Cute and creepy adventure game ‘Fe’ hits Switch in 2018

A year ago, Electronic Arts kicked off its indie publishing program EA Originals by announcing an intriguing gem: Fe, created by studio Zoink from Gothenberg, Sweden. The wordless adventure game follows a woodland creature as it roams a geometric, stylized wonderland. Today at Gamescom, we got another trailer and great news for Switch fans: The game is coming to Nintendo’s console in early 2018.

Fe arrives to the Nintendo Switch in Early 2018 and is being developed by @EA Originals! #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/e41PyxjnFX

— Nintendo Switch (@NintendoSwitchC) August 21, 2017

While the first footage we saw at E3 2016 showed promise, today’s video threatened some seriously heartwarming adventure. The game’s furry, polygonal protagonist ‘sings’ to different animals and entities it meets along the way, which coo and yelp in response. Let’s be honest: This game looks tailor-made for the Switch’s demographic. Folks who embraced Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s lush, vibrant landscape and adventure will lunge for Fe’s odd yet endearing gameplay, which also seems chill enough for the console’s younger players.

Follow all the latest news live from Gamescom here!

Source: Nintendo Switch (Twitter)

Plex says recent policy changes don’t mean it’s sharing your data

Last week, the makers of media player software Plex sent an email to users informing them of a privacy policy. In effect, the new terms would remove the ability to opt-out of the software’s data collection. Predictably, there was some pushback over the weekend, with subscribers worried about two things: that Plex would sell their data and also be able to see into their media libraries. That’s a big deal if you’ve got a ton of illegally-downloaded movies or music on your media drive. On Monday, however, the company’s CEO promised that Plex would update its policies for better clarity and user privacy.

“We definitely hear and understand your concerns and really appreciate all the thoughtful feedback we’ve received over the last 24 hours,” writes CEO Keith Valory on the website. “We’ve been working on this for weeks and many of us who use Plex every day have had to work through this carefully to get ourselves comfortable. That said, many of you have raised good points that (somehow!) we didn’t consider, so we are going to make some important changes to address those.”

Valory points out that Section F of its Use of Information portion of its privacy policy already prohibits the company from selling your data. “We’ve updated the summary to make this more clear,” says Valory, “but I will state unequivocally here, we will NEVER sell any data, anonymous or otherwise, about your own personal library.

Further, while Valory thinks it would be tough to identify any media file based on the information Plex must have to properly function, his company is going to do three things to help assure his users. First, the playback stats will be “generalized” so that they are less specific; e.g. rounding out playback durations to further obscure the specific file, yet still use the information to manage its servers. Second, Plex will now allow users to opt out of sharing this type of data. Finally, Plex will let you see what data is being collected and how to opt out of it.

“We hope this allays the concerns many of you have expressed,” Valory concludes. “We’ll work on getting the Privacy Policy and summary page updated over the next few days. We’d do it today, but…lawyers. Again, thank you for all your thoughtful feedback and recommendations!”

Via: TechCrunch

Source: PLex

High-powered microscope can scan cells without destroying them

Confocal microscopes are pretty wild. The instruments can capture cell division in realtime, but the downside is the lasers in existing ones tend to fry the cells they’re studying. Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology may have found a way around that, though. Phys.org explains that professors Du Shenwang and Michael Loy have developed a microscope that’s “1,000 times less photo-toxic” than what’s available currently.

The laser used on previous ‘scopes was a million times the strength of summer sunlight, Phys.org says, which had a fatal effect on cells. Kind of like if you’d spent too much time staring at the eclipse today without protective eyewear.

In addition to being around 1,000 times faster than previous models, Shenwang said that this could grant scientists the ability to see how certain diseases are formed at the cellular level. This has been your confocal microscope update for the day.

Source: Phys.org

Walmart is slowly expanding its Uber-powered grocery delivery

Walmart has been testing a grocery delivery service since 2013, when it expanded from San Francisco and San Jose to the Denver market. It’s been using ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to deliver the goods since last year, in Denver and Phoenix. The company is now expanding the delivery service to two new cities: Customers in Dallas or Orlando can now order groceries from Walmart.com and have them delivered via an Uber ride.

The process is pretty simple, which is what you want when you’re grabbing groceries online. You can order online on your desktop or mobile browser, place an order and then arrange a time for delivery. Then Walmart’s “personal shoppers” grab your items, scan them and request an Uber delivery car to come get it from the local Walmart store.

Walmart is testing various ways to get your groceries to you, including deliveries by actual Walmart associates and Walmart trucks and drivers. Still, these are only the third and fourth cities that Walmart has moved into with Uber delivery. That’s a seriously slow roll out, especially as compared to the faster pace shown by Amazon, Target and other retailers.

Via: CNBC

Source: Walmart

New tvOS 11 Beta References ‘J105a,’ Code Name for Upcoming Apple TV with 4K Support

Apple today released the seventh beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update for the fourth-generation Apple TV, and within the beta, there appear to be assets for “J105a,” previously revealed as the code name for an upcoming 4K Apple TV.

Developer Guilherme Rambo, who has made a name for himself delving into the HomePod firmware, shared a screenshot depicting HDR image assets with a file name that includes “J105a.”

tvOS 11 Beta 7 contains some HDR assets for model J105A 😇 pic.twitter.com/IH2XdDfrrW

— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) August 21, 2017

The “J105a” name was first shared by Bloomberg in February, in a report that suggested Apple was working on a fifth-generation Apple TV capable of streaming Ultra HD 4K video.

That report said Apple could release a new fifth-generation 4K Apple TV as early as this year, and since then, we’ve seen continued references to the new model, suggesting a release could actually happen in the near future.

Along with the “J105a” assets found in today’s tvOS 11 beta, references to the code name were also discovered in the HomePod firmware. That information suggested the device could support Dolby Vision and HDR10 color formats.

In March, evidence of an Apple TV identified as AppleTV 6,2 was found in developer logs with a Cupertino IP, and AppleTV 6,2 does not correspond to an existing Apple TV model. The current fourth-generation Apple TV is known as AppleTV 5,2.

Apple has also started listing select movies as 4K and HDR in iTunes purchase history, leading to speculation that a new Apple TV is imminent.

Aside from Bloomberg’s report earlier this year, there has been no concrete confirmation that Apple plans to introduce a new Apple TV soon, but the continued mentions of J105a both in the HomePod firmware and in the tvOS 11 beta suggest we could perhaps see a new Apple TV announced this fall alongside new iPhone models.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Seeds Seventh Beta of New watchOS 4 Operating System to Developers

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, one week after seeding the sixth beta and more than two months after introducing the watchOS 4 update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 4 introduces three new watch faces, including a dedicated Siri watch face that displays dynamic information unique to each individual and is perhaps the most significant new feature in the update. There are also new complications for Now Playing and Apple News, and an enhanced Workout app that supports High Intensity Interval Training and new swimming options.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
GymKit, a new technology platform, will let the Apple Watch interface with gym equipment for workout data sharing purposes, and the Activity app will offer up intelligent coaching and tailored workout encouragement along with new monthly activity challenges.

Many other small tweaks and changes have been introduced, all of which are outlined in our dedicated watchOS 4 roundup.

watchOS 4 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers, so non-developers need to wait until the software sees an official release in the fall to try it out. With September approaching, we are nearing the end of the beta testing period.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3, watchOS 4
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
Discuss this article in our forums

Google Officially Unveils Next-Generation ‘Android Oreo’

Google today announced the next-generation version of its Android operating system, which is named Oreo.

Android Oreo includes dozens of new features, ranging from notification improvements to picture-in-picture support to new emoji.

The update introduces an iOS-like feature called Notification Dots (aka app badges), designed to make it easier to see which apps have new content to display. A long tap on an app icon now displays information like the last notification received and app widgets, much like a 3D Touch does on iOS.

Picture-in-picture support allows users to watch video content while using other apps, while a new autofill feature remembers login information to allow for quicker username and password entry.

Support for new Unicode 10 emoji is included, introducing emoji like exploding head, vampire, zombie, hedgehog, giraffe, fortune cookie, and more. Existing Android emojis have also been redesigned to do away with the iconic Android emoji blobs.

Instant Apps, designed to allow developers to create apps that can run instantly, are now enabled by default, and Google has made improvements to the overall speed of the operating system for faster launch times along as well as introduced security improvements.

A full rundown on the new Android Oreo features is available on Google’s site for those interested. The update is available today through Google’s Android Open Source Project, with Google planning to roll it out to Pixel and Nexus devices in the near future as soon as carrier testing is complete.

Though Pixel and Nexus owners can expect to get access to Android Oreo in the near future, owners of other Android-based smartphones will need to wait much longer, if they get the update at all. The previous version of Android, Android Nougat, is still only installed on 13.5 percent of devices despite the fact that it was released a year ago.

The majority of Android devices continue to run Android 5.0 Lollipop and Android 6.0 Marshmallow, released in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Tag: Android
Discuss this article in our forums

AirPods Shipping Estimates Improve to 2 to 3 Weeks

Shipping estimates for Apple’s AirPods have improved to two to three weeks in many countries around the world, suggesting Apple is one step closer to achieving supply/demand balance for the much-desired earphones.

Since the AirPods launched in December, stock has been in short supply. For many weeks, AirPods shipping estimates were at six weeks, but stock improved enough in early August that shipping estimates dropped to four weeks.

At the new 2 to 3 week estimate, customers can expect to receive AirPods ordered today in early September.

During Apple’s third quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said AirPods capacity had been bumped up and that the company was “working very hard” to get AirPods to customers as quickly as possible.

While Apple’s own stock has been in flux online, Apple retail stores have occasionally received stock and third-party retailers like Best Buy have been able to offer AirPods with quicker shipping on a regular basis.

Priced at $159, the wire-free AirPods have become a popular accessory largely due to Apple’s W1 chip, which significantly improves the Bluetooth connection and facilitates simple and quick transfers between different devices. The AirPods are also equipped with infrared sensors to detect when they’re in the ear, and they support touch-based gestures to activate Siri and perform other tasks.

Tag: AirPods
Discuss this article in our forums

Gear Up: Anker helps keep your devices charged no matter where you are!

In today’s world, we almost always have to compromise with one aspect of our smartphones – battery life. This means that you’ll need to keep a charger near you almost all the time, or you’ll be left in the dark until you’re able to make it back home.

Luckily, there are plenty of options available on the market that will help you get your smartphone battery through the day. Anker is one company that is increasing in popularity to the point that its products can be found in the likes of your local Walmart, MicroCenter or Best Buy.

Today, we’re going to take a look at an array of charging products designed to keep you going, regardless of where you are.

Anker Quick Charge Combo

Starting off with the portable option, as it’s likely the most important, the Anker Quick Charge Combo Bundle comes with everything you need to keep your smartphone charged on the go. Found inside the bundle are the following products:

• Anker PowerCore+ 10050 Portable Charger
• Anker USB Turbo Charger
• Anker PowerDrive+
• Anker PowerLine MicroUSB Cable
• Anker-branded Travel Case

Naturally, it’s unlikely that you’ll make use of the PowerLine MicroUSB charging cable, but chances are that you already have a spare USB Type-C cable lying around that you can throw in the case. This bundle makes sure that you can leave everything in the car, save for the PowerCore+, and won’t have to worry about being left without a charge.

Anker PowerCore+ 10050

Starting with the PowerCore+, we’re looking at a 10,050mAh portable charger with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 capabilities. This means that you won’t have to worry about slow-charging your device, and will likely get your battery back to normal within minutes.

Additionally, the PowerCore+ features Anker’s PowerIQ technology which makes sure that your device won’t be overcharged. PowerIQ automatically identifies which device is being plugged in, so that the optimal charging speed is provided.

Finally, when it’s time to recharge the PowerCore+, you’ll be able to use the provided microUSB cable to get your portable charger back to normal in just a couple of hours. In my testing, I was able to recharge the PowerCore+ in as little as 3 hours when it was completely depleted.

The PowerCore+ is an excellent option for anyone looking to keep their devices charged on the go, without carrying something too unwieldy in their pocket or purse.

Anker PowerDrive+ 1

Moving onto the Anker PowerDrive+ 1, this one of the best car chargers that you can find on the market today. The PowerDrive+ comes with Quick Charge 2.0 capabilities in tow, making it possible for you to juice up your phone rather quickly while navigating to your next adventure.

As is the case with the PowerCore+, the PowerDrive+ also features Anker’s PowerIQ technology, ensuring that you’ll never overcharge your device. This is really a great feature, especially considering how finicky other car chargers can be.

Now, we know there are other options on the market which offer USB Type-C to Type-C charging, but that’s not the case here. Instead, Anker opted to stick with the traditional USB Type-A port, allowing you to charge a plethora of devices, without worrying about making sure you snagged the right cable.

Anker USB Turbo Charger

The final product included in the Anker Quick Charge bundle is the USB Turbo Wall Charger. Unlike the other products included in the bundle, this wall charger is not rated for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 capabilities. However, you won’t have to worry too much about this still not

However, you won’t have to worry too much about this not being able to charge your phones quickly, as it is compatible with Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. On the brick itself, you’ll find Anker’s branding, along with the Quick Charge 2.0 branding.

On the rear of the brick, you’ll find your USB Type-A port, and on the side with the Anker branding is an LED indicator to let you know when everything is kosher. Finally, on the bottom of the charger, you’ll find some more information, including the model number, and Input/Output charging speeds.

This is another great inclusion in this bundle, as it will still make sure that your PowerCore+ portable charger gets recharged to keep you going

Conclusion

The Anker Quick Charge Combo Bundle has been a welcome addition to my travel bag, as the accompanying carrying case ensures everything is secure and not rattling around. Plus, the carrying case includes elastic loops so that there’s a home for each of the aforementioned products.

This bundle is a must have for anyone who travels frequently, as it’s compact enough for you to throw in your computer bag or suitcase. Plus, it won’t break the bank and you can pick it up via the button below!

Buy the Anker Quick Charge Combo Bundle!

Snoopy Pop is the perfect puzzle game for you and your child (Review)

Overview:

If you were a fan of the comic strip Peanuts and enjoyed reading it during your early childhood days, then you must be familiar with Snoopy, the cute little pet beagle of Charlie Brown. Snoopy Pop is an Android puzzle game where the players play as Snoopy to help the birds of Woodstock trapped amidst a cloud of bubbles by popping them with matching bubbles from his bag.

The game is developed by popular developer Jam City, which has previously created similar games like Panda Pop and Paint Masters for children. Snoopy pop throws in a little physics to some levels and it would be ideal for children above 8 years. But this doesn’t mean adults cannot have fun bursting the bubbles.

Developer: Jam City, Inc.

Cost: Free (With in app purchases for coins and power ups)

Setup:

The setup involved before you can have fun playing Snoopy Pop is very simple. You have to just download the game from the Google Play Store and sign in using your Google Play Games account. This is to record your scores and achievements on different levels in the game.

Additionally, you can also connect your Facebook account to receive benefits like free coins and hearts. It also allows you to save your game progress and compete with your friends by comparing the scores.

The game play as mentioned above is fairly simple. You just have to throw matching bubbles towards the obstacles to save the birds from Woodstock. You can just click on the obstacle to throw the bubble or use the walls on the sides to aim.

Impressions:

Snoopy Pop is a classic puzzle game based on Physics where you have to overcome the obstacles and save your friends. The first few levels are designed to give you the idea of the game, like how to clear the obstacles, what happens if you save the birds and so on. As you advance through the game, the difficulty levels increase and new forms of obstacles are introduced like bubbles are replaced by rocks, ropes are tied to bubbles kinds of stuff.

The game also provides you with special powers to help you cope with the obstacles. Like, around the 3rd level, Charlie Brown will help you with his kite, which will be powered up every time you hit yellow colored bubbles. Once the kite is fully charged, you can use it to select and destroy a particular section of bubbles instead of just one color. The Kite could also be instantly powered up by hitting Jars placed among the bubbles.

1 of 4

Things get heated up as you proceed further. New kinds of birds called the Beagle Scouts are introduced which could be saved by matching the color of the bubbles around them. The game also introduces the Red Baron, the flight which drops a new layer of bubbles every time you destroy the old ones. The only way to get past the Red Baron is to destroy its 3 shields using your bubbles. But be careful, because the Red Baron keeps moving and you might end up losing all your bubbles trying to hit it.

Anything more revealed about the levels or obstacles might rob you of your fun. So, let’s talk about the graphics and the other aspects of Snoopy Pop. The graphics of the game is really attractive and cute and it is clearly designed to attract the target audience. Every time you complete a level, the remaining bubbles in your bag, pop out in the air along with balloons and celebratory wrappers. It looks so beautiful and makes you want to complete the level as quick as possible just to have a look at it.

The sound effects of Snoopy Pop are also delightful and famous Peanut songs are played at the end of each level. The best thing about this game is that it does not feature any text or video ads so you could play without any interruption. However, the developers have chosen the in-app purchases to make money from the game. You can buy extra coins to instantly boost power-ups or extra lives using real money.

Conclusion:

To sum it up, Snoopy Pop is a really interactive Puzzle game to kill your time and have some fun doing it. The game play is also neat and the animations and sound effects make the player feel really happy as if he has made a huge achievement every time he completes a new level.

If you have a kid at your home who loves puzzle games, you can surely ask him/her to play Snoopy pop, it has no ads, so you don’t have to worry about inappropriate content coming along your kid’s way and your kid could also learn basic laws of Physics (you could too) and have fun at the same time by playing Snoopy pop.

Download Snoopy Pop from the Google Play Store.