You can build this awesome two-player pinball machine yourself

Why it matters to you

This two-person pinball table will push your DIY skills to the max — all in the name of multiplayer fun.

Pinball is making a comeback, but how do you make it twice as fun? Make it a two-player game, of course. (Full disclosure: We’re not totally sure that equation stands up to scrutiny, but it’s got to be at least 50 percent more fun, right?)

Bringing this glorious concept to life is Portuguese maker Cristiana Felgueiras, who has constructed a two-player pinball table as part of an Inventables monthly challenge. And provided that you can get hold of a few tools and materials, you can build one for yourself — courtesy of her handy free instructions.

“The theme of this challenge was ‘games,’ and the objective was to use [Inventables’ 3D wood carving machine] as the main tool,” Felgueiras told Digital Trends. “My own goal was to pick a popular game — in this case, pinball — and give it a fresh new twist. The result [makes] the game more interactive, competitive and challenging.”

Despite her own use of a wood carving machine, Felgueiras notes that users can substitute that for a simple jigsaw if need be. The only really tricky part of the table, she says, is the metal plunger, which was constructed by a specialist metalworker.

“The juggling between finding the right angles, directions and the size and shapes of the obstacles was also a big challenge,” Felgueiras said. “I had to run a few tests before taking definitive design decisions. In the end though, what really took the longest to make was the drawing of the game in the computer.”

The results are definitely low-tech, but pleasing. You will not find too many lights or sound effects here, so you and your fellow player may have to take turns making them. Nonetheless, we can totally imagine this sitting in the corner of some hip startup, probably next to a big pile of beanbags.

Be warned, though, you had better be ready for some do-it-yourself work, since Felgueiras is not planning on selling finished units any time soon.

“I’m not planning on commercializing it because almost all of my works are unique and I make them for myself — even though sometimes I do take commission works,” she said. “The reason why I construct only one piece of each creation is because I don’t personally enjoy repetition and having to go through the same process and steps, ending up with the same thing over and over again. I share my build experience on the videos in a way that every curious mind can build it themselves.”

Hey, if you’re not ready yet, you can always practice by starting on a DIY one-person pinball table. Or maybe get a buddy in to help you!

Giant kites provide renewable energy when wind turbines aren’t up to the job

Why it matters to you

New wind power technology could be used where it’s difficult for conventional wind turbines to be installed.

“Let’s go fly a kite” used to be a cheerful refrain from the end of Disney’s Mary Poppins. As it turns out, it could be a crucially important idea in the drive toward efficient use of renewable energy. That’s based on the work of a United Kingdom company called Kite Power Systems. They’ve developed smart technology for obtaining power from the wind with the aid of custom-built giant kites that fly in pairs, hundreds of feet up in the sky, with their movements powering a generator on the ground.

“The KPS system has two hybrid kites that are flown as high as 1,500 feet,” David Ainsworth, Kite Power Systems’ business development director, told Digital Trends. “Their tethers are attached to a winch system that generates electricity as it spools out. By achieving flight speeds of up to 100mph in 20mph winds, the kite’s tether tension causes the line to rapidly spool out from a drum, which turns a generator producing electricity. The two kites fly in the same airspace, and are fully automated so energy production is therefore constant and energy yield can be maximized.”

The big advantage over traditional wind turbines is the lower cost in terms of the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE). According to Ainsworth, Kite Power Systems’ technology can reduce the capex of conventional offshore turbines by as much as 50 percent, due to the fact that the system doesn’t require large quantities of steel or specialist installation vessels.

Thus far, the technology has been successfully trialed and tested in the United Kingdom. A 40kW system is currently being tested at an airfield in Scotland, while a larger 500kW system is also in the works. The company aims to achieve commercialization within the next 3-5 years.

“Before we consider venturing into overseas markets, we first intend to develop a kite farm in Scotland — but rest assured we have our eye on the U.S. market and indeed other countries around the world,” Ainsworth said. “Given that our system can be deployed in onshore and offshore locations, we see fantastic opportunities in the U.S. for kite power. For example, off the West Coast where it’s difficult for conventional wind turbines to be installed.”

Between this, kite-shaped drones, and Google X’s not-dissimilar Makani Power project, kites have never been cooler. Or more useful.

Latest Windows Insider build brings Edge, Windows Shell improvements

Why it matters to you

If you’re a Windows Insider, then this is your chance to hit the update button to gain a better Windows 10 UI, Edge, and typing experience.

Microsoft disappointed some Windows 10 fans with the recent announcement that the time-shifting Timeline feature won’t be arriving as part of the upcoming Fall Creators Update. However, the company hasn’t slowed down on bringing other improvements to Windows 10, and its latest Windows Insider preview update offers some nice enhancements that should help ease the pain.

The newest Windows Insider update is build 16237, and it’s loaded with new features and functionality. This time around, it’s the user interface (UI) that gets the most attention, along with some input and task manager improvements to go with the usual fixes.

Microsoft Edge

First up is Microsoft Edge, which has received the ability to read aloud with word and highlighting for all websites and PDFs. There are also improvements to the Share UI, a new animation when adding a favorite, and some fixes to opening links, copying double-byte characters, and restoring tabs when recovering from a crash.

Windows Shell

Next up is the Windows Shell, which creates and manages the main Windows 10 UI. The first item of note is a fix that should make users happy — when a machine is docked, undocked, or accessed remotely, logging out and back in will no longer be required to resolve a blurry desktop.

Specifically, Microsoft made adjustments to how Windows 10 handles high DPI displays, ensuring that desktop applications will be updated when they’re started. That means that users will only need to restart applications for them to render correctly. This only works for some desktop applications and not Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, and it doesn’t fix applications that are blurry on secondary displays in “extend” display mode.

Windows Shell will also see improvements to Notifications and the Action Center. Here are some highlights:

• Notification buttons now span the bottom of the notification and are not just right-justified.
• The first notification in each notification group is now auto-expanded, making it easier to take action on notifications.
• The “X” to dismiss notifications has been replaced with an arrow to make it clear that hitting the control pushes a notification to the Action Center rather than dismissing it.
• A number of fixes were applied, including resolving a crash related to having more than 20 notifications in a group, fixing a problem with tapping on the chevron to collapse a notification, and more.

My People

The My People feature continues to improve after being left out of the Creators Update. Notification badges for pinned people will now match the system theme, and receiving emojis from pinned people will now be referred to as a “pop” under Settings, then Personalization, then Taskbar.

Input Improvements

Build 16237 also enhances some of Windows 10’s input functionality. The Emoji Panel has been touched up, the new touch keyboard experience has been improved, and the handwriting panel should prove more useful, Here are some highlights:

• Type to search in the Emoji Panel now supports emoji 5.0, and more keywords have been added.
• Hovering over an emoji will now provide the Unicode character name, and categories have received tooltips.
• Dark theme users will notice a fix to the “X” for closing the Emoji Panel.
• The touch keyboard will now pass the correct window size information when shapewriting, improving accuracy.
• Typing on the touch keyboard will now generate a sound, similar to the previous touch keyboard version.
• Some other fixes have been implemented in the touch keyboard: Learning user typing styles will make better predictions, the keyboard will no longer show left and right docked modes when the one-handed keyboard is relaunched, and more.
• The handwriting panel has been improved with a fix for unintentional ink strokes and a fix whereby words will no longer be inserted twice when the panel is dismissed.

Task Manager Improvements

The previous Windows Insider build added GPU support to the Task Manager. Build 16237 improves that support, with an updated UI layout and additional details including DirectX version and the GPU’s physical location. In addition, only hardware GPUs now show up on the list.

Build 16237 also brings the usual changes, improvements, and fixes to go with a number of known issues. You can check out Microsoft’s blog post on the new build for all of the details. As usual, you’ll need to be a Windows Insider on the Fast Ring to receive this new build. If you’re a particularly active Windows Insider, then you’ll also want to note that Microsoft is planning its next Bug Bash event for Friday, July 14, through Sunday, July 23.

Enter the trippy, puzzling world of monsters with GNOG on PlayStation VR!

GNOG takes you on a musical, vivid ride, filled with brain teasing puzzles to solve!

GNOG is only available on PlayStation VR right now, but will be releasing on Steam later this year.

Immerse yourself in a world of bright colors while you try to solve each brain teasing puzzle that GNOG throws at you. Simple and fun gameplay, combined with amusing puzzles, will have you scratching your head and trying to figure out what you’re doing wrong. With plenty of content to keep you busy and a low pricetag, GNOG is a blast for anyone who likes making their brain work overtime. Let’s take a look at everything it has to offer!

Read more at VRHeads

Which unlimited plan should you buy: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon?

All four major carriers in the U.S. offer unlimited data plans. But which is the best?

With Verizon bringing back an unlimited data plan, the big four networks in the United States (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) all carry an unlimited data plan now. That’s important for power users as well as anyone who uses their mobile broadband internet as their sole way to stay in touch or for entertainment. The cost of data overages means that unlimited data is a must for many of us.

But just because everyone offers unlimited data doesn’t mean that all plans are equal. Pricing is important as are “extras” like tethering and the hidden data cap that pushes you back to slower 3G speeds when you reach it. And of course, zero-rating means we have to pay attention to what unlimited means when it comes to the quality of streaming media as well as the source.

We took a look at what each carrier has to offer so we can decide who delivers the very best unlimited data package. Let’s start with a look at the details for each carrier.

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AT&T

Unlimited Plus

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)
• Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
• Advanced messaging between compatible phones on the AT&T network
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with free Roam North America Feature (if more than 50% of use is outside the U.S. the plan can be terminated)
• Unlimited music and video streaming with optional Stream Saver for less data use
• $25 monthly credit for DirecTV services
• One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Plus plan is $90
• Two lines of service for $145
• Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
• Add a wearable for $10 per month

Unlimited Choice

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• Data speeds capped at 3Mbps
• Standard definition video streaming
• One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Choice plan is $60
• Two lines of service for $115
• Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
• Add a wearable for $10 per month

Everything you need to know about AT&T’s unlimited plans

Sprint Unlimited Freedom plan

• Unlimited talk, text, and data (with certain restrictions)
• Unlimited data for streaming video up to 1080p
• Unlimited data for gaming up to 8Mbps
• Unlimited data for streaming music up to 1.5Mbps
• 10GB high-speed mobile hotspot with VPN and P2P support
• Add a tablet with unlimited data for $25 per month
• One line of service is $50
• Two lines of service is $90
• Three lines of service is $90
• Four lines of service is $90

Sprint’s pricing is scheduled to change June 30, 2018. The “free” third and fourth lines are a current promotion and will probably go away.

Everything you neeed to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom Plan

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T-Mobile

• Unlimited talk, text, and data with 200MB of roaming data
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico
• One hour of free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi and unlimited texting on enabled flights
• Unlimited data and texting in over 140 locations at 2x speed (264kbps) (limited time offer)
• 10GB 3G mobile hotspot use
• One line of service on a T-Mobile ONE plan is $70 (including taxes and fees)
• Two lines of service for $100 (including taxes and fees)
• Three lines of service for $140 (including taxes and fees)
• Four lines is $160 and each additional line adds $20 to the total (including taxes and fees)

T-Mobile’s One plan has some limitations. Streaming video is compressed and delivered at 480p and tethering is limited to 3G speeds. You can add One Plus to any plan for an extra $10 per month per line and enable 1080p HD video streaming and 10GB of high-speed 4G LTE tethering. The One Plus International offers unlimited 4G LTE tethering for an extra $25/mo per line.

Everything you need to know about T-Mobile’s unlimited plans

Verizon

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• Unlimited HD streaming video (see Verizon’s Video Optimization Deployment page)
• 10GB high-speed mobile hotspot
• Add a tablet with unlimited data for $20 per month
• Add a connected device for $5 per month
• Unlimited calling and texting to and from Canada and Mexico
• $80 for one line of service
• $70 per line for two
• $54 per line for three
• $45 per line for four

Everything you need to know about Verizon’s unlimited plan

The best unlimited data plan

The best plan is the one that works where you need it to work, not the one that’s the cheapest. And we can’t tell you which that one is, because it’s different for each of us. Paying more than you need to for phone service is a bad idea, but so is paying for service that doesn’t work.

Generally, if you live outside of a metropolitan area that means Verizon. You pay a little more for the first or second lines when compared to T-Mobile (especially once taxes and fees are applied) but chances are Verizon will have the best coverage if you’re in a rural area. There are exceptions, so be sure to investigate before you give any company your money.

If you’re part of the 90% of the U.S. population who lives in a large town or city, your choices are expanded. T-Mobile can be a great choice for a single line or two lines, as even with the One Plus add-on fee of $10 per month you’ll still save money because they include taxes and fees in the cost. If you need more than two lines, Verizon is actually cheaper once you factor in the $10 per line for One Plus, but you still have the taxes and fees to contend with on Verizon. Alternatively, if you’re fine with 480p video and 3G tethering speeds, you can forego the One Plus add-on and come in a few dollars cheaper.

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Of course none of this includes any customer-loyalty offerings or legacy plans you might be using. In those cases, you might want to stick with the carrier you have now instead of switching because of new pricing or new promotions.

We can’t tell you which carrier will be the best for you. But we can tell you what to look for and where to start. Talk to your friends and see what service they are using and how well it’s working, and call each company to see exactly what they have to offer. Most carriers have plans they don’t advertise and one may fit your needs better than the default unlimited plans.

We just want you to enjoy the service you’re paying for!

See plans at AT&T

See plans at Sprint

See plans at T-Mobile

See plans at Verizon

Your turn

What carrier do you subscribe to? Are you happy or are you looking for something new? Add your experience to the comments and help sort this mess out!

Update July 7, 2017: This post has been completely rewritten with new information about all the carriers’ unlimited plans, and a new conclusion based on current information.

Google vs. the EU vs. our sanity [#acpodcast]

There isn’t a lot going on right now, but somehow Andrew, Daniel and Jerry still manage to fill 90 minutes with hot takes.

Most of that time is spent talking about Google’s showdown with the European Commission on Android’s dominant position in the market, while the rest is spent between talking about Motorola’s strange smartphone strategy, OnePlus 5’s dubious camera legacy, and why Amazon would make a pretty damn good carrier.

Show notes:

• EU considers yet another record fine for Google, this time over Android’s anti-competitive terms
• Motorola will unveil the Moto Z2 Force and other products at a July 25 event in NYC
• The OnePlus 5 takes better photos than you think, but not as good as you hope
• Amazon and Dish may make adorable carrier babies

Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/androidcentral343.mp3

Import your orcs from ‘Shadow of Mordor’ into the sequel

Your perfect orc enemy (and ally) from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor are coming along for the ride in this fall’s sequel, Shadow of War. Mordor has just gotten an update that adds the “Nemesis Forge” to the game that will import your personalized, highest-ranked orc captain and buddy into War once the game comes out October 10th. Now, this isn’t automatic. Nor will it simply read your game save and do its trick, so you need to have the old game laying around if you want Grishnak the Red to inhabit War.

Meaning, if you traded Mordor in after beating it two years ago you’ll need to buy it again to take advantage of the Nemesis Forge. Or, lucky for you, Warners Bros Interactive has made Mordor free to try this weekend on Steam and Xbox One. And if you dig what you play, the game is 80 percent off on those platforms and PlayStation 4. It’s not like you had anything better planned for this weekend anyway.

We’ve seen variations on this before in Mass Effect and a few other games, sure, but that doesn’t make this any less cool. For a look at how lead voice actor Troy Baker’s work with Naughty Dog affected how he directed War’s cutscenes, check out our interview from E3.

Source: Shadow of War (YouTube)

BMW 5 Series sedans relieve parking woes with real-time updates

Transportation analytic company Inrix announced this week that its On-Street Parking service will be incorporated into the BMW 5 Series sedan. The service provides real-time information on the likelihood of parking availability based on historical and up-to-the-minute data.

In a recent survey conducted by Inrix, 72 percent of respondents said that parking availability information is the feature they want the most. “Real-time parking is the most sought-after navigation feature because it addresses a pain point that affects everyone,” said Inrix VP Joe Berry in a statement. The BMW sedans will also get Inrix’s traffic service that gives real-time traffic flow, travel time and accident information.

When it comes to finding parking, there are a few apps that have tried to remedy the problem. Ford has an app that lets you find garage parking, MonkeyParking started out by letting people pay other drivers for public parking spots that they’re getting ready to vacate but has since switched gears to private parking spots and one of the more well-known apps, ParkMe, was acquired by Inrix in 2015. Google Maps has also been working on a feature that will tell users how difficult parking is likely to be at their destination.

Inrix’s On-Street Parking service is live with BMW in seven German cities as well as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC. The company says more cities will be added throughout the year.

Source: Inrix

Facebook wants its new campus to be a mini neighborhood

It’s been four years since Facebook got the ok to build a new Frank Gehry-designed headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and two years since the company moved into the space. Now the company is looking to expand again. Unlike Apple’s isolated spaceship campus, however, Facebook’s new “Willow Campus” seems to take a cue from Google in offering more public access. The new Menlo Park campus is designed to connect to other people, providing housing, retail and transportation to both the company and its neighbors. The official filing of the plan is set to occur later this month.

Facebook is likely trying to get ahead of public opinion with this new focus on social connection. The Bay Area is known for tech companies driving up the price of housing, clogging up the roadways and shuttling employees around in private shuttles.

“Part of our vision is to create a neighborhood center that provides long-needed community services,” wrote the company in a blog post. “We plan to build 125,000 square feet of new retail space, including a grocery store, pharmacy and additional community-facing retail.” The company also hopes to contribute to local housing shortages, building 1,500 new units on the Willow Campus, 15 percent of which will rent at “below market rates.” Facebook has an existing Catalyst Housing Fund to help provide more affordable housing in the area. ReCode estimates there will be 1.75 million square feet of office space, though it’s not clear whether this will be solely for Facebook’s use.

Update: A Facebook spokesperson sent Engadget the following specifications about the new Willow Campus plans:

• 59-acre site
• 1.75M sq. ft. of office space
• 1.6 M sq. ft. of residential space
  • 1,500 units of housing,
    • 15% below market rate
• 125,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
  • Grocery store, pharmacy, hotel, cultural/visitor center, etc.
• Construction: Multiple phases; 24-months each to complete
  • 1st phase projected to be finished in early 2021.
    • To include retail, housing and office space.
• The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) to design this new campus.
• 7 new publicly accessible parks and plazas that range from 1/2 acre and two acres in size.

Via: ReCode

Source: Facebook

Alphabet drops all but one patent claim in its case against Uber

Alphabet’s autonomous-car business, Waymo, has streamlined its lawsuit against Uber, dropping three claims of patent infringement entirely and focusing on a single case of alleged patent theft.

The patents are not actually Waymo’s main concern in this lawsuit — the company claims Uber stole trade secrets relating to its self-driving LiDAR technology when it hired former Alphabet employees last year. Waymo says former self-driving leader Anthony Levandowski downloaded more than 14,000 confidential design files before leaving Alphabet and founding his own self-driving start-up, which was swiftly bought out by Uber.

US District Judge William Alsup asked Waymo in June to streamline the patent side of its case from 121 claims of theft to fewer than 10, so as not to overwhelm a jury. He even suggested Waymo drop the patents from its case entirely.

Waymo today ditched any claims against Uber’s Spider LiDAR design, noting the ride-hailing company stopped using that particular model. Waymo now claims just one instance of patent infringement against Uber’s Fuji LiDAR technology.

“We found after fighting for discovery a device created by Anthony Levandowski at Uber that infringed Waymo patents,” a Waymo spokesperson tells Engadget. “Uber has assured the court in statements made under penalty of perjury that it no longer uses and will not use that device, so we have narrowed the issues for trial by dismissing the patent claims as to that device, with the right to re-file suit if needed. We continue to pursue a patent claim against Uber’s current generation device and our trade secret claims, which are not at all affected by this stipulated dismissal. We look forward to trial.”

Uber, meanwhile, is framing Waymo’s move as a win.

“Waymo’s retreat on three of their four patent claims is yet another sign that they have overpromised and can’t deliver,” an Uber spokesperson says. “Not only have they uncovered zero evidence of any of the 14,000 files in question coming to Uber, they now admit that Uber’s LiDAR design is actually very different than theirs. Faced with this hard truth, Waymo has resorted to floating conspiracy theories not rooted in fact, doing everything they can to put the focus on sensation rather than substance.”

While Alsup said Waymo’s patent claims were not “worth the salt,” the Judge has said its trade-secret case has legs.

“The bottom line is the evidence indicates that Uber hired Levandowski even though it knew or should have known that he possessed over 14,000 confidential Waymo files likely containing Waymo’s intellectual property; that at least some information from those files, if not the files themselves, has seeped into Uber’s own LiDAR development efforts; and that at least some of said information likely qualifies for trade secret protection,” he said in a decision.

Uber claims Levandowski downloaded those 14,000 files during a dispute with Waymo over his bonus. “Uber believes that the downloading was done in relation to Levandowski’s employment at Google, specifically to ensure the expected payment of Levandowski’s $120 million bonus from Google,” Uber said in a June 28th filing. “Of that total bonus, approximately $50 million was payable as of October 2015, but was paid in late December 2015, and approximately $70 million was paid in August 2016.”

Source: CourtListener