Oculus has a $200 wireless VR headset in the works for 2018

We know that truly wireless VR is the future for Oculus. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out his vision for wireless virtual reality last year, and shortly afterwards we got a brief glimpse at the company’s “Santa Cruz” prototype headset. But it’s been unclear just how long it would take Oculus to deliver a truly cord-free VR experience. Turns out, we might not have to wait too long: Oculus is apparently developing a $200 wireless VR headset for release next year, Bloomberg reports. The device, codenamed “Pacific,” won’t just be an empty shell for your smartphone, like the Gear VR and DayDream View, it’ll pack in all of the hardware it needs for VR experiences.

Based on the price, it sounds like Oculus is basically developing a headset powered by mobile hardware, similar to what you’d find in a modern smartphone. Pacific is reportedly lighter than Samsung’s Gear VR (we assume when it actually has a phone plugged in), sources say. It’ll also have a wireless remote, similar to what Samsung’s headset now includes. To be clear, it’s not the evolution of the more capable Santa Cruz wireless prototype that we’ve already seen. That device packs in more powerful hardware, so it’ll likely go for well beyond $200 when it lands.

“We don’t have a product to unveil at this time, however we can confirm that we’re making several significant technology investments in the standalone VR category,” an Oculus spokesperson said in a statement. “This is in addition to our commitment to high-end VR products like Oculus Rift and mobile phone products like Gear VR.”

For the most part, having a low-end wireless VR headset on the market could change how consumers approach the new medium. Mobile headsets have gotten cheaper, but they require specific smartphones, a few seconds of setup and, of course, they devour your phone’s battery life. For most people, it might make more sense to snap up a $200 headset that just works without much fuss, and which doesn’t add to your smartphone battery life anxiety.

Source: Bloomberg

Uber’s answer to ride-sharing in Russia is a merger

Uber and Yandex, the ‘Google of Russia’, have agreed to combine their Russian ride-sharing businesses. The move further heralds the slowdown of Uber’s global expansion, while it bolsters Yandex’s position in its field: the company has invested $100 million into the venture compared to Uber’s $225 million, but will own 59.3 percent. Yandex.Taxi chief executive Tigran Khudaverdyan will become the CEO of the combined business.

Both companies will work together to provide ride-hailing and food delivery services in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Kazakhstan. Customers can complete their transactions using either the Uber or Yandex app, while driver apps are set to be integrated once the merger is complete at the end of the year.

The deal seems to benefit both parties. Yandex is eliminating a potentially aggressive competitor, while Uber gets the support it needs to continue its operations in Russia following months of legal setbacks and driver protests. However, the San Francisco company struck a similar deal with rival Didi Chuxing in China last year, only to withdraw from the country completely a few months later. Plus the new company is up against fierce competition from the likes of Fasten/Rutaxi, Maxim and Gett, the Israeli startup backed by German automaker Volkswagen. But with Yandex and Uber together performing over 35 million rides a month while growing over 400% year-over-year, the proposed unison does seem strong enough to keep Uber on Russian roads for now.

Via: Reuters

Source: Uber

It’s the end of days for the New 3DS in Japan

Late last month, we reported that while the Nintendo 3DS wasn’t dead, it didn’t really make sense to buy one anymore. After all, the Switch serves the purpose of both console and handheld gaming. Now, it appears as if Nintendo might agree with us: Their Japanese site indicates that production has ended on the Nintendo New 3DS.

3DS owners and fans were worried about the fate of the handheld leading up to the Switch’s launch; however, Nintendo made it clear that it intended to stand by the platform. It announced a slew of impressive new games back in January, but there were only three New 3DS games revealed at E3.

This isn’t a huge shock; while the New 3DS is less than three years old, it’s competing with the cheaper 2DS XL. The middling 3D effects aren’t necessarily worth the price bump. It’s worth noting, though, that it appears that production is continuing on the 3DS XL model. Time will tell how the 3DS fares, but for now it looks like Nintendo is shifting its attention to other priorities.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Nintendo Japan

Netflix leads the streaming pack with 18 Emmy nominations

Today, the nominees for the 69th annual Emmy Awards were announced. Netflix was the clear winner of streaming services, with eighteen total nominations.

Aziz Ansari was nominated for his role in Master of None for lead actor in a comedy, while Robin Wright and Claire Foy were both nominated for lead actress in a drama series for their roles (House of Cards and The Crown, respectively). Kevin Spacey was also nominated for lead actor in a drama series for House of Cards. Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) both received nominations for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, along with Ellie Kemper (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt).

Master of None and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt were also nominated for outstanding comedy series, while Stranger Things, The Crown and House of Cards were nominated in the drama category. For supporting actor in a drama series, David Harbour (Stranger Things), Michael Kelly (House of Cards) and John Lithgow (The Crown) were nominated, while Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) and Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) were nominated in the supporting actress category. Additionally, Tituss Burgess (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) was nominated for supporting actor in a comedy series.

Amazon received three nominations, all for Transparent. Jeffrey Tambor was nominated for lead actor in a comedy. This is the third nomination for Tambor, who won the category in 2015 and 2016. The series also received nods for Kathryn Hahn and Judith Light in the supporting actress in a comedy category.

Hulu also scored three total nominations for The Handmaid’s Tale; it was nominated for outstanding drama series. This means that the majority of outstanding drama nominees (four out of seven) are on streaming services. The Handmaid’s Tale also received nominations for Samira Wiley and Ann Dowd for supporting actress in a drama series.

The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards will be hosted by Stephen Colbert. They will air on Sunday, September 17, at 8 PM ET.

Source: Emmy Awards

China might not block personal VPNs after all

With China making “unapproved” virtual private networks illegal at the start of the year, we previously reported that the nation planned to completely block public access to VPNs by February 1st. Now, just a few days later, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a statement that appears to debunk the claims. The minister states that VPNs with “permissions” such as domestic and international companies won’t be affected. The Ministry then goes onto say that “the majority of users” will also be safe, stating that it will only crack down on “unapproved” VPNs. Predictably, the statement doesn’t clarify exactly how users go about getting said approval.

This is quite different to the blanket crackdown that Bloomberg originally reported. Yet, given China’s history of proclaiming one thing while the reality is often entirely different –- it would be wise to take this statement with a truckload of salt.

If true, however, the Ministry’s vague position on person VPN use could be an encouraging sign for those in China who want more than just a heavily censored version of the internet. With China even opting to create its own version of Wikipedia, allowing its citizens to continue using VPNs seems entirely at odds with the country’s desire to control everything its people see online.

Source: The Paper

Nine Inch Nails’ latest video taps into gaming legend

Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor’s current interest in video games goes beyond remastering the Quake soundtrack for vinyl and using Kinect on tour. The video for NIN’s new single “Less Than” uses the retro PlayStation VR game Polybius as its main attraction. The on-screen action ramps up in time with the music, lyrics flying toward the viewer, building to a crescendo at the two-minute mark where all hell breaks loose.

Before the Tempest-like game was released on PlayStation 4 and PSVR it was part of an urban legend. The story goes that that the government was using the arcade shooter for data mining. Given the direction of the video, the song’s lyrics and the eerie concept-like nature of NIN’s latest work (a series of three EPs about… who knows what) that backstory could’ve served as inspiration here.

In related news, the new NIN album Add Violence will be released July 21st. You can sign up right now for an alert when the vinyl edition is ready for pre-order, and if you want to pre-purchase the digital version you’ll pick up a download for “Less Than” in the process.

For a deeper look inside Trent Reznor’s mind, check out this interview Joystiq did with the musician back in 2009 where he goes on at length about his love for arcades.

“The first time I saw Tempest, for example, I was like, ‘What the fuck is this?’” he recalled at the time. “It looked like some sort of 2001 thing, it had weird, abstract graphics and sounded cool. I realize times have changed, but I miss having those three minutes where it’s you versus that machine, sweating like crazy in this finite countdown to death scenario.”

Source: Nine Inch Nails (YouTube)

EE Extending Free Six-Month Apple Music Subscription Offer, Won’t Count Against Data Caps

British carrier EE today announced it is extending its free six-month Apple Music subscription offer to all new and existing iPhone and Android smartphone customers with a pay monthly plan. SIM-only customers are also eligible.

The offer begins Wednesday, July 19, and customers will be able to register for the deal with a short-code to be revealed next week.

EE said any data consumed by Apple Music will be zero-rated, meaning it will not count against a customer’s data allotment. After six months, customers will automatically be charged £9.99 per month for Apple Music until they cancel.

Tags: EE, Apple Music, United Kingdom
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Hyperloop One speeds forward with its first full-scale test

Why it matters to you

Hyperloop One’s test run may not have been at full speed, but these small steps forward offer the tantalizing prospect that its super-fast transportation system could one day become a reality.

There may be those who continue to raise an eyebrow or two at the idea of the Hyperloop One becoming a reality, but at least one of the companies behind the super-fast transportation system is intent on seeing the project through to completion.

Hyperloop One announced this week that it has taken a major step forward after successfully testing a full-scale version of its technology in a vacuum environment for the very first time.

Conducted recently at the company’s DevLoop test track in Nevada, the trial run saw an “actual size” passenger pod coast above the track for just over five seconds using magnetic levitation technology — better known as maglev — while reaching nearly 2Gs of acceleration.

But if you’re imagining the vehicle hurtling along at Hyperloop’s planned top speed of around 750 mph — a speed that would cut the time of travel between, say, LA and San Francisco from six hours to a mere 35 minutes — then stop right there. It didn’t go anywhere near that fast.

Instead, it reached the test’s target speed of 70 mph, though the successful run means it can now move toward the next phase that will push the pod to a more exciting 250 mph.

Describing it as Hyperloop One’s “Kitty Hawk moment,” the team wrote about the moment the pod started moving:

“’Fire in 5. 4. 3. 2, and 1.’ There was a half-second delay. A clench in the throat. Then, sure enough, the sled shot off down the track, chased by the electromagnetic force from the stator. The wheel mounts rumbled along for a second, and then the rumbling stopped as the pod lifted off the track and glided for 3 seconds before coming to a halt on its own.”

The experimental run enabled the team to put various parts of the technology through its paces, including its highly efficient motor, vehicle suspension, maglev tech, electromagnetic braking, and vacuum pumping system, “proving the full system’s components operate successfully as a single integrated unit in a vacuum,” Hyperloop One said in a release.

Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and CEO of Hyperloop One, was keen to praise his team following the trial run, saying that it had “accomplished what no one has done before by successfully testing the first full-scale Hyperloop system. By achieving full vacuum, we essentially invented our own sky in a tube, as if you’re flying at 200,000 feet in the air,” adding, “For the first time in over 100 years, a new mode of transportation has been introduced. Hyperloop is real, and it’s here now.”

What is Airplane Mode? What it does and when to use it

What is Airplane Mode? Allow us to explain. Smartphones, cell phones, and most other mobile devices are equipped with a setting called Airplane mode, sometimes known as Flight Mode. It’s designed to turn off all the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular and data connections on your mobile device, which might hamper the various sensors and equipment found on commercial airplanes. If you’ve ever placed your smartphone next to a speaker and heard a loud buzzing or another strange interference sound, then you’ll understand why Airplane Mode exists.

We have a guide on how to turn on Airplane Mode for both Android phones and iPhones, but it’s generally easy to implement — just look for an airplane icon and tap it. You should always see an airplane icon in your notification bar at the top of your screen when you have Airplane Mode switched on. Typically, you’ll be prompted to turn it on after boarding a flight, directly before your plane takes off.

There are sometimes slight differences between devices in what Airplane Mode does, but the main thing it always does is disconnect your cellular voice and data connection. If you turn on Airplane Mode on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch, it will also disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

With Airplane Mode turned on, you’ll still be able to use some apps and games, take photos with your camera, and play both videos and music stored locally on your device.

Using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

In 2013, the United States Federal Aviation Administration updated its guidelines to allow for the expanded use of personal electronics. This means that you can always use Bluetooth, which is short-range, on a flight to connect to devices like headphones. It also means that you can use Wi-Fi on flights, assuming it’s equipped on the plane.

Thankfully, you can turn Bluetooth and Wi-Fi back on without exiting Airplane Mode. To do so, tap the relevant icon in your notification shade by swiping down from the top on an Android device or swiping up from the bottom to access the Control Center on an iOS device.

However, the precise rules may vary depending on the aircraft, airline, or the country you’re in. If in doubt, ask before you turn any connections on.

Other uses for Airplane Mode

Now you know what Airplane Mode is, we thought it was worth mentioning that it can come in handy for a few other situations besides flights. If you’re having trouble with connections on your phone and you’re struggling to get a signal, it’s sometimes helpful to turn Airplane Mode on and off again.

The feature also works well when you don’t want to be disturbed — turn Airplane Mode on before bed and your phone won’t wake you with an incoming texts or email (alarms still work). When you want to extend the battery life on your phone, Airplane Mode is also a good way to do it, as long as you aren’t waiting for a call or message. Check out our iPhone battery tips for more ideas. You should also find that your phone charges a bit quicker if you turn Airplane Mode on while it’s charging.

AMD is rippin’ store shelves with two Ryzen Threadripper processors in August

Why it matters to you

AMD is raising the desktop processor bar with the eagerly awaited launch of its two Ryzen Threadripper CPUs arriving next month.

On Thursday, AMD confirmed that its lineup of Ryzen Threadripper desktop processors are on track to hit store shelves in August. There will be two Ryzen Threadripper chips at launch, both of which will be unlocked and eager for overclocking. They will feature 64 PCI Express lanes along with support for quad-channel DDR4 memory. The two mega-sized chips will arrive alongside motherboards provided by AMD’s partner manufacturers based on its new Socket TR4 CPU seat

Here is your new Ryzen Threadripper lineup:

Cores
Threads
Base
Speed
Boost
Speed
Price
1920X
12
24
3.5GHz
4.0GHz
$799
1950X
16
32
3.4GHz
4.0GHz
$999

AMD confirmed the existence of Ryzen Threadripper processors based on its Zen design during its 2017 Financial Analyst Day in early May. Since then, a benchmark for the 1950X model reared its head on Geekbench in mid-June, showing unoptimized single- and multi-core performances ranking slightly higher than the Ryzen 7 1800X, but lower than the quad-core Intel Core i7-7700K. The Ryzen Threadripper 1950X chip should hit ludicrous speed out of the box when it hits shelves next month.

In addition to revealing the Ryzen Threadripper lineup, AMD also said that Dell will begin taking pre-orders for the Alienware Area-51 Threadripper PC gaming desktop starting July 27. As revealed in early June, customers will have the option of configuring the desktop with either of the two Ryzen Threadripper processors, which will be overclocked and kept in check using a liquid- cooled solution. Customers can also configure the gaming PC with single (AMD/Nvidia), dual (Nvidia), or triple (AMD) graphics card configurations.

The two Ryzen Threadripper processors will seemingly arrive just after dedicated AMD customers gutted their PCs to support the current high-end Ryzen 7 desktop processor family. The trio launched in March, followed by four mid-range Ryzen 5 models a month later. AMD said a batch of Ryzen 3 chips would be made available sometime in the second half of 2017 to address the entry-level performance PC market.

Now AMD reports that there will be two Ryzen 3 desktop processors hitting store shelves on July 27, both packing four cores and four threads. The chips will fit into the company’s current AM4 processor socket on motherboards, not the massive new Socket TR4 seat designed for the Ryzen Threadripper powerhouses.

Here are the two Ryzen 3 models:

Cores
Threads
Base
Speed
Boost
Speed
Price
Ryzen 3 1300X
4
4
3.5GHz
3.7GHz
TBD
Ryzen 3 1200
4
4
3.1GHz
3.4GHz
TBD

Like the Ryzen Threadripper chips, the new Ryzen 3 desktop processor duo is based on AMD’s start-from-scratch “Zen” CPU design. They are at the other end of the performance spectrum, packing lots of processing power per watt for a low price. Right now, we are not exactly sure what AMD plans to charge for its two Ryzen 3 CPUs, but based on the chart shown below, the Ryzen 3 entries will likely cost $150 and below.

Cores
Threads
Base
Speed
Boost
Speed
Price
Ryzen 7 1800X
8
16
3.6GHz
4.0GHz
$430
Ryzen 7 1700X
8
16
3.4GHz
3.8GHz
$330
Ryzen 7 1700
8
16
3.0GHz
3.7GHz
$270
Ryzen 5 1600X
6
12
3.6GHz
4.0GHz
$240
Ryzen 5 1600
6
12
3.2GHz
3.6GHz
$215
Ryzen 5 1500X
4
8
3.5GHz
3.7GHz
$190
Ryzen 5 1400
4
8
3.2GHz
3.4GHz
$165