Samsung’s Bixby assistant is finally available worldwide

Samsung has faced a tough slog getting Bixby to the masses, but now its voice assistant is accessible in more than 200 countries including the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa. It’s been available in South Korea and the US since July, when it launched after months of delays.

Part of Bixby’s appeal is its positioning beyond that of a simple voice assistant. Samsung claims it learns over time, recognizing “natural language” to make interacting with your phone easier and more intuitive. It understands cross-application commands and thanks to deep integration it can be accessed without any interruptions to what you’re already doing on-screen. So you can turn down screen brightness while scrolling through Facebook, for example. Users can also create custom voice commands. Instead of setting an alarm and turning on do-not-disturb mode individually, you could simply use “good night” as a shortcut.

Bixby promises a lot, hence the anticipation around its release, and Samsung plans to roll it out to further devices in the future. It recently unveiled a Bixby-powered smart speaker and is already working on a range of smart appliances, so the company clearly has designs on powering whole homes with its voice assistant. But — and here’s the kicker — only if you speak English or Korean (and it took long enough to get it English-ready). Because despite its roll-out to hundreds of countries worldwide, Bixby still only recognizes those two languages. Samsung claims it’ll get additional language support “in time”, but given the delays it’s faced so far, non-English and non-Korean speakers could be waiting a while.

Source: Samsung

Linksys’ new router puts your gaming needs before everyone else’s

You might not think twice about your router (unless it crashes), but gamers looking for every edge do. For those folks, Linksys has unveiled the $300 WRT32X Gaming Router, a model it developed in collaboration with Rivet Networks. It uses that company’s “Killer Prioritization Engine” that — when paired with Razer, Alienware, MSI and other PCs that have the tech — can reduce ping times by as much as 77 percent, Linksys claims.

The idea is relatively simple. The WRT32X simply determines which devices using the Killer Networking hardware are connected to it. It then works with the network to “prioritize important gaming and video networking traffic above other devices in the home.” If the network is saturated, the device simply lowers the bandwidth available to other apps and users. PCs equipped with the router can also tell it to reduce priority for less important traffic like downloads while gaming is happening.

In other words, it will reduce the quality of your granny’s knitting tutorial videos so that you can blast tanks and call your crew slightly quicker on Overwatch. At the same time, it’s completely customizable, so you can prioritize streaming video, for instance. “The WRT32X will [then] treat those packets like gold and ensure nothing in the home slows down those streaming video networking packets,” notes Linksys in the PR.

Linksys adds that the WRT32X has “enterprise grade hardware” and custom-built firmware, complete with a special GUI that “won’t be found on any other router.” The UI, which appears in a special tab on the Killer Control Center of your PC, will supposedly make it easier to change key gaming network settings and get stats, and has an “edgy design” to match the WRT hardware.

Style-wise, it’s not the craziest gaming router we’ve seen, but normals would still probably want to hide it in a corner. As for the hardware, you’re looking at 802.11ac Wave 2 dual-band 3×3 wireless radios, 256MB of flash storage and 512MB of DDR3 RAM, along with a dual-core ARM CPU. It’s got four Gigabit ethernet ports, USB 3.0 and eSATA, too.

In other words, the premium price is getting you slightly better hardware, prioritization and Rivet’s “Killer” network features. If you don’t really need that, there are a lot of nice routers for a lot less money. Linksys’ WRT32X arrives in September for $300.

Source: Linksys

Netflix nabs the next film from ‘Jason Bourne’ director

Netflix is causing waves on this year’s film festival circuit with buzzy productions, such as Okja and Mudbound. Despite facing resistance from theatre chain owners upset with its distribution tactics, it seems its presence at awards ceremonies is set to continue. The streaming giant’s latest high-profile win comes courtesy of Jason Bourne director Paul Greengrass. The as-yet untitled movie will mark Greengrass’ return to the real-life dramas that have defined his career outside of the Bourne series.

The film is reportedly about Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, who was found guilty for the murders of 77 people (the majority of who were workers of a political youth organization affiliated with the country’s Labour Party) in 2011. Breivik received the maximum jail sentence of 21 years in 2012.

Greengrass is writing and directing the feature film, with plans to start shooting this fall, according to Deadline. As usual, Netflix wasn’t afraid to splash the cash, reportedly beating out several bidders for rights to the project.

Matt Damon and Greengrass’ return to the Bourne franchise last year resulted in a global hit, raking in $415 million worldwide. The director’s other films have included Captain Phillips and United 93, which bagged Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Achievement in Directing respectively.

The new project will likely join Martin Scorsese’s much-hyped The Irishman as Netflix’s big prospect on the awards trail in 2018.

Source: Deadline

Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac Comes With High Sierra Support and Touch Bar Integration

Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac got its official release on Tuesday. The thirteenth version of the Windows virtualization software comes with numerous new features including support for macOS High Sierra and the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

Top of the features list is Touch Bar support, enabling owners of compatible MacBook Pros to use the OLED strip with Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as additional integration for the Windows Start Menu and Desktop, including Cortana, Task View, and Taskbar pinned elements. A Touch Bar Wizard also allows users to customize the Touch Bar and add their favorite Windows applications.

New dynamic resolution support mean users can change the window size of their Windows session, with booting and rebooting speed said to be faster and smoother as a result. Meanwhile, enhanced support for Retina displays should see better scaling of Windows applications on Mac screens.

A new Picture-in-Picture mode aims to let users monitor their virtual machine with ease, while support for the upcoming Windows 10 People Bar promises to allow users to view recent contacts in the Windows Taskbar or Mac Dock.

More generally, Parallels claims over 47 percent faster access to Windows files and documents compared to the previous version, faster file transfers over USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt SSD devices, and up to 32 vCPU and 128GB vRAM per virtual machine with Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition, with code for all new versions optimized for macOS High Sierra (10.13) and Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

Elsewhere, Parallels claims over 30 new additional tools can be found in version 13 that simplify everyday tasks on Mac and Windows. They include a drive cleaner, video conversion, a file archiver, a GIF creator, a video downloader, Do Not Sleep and Do Not Disturb modes, a Lock Screen, and the ability to temporarily hide files on the desktop, amongst many others.

Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac costs $79.99 for a new license. Existing users of Parallels Desktop for Home and Student can upgrade to V13 for $49.99, with a time-limited offer enabling users of the Desktop Pro Edition to upgrade for the same price (usually $99.99). For more pricing details, see the Parallels website.

(Thanks, Ulric!)

Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
Tags: Microsoft, Windows 10, Parallels 13
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Photo Emerges of Alleged ‘iPhone 8’ 3D Sensing Camera Module

Continuing a running theme over the last couple of weeks, a photo emerged online late on Monday of an alleged leaked 3D sensing camera module destined for the upcoming “iPhone 8” (via Slashleaks). Apple is said to have radically revamped its front-facing camera for its OLED iPhone, adding 3D sensing capabilities for facial recognition.

Notable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has called the camera “revolutionary” because it consists of three modules: a standard camera front-facing camera module, an infrared transmitting module, and an infrared receiving module, all of which will allow the iPhone 8 to perform 3D sensing and modeling functions.

It’s also possible that the front-facing camera will support 4K video recording at 60 frames per second, based on code found in the HomePod firmware leak, although this feature could be limited to the rear camera.

As with previous alleged leaked parts – which have included an A11 processor, wireless charging pad components, and an OLED display assembly and flex power cables – it’s difficult to gauge the authenticity of the photo. However, it’s not unusual for them to crop up in the weeks leading up to an iPhone launch.

In a separate and more dubious alleged leak, a video clip emerged on Tuesday on Chinese microblogging site Weibo showing what appears to be an Apple-branded handset with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor going through a quality control process.

Strong consensus has built in recent months around the idea that Apple is eliminating Touch ID fingerprint recognition entirely in favor of a new authentication system based on facial recognition – as per the 3D sensing camera module above.

The prediction has been made by the reliable Kuo and echoed by JP Morgan analysts as well as Bloomberg, while Apple itself has confirmed that a facial recognition system is in the works, reflected in multiple references found in the leaked HomePod firmware. Given the weight of evidence suggesting the end of Touch ID for future iPhones, it’s very likely this video shows a quality control stage for a knock-off clone iPhone destined for the Chinese market.

Expected to launch in early September, the “iPhone 8” – which could take a different name – is thought to feature a glass body and edge-to-edge OLED display that does away with the Home button. The new OLED iPhone will likely be sold alongside upgraded (but standard) 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones with LCD screens.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8
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VUDU App Officially Launches on Apple TV

Streaming movie and TV service VUDU has officially launched as an app on the fourth-generation Apple TV, allowing users to stream their collection of UltraViolet movies, as well as over 4,000 free “Movies on Us” titles, natively on Apple TV.

As expected, the VUDU Player app on Apple TV is limited in one respect — users can’t rent or buy any movie or TV show directly from Apple TV, so they’ll first have to add content to their collection elsewhere before navigating to Apple TV in order to view it.

The Vudu Player for Apple TV lets you play over 4,000 free Movies On Us titles, as well as your existing Vudu collection, natively on 4th generation Apple TVs with tvOS 10. And the Vudu Player is the first (and only – just want to reiterate that) player that gives you access to your UltraViolet digital locker on Apple TV (#humblebrag).

Additional features include Siri voice search to find content within your VUDU collection, and a wishlist where users can add any title to save for later, and view on any platform that VUDU is available on. Users on Reddit noted that there is no integration with Apple’s TV app.

The official launch of the VUDU Player app for Apple TV comes after rumblings about the app began in March, and then last week a report by Variety confirmed its release date of August 22.

For anyone without a VUDU account, the company encourages new users to head to its signup page to create a free account before launching the Apple TV app, since Apple’s App Store guidelines prevent it from adding a sign up option within the app. On the web, users can browse, rent, and buy over 100,000 titles, link an existing UltraViolet and Disney Movies Anywhere account, and then sync everything with their Apple TV app to view their collection on Apple’s fourth-generation set-top box.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Tag: VUDU
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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The first ‘Shenmue III’ teaser is comfortably familiar

There’s plenty of big news flowing out from this year’s Gamescom. Although the Xbox One X has dominated the headlines thus far, some other fan-favorite games are also vying for space at the event. Among them, the long-awaited Shenmue III. Today, eager gamers are finally being treated to actual footage from the title.

The new teaser video boasts all the familiar tropes from the series. Sweeping orchestral soundtrack: check. Shots of Ryo and Shenhua gazing at open vistas: check. The mysterious dragon and phoenix mirrors: check. And, a dose of martial arts training (plus what looks like a boss fight).

The rigid character design will be hard to ignore for those hoping for a major upgrade to the series. After all, it’s been more than two years since Shenmue III was unveiled at Sony’s E3 event. Not to mention the 16-year wait since the previous instalment. But, hey, maybe those stiff character models are part of the charm. And, even 18 years down the line, Ryo’s iconic leather jacket still looks as badass as ever.

The 90-second clip reveals little about the game’s plot. Although it seems it picks up where Shenmue II left off, with a “beautiful set piece” in China, according to director and series creator Yu Suzuki. Fortunately, the backdrops look a lot more attractive.

Last we heard, the Kickstarter-funded title was getting delayed until 2018. However, the news that the game now has a global publisher (in the guise of Deep Silver) should help ease its backers’ concerns. Shenmue III will be available on PlayStation 4 and Windows PC. If the teaser isn’t enough to satisfy the Dreamcast devotee in you, then your next best bet is to hunt down this forklift simulator.

Follow all the latest news live from Gamescom here!

Source: PlayStation blog

New Google Chromebook and Google Home ‘Mini’ Could Debut Alongside Pixel 2 Phones

Google will launch an all-new Pixel-branded Chromebook and a miniaturized version of its Google Home smart speaker alongside new Pixel smartphones at an event this fall, according to a source familiar with the company’s plans.

Details are scant on the new Pixel notebook, which will revive the Chromebook line after two years of inactivity, but AndroidPolice suggests it could be the fruition of Google’s secretive “Project Bison” first reported last year.

According to rumors, the Bison has a 12.3-inch display, 32 or 128GB of storage, 8 or 16GB of RAM, and a thickness of under 10mm, with the possibility of a “tablet” mode. Originally tipped for a Q3 2017 release and with prices said to start at $799, Bison was said to be considered internally as a serious competitor to Apple’s MacBook and Microsoft’s Surface Pro, but it’s unknown whether the new Pixel Chromebook will actually take this form.

Again, details are few and far between regarding the rumored Google Home “mini” that could debut at the company’s fall event, but it’s likely to be positioned similarly to Amazon’s Echo Dot as a smaller, cheaper version of the $129 flagship model, offering existing Google Home owners a more affordable way of extending smart speaker coverage to additional rooms of the house.

Google’s second-generation Pixel smartphones will come in two sizes and both models are expected to feature “squeezable” sides that enable them to perform different functions. The 4.97-inch device will by made by HTC and is said to have a 1080p display and stereo speakers, while the 6-inch XL handset made by LG will feature an AMOLED display with a 2:1 aspect ratio. Both devices are said to have no headphone jack.

There’s still no confirmation of the actual date of Google’s fall event, but the original Pixel smartphones were unveiled in October of last year, so expect it to be around then.

Tags: Google, Google Home
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Walmart, like Amazon, considers a floating warehouse for drone delivery

Why it matters to you

One day we might — just might — be looking skyward to see not only drones buzzing around making deliveries, but also floating warehouses that hold customer orders.

Walmart has an idea for a floating warehouse full of delivery drones. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Amazon was granted a patent for pretty much the same design in 2016.

It sounded wacky then and, yes, it still sounds wacky.

Walmart’s patent application describes a “gas-filled aerial transport and launch system [comprising] a transport aircraft … propulsion system … and a navigation control system that controls the direction of travel of the transport aircraft.” Yes, that sounds like a blimp to us, too.

It goes on: “The carrier compartment comprises: an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) storage area configured to receive multiple UASs; and an UAS launching bay that enables the UAS to be launched while the transport aircraft is in flight and while the UAS is carrying a package to be delivered.”

That’s pretty much what Amazon described last year, so it’ll be interesting to see how the United States Patent and Trademark Office handles Walmart’s application.

However, one notable difference is the altitude at which the blimps would fly at. Whereas Amazon’s floating-warehouse/drone-airport combo would park itself way above the clouds at 45,000 feet (about 13,700 meters), Walmart’s would hang in the air much, much lower at between 500 and 1,000 feet (about 150 to 300 meters). Considering issues of drone battery power, Walmart’s idea seems more sensible, although the blimp’s stability would be at the mercy of weather conditions, whereas Amazon’s should be well clear of weather systems.

Walmart, which suggested two years after Amazon that it was thinking about developing a drone delivery platform, says in its patent: “There are numerous ways to distribute and deliver products. Getting the product to a delivery location, however, can cause undesirable delays, can add cost and reduce revenue.” That’s where its giant package-filled floating warehouse comes in.

The blimp would stop by one of Walmart’s ground-based locations to load up with deliveries and drones before lifting off again, heading for an optimum location from which its drones can make numerous deliveries, buzzing between customer addresses and the blimp on multiple runs. Once the blimp is empty of packages, it’d return to base to load up some more while the drones’ batteries recharge.

But wait. We shouldn’t get carried away with ourselves here. These are patents we’re talking about. Neither company, to the best of our knowledge, has a working prototype of this extraordinary design. Neither company even has permission to launch such a machine, full of drones, into the sky. It’s not certain we’ll ever see Walmart’s — or Amazon’s for that matter — blimp-drone plan come to fruition, but it at least offers us a little bit of insight into how the companies are considering building out their respective drone delivery services when they finally get off the ground.

With Walmart apparently mirroring Amazon with its drone plans, let’s wait and see if the company also comes up with a patent similar to Amazon’s giant beehive-like building for city-based drone deliveries. Surely it’s only a matter of time.

Facebook gives its ‘Safety Check’ feature a permanent place in its app

Why it matters to you

If you’re trying to contact someone in a crisis or if you’re caught up in one yourself, you’ll now find it easier to access Safety Check during and after the event.

Facebook is following through on a commitment it made last year to give Safety Check its own dedicated section in its mobile and web offerings.

Launched in 2014, Safety Check helps Facebook users to connect in the event of a calamitous incident, offering an easy way for those caught up in it — or who’re in the area — to let loved ones know they’re safe.

“There’s now a single place to go to see where Safety Check has recently been activated, get the information you need, and potentially be able to help affected areas,” Facebook said on Monday, adding that it’s gradually rolling it out over the coming weeks, starting now.

The new section shows — as you’d expect — a somewhat sombre list of awful events, with Facebook’s own screenshot offering Safety Check links to everything from fires to typhoons to train accidents.

You’ll see any recent activity by friends who’ve marked themselves as safe, as well as a page showing major incidents from around the world that you can tap on for more information.

There are details, too, on how many personal offers of help have been made, and how many people have made donations to fundraisers.

Facebook users have been able to offer help via Safety Check since February. It means that if Safety Check activates close to your location, you have the opportunity to assist with relevant support, which could mean offering food, clothing, and temporary accommodation, as well as donating cash to causes.

The social networking giant has also been working to fine tune Safety Check to make sure its alerts are for real disasters and emergencies rather than as the result of rumors, which happened for an explosion that never occurred, in Thailand, in December, 2016. With such false alarms having the potential to cause great distress for those with friends and family in the area, Facebook is now working with a number of response agencies to ensure an incident is real whenever Safety Check is activated.

The company also recently teamed up with NC4, a third-party global crisis reporting agency, to provide those using Safety Check with more detailed information about an unfolding event. Facebook users can add a note, too, when they (hopefully) mark themselves as safe, offering more information on their whereabouts or simply a few words of reassurance.