly took some 14,000 documents containing research on LiDAR and other autonomous driving technology when he left Waymo.

Levandowski has since asserted his fifth amendment rights to avoid self-incrimination, though he also voluntarily stepped down from the division last month. Uber has been unable to convince Levandowski to open up to the investigation, however. “Over the last few months Uber has provided significant evidence to the court to demonstrate that our self-driving technology has been built independently,” Angela Padilla, Uber’s associate general counsel for employment and litigation, wrote in an email obtained by the Times. “Over that same period, Uber has urged Anthony to fully cooperate in helping the court get to the facts and ultimately helping to prove our case.”

Source: New York Times

Twitter’s new inbox collects DMs from people you don’t follow

Twitter may never stop tweaking it’s direct messaging function. Last summer, the social network added so many features to the DM tab that it basically became its own standalone chat app. Then the company tried to get everyone hooked on Twitter DMs for customer service. Today, the company added a new “Requests” inbox for DMs that adds a useful filter while also protecting users from abuse and unwanted messages.

“If your DMs are open and someone you don’t follow messages you, it will go into requests,” the company wrote in an announcement today. “From requests, you can accept or delete that message. If you accept, it will go into your inbox.” According to Twitter’s updated support page, deleting the message doesn’t prevent that user from communicating with you in the future (you’ll need to block or mute for that) but it does clear up your message requests. If you’ve accepted a message from a user in the past, new messages from that user will also go directly into your inbox, even if you still don’t follow that person.

If you’ve opted-in to get Direct Messages from anyone, messages from people you don’t follow will go into requests. https://t.co/n1qasb7JZC pic.twitter.com/HQY20T5f6t

— Twitter (@Twitter) May 30, 2017

All attached media will also be hidden whenever an unknown user sends a direct message, but images and video can still be viewed without accepting the conversation by clicking the “View Media” button. Finally, new group DMs will get the same Accept/Delete prompt if you’re being added by a user you don’t know, and if you have read receipts turned on for DMs, the sender won’t know you’ve seen their message until you click accept. Of course, thanks to Twitter’s API restrictions, the new DM inbox function is only rolling out on Twitter’s official iOS and Android apps today. According to Twitter, it should also start showing up on the web version in the next few months.

Source: Twitter Support

‘Genital Jousting’ takes its phallic silliness to the beach

If you didn’t think Devolver Digital’s Genital Jousting’s phallic gameplay was ridiculous enough, you’re in for a treat. The studio has released a Wet Hot Summer Update (what else would they call it?) for the title that adds season-appropriate modes and outfits to the penile party game, including surfing and a sexy car wash. You’ll have to watch the trailer to see exactly what we mean — let’s just say that you’ll never look at volleyball the same way again.

And believe it or not, there’s a strong financial incentive to keep the silliness coming. Devolver says it has sold over 200,000 copies of Genital Jousting despite its mature (or rather, wonderfully immature) content and Early Access status. The low price certainly helps, but this is a textbook example of how seemingly niche games can find a wide audience through online stores like Steam — an outrageous concept and a lot of buzz will go a long way.

Source: Steam, Devolver Digital (YouTube)

Apple Updates Official WWDC App Ahead of 2017 Event

Ahead of the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference, set to kick off on Monday, June 5, Apple has updated its official WWDC app for the event, introducing several new features and a revamped look.

According to Apple’s release notes, the updated app features curated video playlists centered on featured themes, interactive venue and street maps, and a new Venue tab that provides information about the conference site in San Jose, California. For the first time in many years, WWDC will take place at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose rather than the Moscone Center in San Francisco. There are also stickers for Messages featuring classic Apple icons.

– Watch curated video playlists focused on featured themes.
– View interactive venue and street maps.
– See important venue information in the new Venue tab.
– Use all app features without signing in.

The WWDC app is meant to be used by both conference attendees and developers who were not able to purchase tickets for the event. It offers up on-site tools like maps and start times for labs, sessions, and events, plus it includes live video streams so those not in attendance can watch each session.

As of last year, Apple also offers a tvOS WWDC app for the fourth-generation Apple TV, so developers can watch live sessions on their television sets.

Today’s update also includes a schedule of sessions that will take place during the conference, with several funny placeholder names in place to hide information that won’t be available until new versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS are unveiled at the keynote event. For the first time, Apple will be allowing podcasters to reserve time for on-site WWDC podcasts in a special Podcast Studio.

The Worldwide Developers Conference starts on June 5 with a keynote that will take place at 10:00 a.m. Apple will live stream the keynote on both its website and on the Apple TV, and MacRumors will also provide live coverage on MacRumors.com and through the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Apple’s WWDC app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
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