New Slack Rival ‘Twist’ Aims to Streamline Team Interaction With Fewer Distractions

The group behind popular productivity app Todoist today launched a new team chat platform called Twist, which aims to make online collaboration more meaningful and efficient while minimizing distractions.

Eschewing the more traditional real-time chat channels common to services like Slack, the Twist interface instead splits channels into topic-specific threads that function like online message boards, while real-time conversations are initiated through separate direct messages.

New chat thread posts and replies are corralled into an inbox, allowing users to check and respond to collated messages when it’s convenient for them to do so. The idea is that users no longer have to spend time scrolling through channel threads to find conversations that are relevant to them, and they won’t be distracted by notifications and pop-ups when they’re working.

In line with this philosophy, Twist has no online presence indicator, which is supposed to prevent other team members from expecting an immediate response whenever they post something. The developers say the UI and interaction method aims for a better balance between timely communication and distraction-free work.

Twist launched in beta in January but officially launched today. In terms of pricing, the communication platform has a free tier that limits archived and searchable messages to one month, while the Unlimited tier costs $6 a month, or $5 a month if paid annually.

Twist can be downloaded for free on Mac and iOS devices, with a web interface also available.

Tag: Twist
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By request, Linksys adds web-based interface to its Velop networking kit

Why it matters to you

Linksys heard the feedback provided by Velop networking kit owners and will provide a web-based interface accessible on a desktop or laptop.

Linksys first introduced its Velop whole-home networking solution in January. Now the company is enhancing the kit with a firmware update that adds a web-based interface for PC-based network management. Prior to the update, Velop system owners were required to install a mobile app (Android, iOS) to set up and manage the system from their smartphone or tablet.

“Similar to the browser-based user interface available with Linksys WRT and Max-Stream routers, the user interface is now available for Velop users to access advanced features as well as manage their home network from a Mac or Windows computer,” the company said. “With the browser-based setup, there are even more ways to control the home network for a better Wi-Fi experience.”

The web-based interface brings a new level of customization to the Velop kit. Users can adjust the network’s security spanning firewall, VPN passthough, and DMZ settings. The interface also provides greater insight into the network and its connected devices, such as providing a device table, ping/trace route capabilities, router logs, and more.

Other new settings provided by the new interface include access to the DHCP server, which automatically assigns a local IP address to each connected device. Users will also have the ability to change the DNS settings so they can rely on a third-party domain name system rather than what’s provided by their internet service provider.

The Velop networking kit starts at $350 (or $200 for one unit). Rather than relying on a single router and additional wireless repeaters, the Velop kit consists of two or more identical rectangular devices (miniature skyscrapers) based on mesh networking technology. They create a blanket of connectivity, and provide two 5Ghz connections at up to 867Mbps each, and a single 2.4GHz connection at up to 400Mbps.

Typically, mesh-based networking kits solely rely on mobile devices for setting up and managing the network, leaving desktops and notebooks out of the picture. That’s mostly because there are a minimal number of settings to tweak, thus the kits are best managed with a mobile device. Mesh-based networking systems are typically designed to be plug-and-play, with very little tweaking involved.

But Linksys seemingly wants to change that with Velop. The company heard the pleas of customers and is introducing the requested web-based interface in the latest firmware. It has actually been present since the kit went retail, but remained “hidden” for “testing purposes.” Many Velop owners discovered the interface and requested that it become an official, unlocked component.

In addition to the Velop kit, the Linksys App is also getting an update, too. Along with providing notifications, showing the best channel, and offering a speed test, the app now displays each node and their connected devices. In turn, the app will show each device’s signal strength so that users understand their networking performance.

The new firmware should download and install overnight if Velop’s Automatic Firmware Update feature is enabled. If the feature is turned off, users can download and install the firmware manually at Linksys’ website.

The Visio urges you to imagine the possibilities of outdoor projection

Why it matters to you

The portable Visio projector makes outdoor projection easier than ever.

Visio is a super-powerful mobile projector ideal for emblazoning huge still images onto large outdoor spaces.

The France-based team behind the Visio were keen to overcome limitations found with many of today’s projectors, including their high cost, physical fragility, high energy consumption, and large size.

Aiming “to bring still projection out of the shadow of animated projection,” the device projects photo slides onto potentially enormous surfaces, offering quality beyond that of 4K digital projection.

You can pop regular 35mm slides into the device’s holder, including of course digital images converted to slides. Yes, most people want the opposite these days, but professional services do exist for such a conversion.

The Visio’s key components are a 35mm lens, and the LED 1500-lumens projector light. Between the lens and the light are a series of mounts and rings, and also the slide holder, which combine to create one complete unit.

The device, which weighs just 2.2 pounds (1 kg) and runs for three hours on a single charge, could appeal to artists interested in creating outdoor installations or as a way of showing off work already completed. As well as imagery, you can also scratch text onto darkened glass slides to project messages or other kinds of artwork.

“We aim to convey the pleasure of photo-projection to picture lovers,” the team behind Visio says. “This practice consists in combining a projected picture onto a support to allow the expression of an idea, a message, a representation.”

All of the components are already available in stores, but the team have turned to Kickstarter for help with building the all-important slide-holder ring. They also want to be able to offer a device that’s ready to use out of the box, as well as one you can build yourself, confident in the knowledge that you have all the necessary parts. “While these items are standard, they can have different designs that create problems to fit together,” the startup explains. “That’s why we want to provide a perfectly compatible set of items selected and checked.”

The good news is that the team has just hit their funding target, suggesting it’s on course to fulfill its promise of an October, 2017, shipping date.

If you don’t already have lenses of your own, the team will include one of two lenses — either a Yongnuo 50mm model ideal for indoor and short-distance projection, or a Kelda 85mm model ideal for outdoor and long-distance projection.

Pre-ordering the Yonguno kit will set you back 379 euros ($425), while the Kelda package costs 429 euros ($480). A no-lens option that offers a choice of mounts (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc) costs 289 euros ($320), while an unbuilt kit (without lens) is going for 269 euros ($300).

Can’t view August’s total solar eclipse? NASA has you covered

Why it matters to you

NASA’s coverage means that one way or another you’ll be able to enjoy this stunning spectacle.

Millions of people across the U.S. will be treated to a breathtaking solar eclipse on August 21.

A total of 14 states stretching coast to coast from Oregon to South Carolina will see a total eclipse, which’ll include the somewhat eerie experience of more than two minutes of darkness in the middle of the day as the moon monetarily blocks the sun.

Even better, if the sky’s clear and you’re in the right location, you’ll be able to witness the awe-inspiring diamond ring moment where only a tiny part of the sun is visible.

But what if you can’t make it to any of the best spots to view the eclipse, or you’re living in a part of the world where you won’t even notice it? In that case, NASA can help.

In a special online show to be streamed live called Eclipse Across America: Through the Eyes of NASA, the space agency plans to show real-time imagery captured by 11 spacecraft, 3 aircraft, and 50 high-altitude balloons. Even the folks aboard the International Space Station are joining in the fun, live-streaming the celestial even from their orbiting satellite some 250 miles above Earth.

NASA

Commenting on NASA’s in-depth coverage of the event, Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said, “Never before will a celestial event be viewed by so many and explored from so many vantage points — from space, from the air, and from the ground.”

Zurbuchen added, “With our fellow agencies and a host of scientific organizations, NASA will continue to amplify one key message: Take time to experience the August 21 eclipse, but experience it safely.”

For more information on how to do just that, be sure to take some time to look over NASA’s safety tips for viewing a solar eclipse.

The last total solar eclipse occurred in March 2016 though you had to be Asia for the best view. August’s event will be the first total solar eclipse in 99 years to cross the entire continental U.S., so you’d better start making plans now to find out where you’ll need to be for the best experience. Or there’s always NASA’s online show, which itself promises to be something very special.

Stunning short film made entirely in GTA 5, you won’t believe your eyes

We knew Grand Theft Auto V (aka GTA 5) looks good, even though it’s almost three years old, but we never knew it could look this good.

Director Matt MacDonald has used the game to create a 12-minute short film that, for the most part, looks like a big budget action flick shot in downtown LA.

A mighty list of mods were used on the PC version of the game, but that shouldn’t distract from the superb visuals and mastery in telling a clever, tight story. Not Normal is a gritty, almost Taxi Driver-esque tale with a truly stunning car chase sequence that has to be seen to be believed.

You can watch it right here. It’s even available in 2K.

MacDonald has made several other short movies and videos, all heavily influenced by videogames. His live action GoldenBox is inspired by the N64 classic GoldenEye 007.

• 61 incredible Snapmatic pics that show how good GTA 5 on PS4 and Xbox One can look
• GTA 5 in glorious 4K, picture gallery: Can your PC run it? Find out here

You can also watch a behind the scenes video on the making of Not Normal, which shows some of the techniques he used when constructing the short film from videogame footage. There is an excellent commentary throughout, which will help you if you ever want to attempt something similar.

If you do, please let us know. We’d love to see your work.

‘Pokémon Go’ will flag creatures caught using cheats

Niantic has decided that forcing Pokémon Go cheaters to a life of catching Pidgeys isn’t quite enough of a punishment. Now, any Pokémon caught using “third-party services that circumvent normal gameplay” will be marked with a slash in people’s inventories and “may not behave as expected.” The developer has announced its new anti-cheating measure on The Silph Road subreddit, explaining that they’re meant to ensure its new features remain fun and fair for all Trainers. Niantic is probably talking about its recently announced raid battles, wherein up to 20 players can participate, that’s expected to launch in the coming weeks.

A Twitter user posted a video showing all the slashed Pokémon in his inventory, showing that the new measures are already live:

pic.twitter.com/b8dIYZDc0K

— Gonzalez Monroy (@OKRODRIGO) June 21, 2017

The “third-party services” in Niantic’s post most likely pertains to a number of tools cheaters use, including spoofers that use fake GPS locations for those living in places where Pokémon rarely spawn. Some players also use mappers that tell them where powerful monsters appear, while others use bots to catch Pokémon for them.

It’s unclear what the developer means by saying that the flagged monsters may not behave as expected. Will they just flop and die in the middle of a battle, or will they leave their owner’s inventory altogether? According to Kotaku, some players are already reporting that the marked creatures don’t give trainers candies when transferred to the Professor. They seem to lose their marks when evolved, though that’s likely a bug or an oversight that Niantic may fix that in the future.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Reddit

Imagination puts itself up for sale after being dumped by Apple

Once the world learned that Apple will design its own GPU for upcoming iPhones and iPads instead of using Imagination Technologies PowerVR tech, the UK company quickly lost 70 percent of its value. While it’s still in “dispute” with Apple over the breakup, it already put two of its units, MIPS and Ensigma up for sale, and today announced that the entire company is open to being acquired. Its board of directors said in a press release that “it has received interest from a number of parties for a potential acquisition of the whole Group…and is engaged in preliminary discussions with potential bidders.”

Losing Apple as a customer can be a nightmare, especially when it accounts for about half of your company’s revenue. The question now is whether Imagination will actually sell, and if so, who is buying? Since it believes that Apple’s attempts to move forward alone on graphics hardware are likely to infringe upon its patented technology, the New York Times reports that analysts believe lawsuits are likely.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times notes that Apple already owns an 8.1 percent stake in the company. Now, another competitor or supplier could buy Imagination and put itself in an interesting licensing position — especially since Apple’s move to its own tech is still a year or two away.

Source: Imagination Technologies

Caltech’s ‘lensless camera’ could make our phones truly flat

Even as our phones get thinner, there’s one spot that keeps sticking out: the camera lens. Taking good pictures and being able to focus at multiple distances requires a layer of glass that’s a certain size, but there’s really no getting around it — or is there? Researchers at Caltech have devised (PDF) an “optical phased array” chip that uses math as a substitute for a lens. By adding a time delay — down to a quadrillionth of a second — to the light received at different locations on the chip, it can change focus without a lens.

Caltech

According to Professor Ali Hajimiri, it “can switch from a fish-eye to a telephoto lens instantaneously—with just a simple adjustment in the way the array receives light.” The principle is similar to the way phased communication arrays can focus and steer radio waves in a particular direction, but working in reverse. Back in 2014, the team showed off similar technology turned around to create a projector small enough to fit inside your phone, while another application showed the potential for making your phone into a precise 3D object scanner.

Now, for the first time, it has created a 2D, lensless camera array capable of capturing a low res image of a barcode. The image itself isn’t particularly impressive compared to what your iPhone is capable of, but as a proof of concept, it’s a big deal. Right now the chip consists of an 8×8 grid with 64 sensors, and the team’s next goal is scaling the camera to support larger receivers that are more sensitive and capture a higher-res picture.

Source: Caltech, An 8X8 Heterodyne Lens-less OPA Camera (PDF)

Imagination Technologies Up for Sale Following Apple Dispute

British chip maker Imagination Technologies, which lost 70 percent of its value following a dispute with Apple, has put itself up for sale, it was reported on Thursday (via Reuters).

Apple informed Imagination in April that it plans to stop using the company’s PowerVR graphics technology over the next two years as it begins using its own in-house chips for products like the iPhone and iPad. The news came as a blow to the firm whose contract with Apple accounts for half its revenue.

“Imagination Technologies announces that over the last few weeks it has received interest from a number of parties for a potential acquisition of the whole group,” it said.

“The board of Imagination has therefore decided to initiate a formal sale process for the group and is engaged in preliminary discussions with potential bidders.”

When Apple announced it was ending its supply deal with Imagination the British firm’s shares plunged 70 percent. Imagination said at the time that it doubted Apple could go it alone without violating patents, intellectual property, and confidential information.

In May the group said it had started a “dispute resolution procedure” with the American tech giant. The company said it was also selling MIPS and Ensigma – two of its three major businesses – in an attempt to shore up cash, allowing for a renewed focus on its PowerVR graphics technology. Imagination said on Thursday that it had received proposals for both businesses.

Apple has been a licensee and stakeholder in the company since at least 2008, and became a key investor in mid-2009 after raising its stake in the firm to 10 percent. Apple was reportedly in “advanced talks” to acquire Imagination Tech late last year after the British chip maker announced job cuts.

Despite confirming the talks, Apple later decided not to make a buyout offer, and instead recruited several Imagination employees as part of its efforts to build an in-house graphics team.

Tag: Imagination Technologies
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The OnePlus 5 podcast

This week, Daniel, Andrew, Alex and special guest Michael Fisher (MrMobile) talk about one thing — the OnePlus 5. From design to performance to whether the dual camera lives up to expectations, join them as they run through one of the most anticipated phones of the year.

If you’re on the fence about getting a OnePlus 5, this is a must-listen!

Show notes:

• Don’t be this idiot who knifed a store demo Galaxy S8 to test its durability
• The OnePlus 5 is official: Dual cameras, Snapdragon 835, 3300mAh battery
• OnePlus 5 review
• OnePlus 5: Do you really need 8GB of RAM in a phone?
• OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3: Should you upgrade?
• MrMobile’s OnePlus 5 review

This episode of the Android Central Podcast is brought to you by Thrifter, the best place to get great deals in your inbox every day!

Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/androidcentral341.mp3