Google unveils ARCore, its answer to Apple’s ARKit

A few months ago at WWDC, Apple unveiled ARKit, the company’s first-ever attempt at an augmented reality platform. With it, developers could weave AR apps with relative ease, especially since any iOS 11 device would be compatible with it. Examples so far include a ‘Take On Me’ style music video, a virtual pet game, a restaurant app that can display virtual food on a plate and many, many more. If that sounds pretty impressive to you, well, Google must’ve thought so too. That’s because it’s coming out with its very own augmented reality platform, and it’s called ARCore.

To be clear, ARCore is not the same thing as Tango, which is Google’s other augmented reality project. While Tango requires specialized hardware like sensors and cameras, ARCore doesn’t. Instead, much like ARKit, ARCore doesn’t require anything else other than your phone.

And while we’re still waiting for iOS 11, and thus, ARKit, to make its public debut, ARCore is available right now. Starting today, developers can use ARCore on the Pixel and Samsung’s Galaxy S8, as long as they’re running Android 7.0 Nougat or above. Eventually, Google hopes for ARCore to run on millions more Android devices from manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, LG and ASUS.

Like ARKit, ARCore works with Java/OpenGL, Unity and Unreal, and will deliver on three features: Motion tracking (it uses the phone’s camera to detect your position in the room), environmental understanding (so it can detect horizontal surfaces) and light estimation (so that the lighting and shadow of virtual objects matches your surroundings).

Google noted in the release that it’s already been building 3D tools like Blocks and Tilt Brush so that developers can create AR content, which would fit in nicely with ARCore. The company has also been working on other AR tech, like a Visual Positioning Service for world-scale AR experiences, and AR-compatible web browsers. You can see some examples already on Google’s AR Experiments showcase, and it looks like Epic Games, Niantic (the maker of Pokemon Go) and Wayfair are already on board.

When Apple released ARKit at WWDC, Senior Vice President Craig Federighi claimed that it would be the “largest AR platform in the world,” because there are already so many iPhones and iPads on the market. Well, seeing as there are a lot more Android users than there are iOS users, it seems like that will no longer be the case.

YouTube’s big desktop redesign is now available to everyone

Today, YouTube is rolling out a number of updates across both its mobile and desktop apps. As of now, everyone should have access to the new version of YouTube when you’re viewing it through your computer’s browser. We first took a look at it way back in May, and it’s been gradually rolling out since then. But after gathering feedback on the redesign, YouTube is now ready to make it available to everyone.

It’s not a radically different look, but things are definitely more streamlined and there’s more room for video to shine. That said, there’s at least one big, oft-requested feature everyone can try now: dark mode. As the name suggests, it turns all of the white UI elements and backgrounds black, which definitely makes video stand out more. People who don’t always go fullscreen while watching videos on YouTube will definitely want to give this a shot. Between a simpler UI, bigger video thumbnails and redesigned channel pages, the whole experience feels different but still familiar, a good goal to shoot for when redesigning such an important part of the internet.

A few changes are coming to the iOS and Android YouTube apps, as well. Perhaps most notable is that you’ll be able to control playback speed, just as you can on the desktop. Another big change that YouTube says will roll out soon is a more adaptive playback window — this will let videos shot in portrait mode or in a square aspect ratio use up all the available space on your screen to display properly rather than show up with big black bars. Given that portrait video isn’t going anywhere, any change that makes videos shot like that easier to view is probably worthwhile.

Lastly, YouTube is taking this opportunity to unveil a new logo and icon. The red box that has long surrounded the “tube” part of the logo is now being moved out to the left, with the signature “play” icon showing up in the middle. Given that the red box with the “play” button has been used as YouTube’s icon in various places (including the app you’ll find on your phone’s home screen), it makes a lot of sense to incorporate that into the main brand’s logo as well. At the very least, it’ll likely be a less controversial new logo than the one Google unveiled a few years ago.

Elgato Announces Five New HomeKit Devices Including Connected Radiator Valve and Window Guard

Elgato has announced five new HomeKit-enabled devices coming to its Eve product line, including the Eve Thermo, Eve Lock, Eve Window Guard, Eve Smoke, and Eve Aqua. The announcement was made ahead of IFA Berlin 2017, a consumer electronics and home appliances trade show taking place from September 1-6 where Elgato will showcase the devices in more detail.

The new Eve Thermo marks the second generation of the product line, introducing capacitive touch controls below an integrated temperature display, all on a small device that connects to a home’s radiator to provide smart controls without the need for a bridge. Aimed at European customers, the connected radiator valve detects when users are home and when windows are open, automatically adjusting heat as needed.

With HomeKit, users can set up schedules and timers to activate or deactivate their radiator, and control the temperature through Siri commands. Eve Thermo — which has a battery life of up to 12 months — can be mounted vertically or horizontally, and its touch controls can be locked to prevent kids from tampering with the radiator’s temperature. Those interested will be able to purchase Eve Thermo starting September 26 for £59.95/69,95 Euro.

Eve Lock is a new intelligent, self-locking lock mechanism that automatically secures the lock of a door after users close the door behind them. Additionally, Eve Lock can be controlled through the iOS Home or Eve apps, so users can open the door when they have a visitor or monitor when an unauthorized attempt to open the door has occurred.

The company also unveiled Eve Smoke, which can link with and activate HomeKit scenes whenever it detects smoke within the home, in order to quickly notify residents of a potential fire. The smoke alarm — which also sets off a loud noise like traditional alarms — can be monitored through Apple’s Home app like the other Eve products, and its battery lasts for ten years.

To protect the home from intruders, Eve Window Guard can sense tamper force on a window to detect when someone might be trying to break in, and can even notice if the window is open, closed, or tilted. When it recognizes one of these changes in the window’s state, the device will send a HomeKit notification to a user’s iPhone so they know that there might be an intruder in the home.

Lastly, Eve Aqua lets users water their lawns using HomeKit. After attaching the Bluetooth-enabled controller between a spigot and a hose, they can set up a water schedule to perfectly monitor their lawn care, or ask Siri to turn on the Eve Aqua and immediately sprinkle the lawn or flower beds. The connected Eve app will also track Eve Aqua’s activity so users can discover various piece of watering data that Elgato said will help “better cater to your garden’s needs.”

While the company gave more detailed insight and a price for the Eve Thermo, the four other HomeKit devices did not receive any price points or launch dates at this time. Check out Elgato’s website here for more images and information on the new HomeKit products.

Tag: Elgato
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Nintendo is killing the Miiverse in Japan

The Wii U will go down in history as one of Nintendo’s least successful consoles. It had one great idea, however: Miiverse. A system-wide message board that players could post drawings, messages and screenshots to. Better yet, some titles displayed Miiverse posts as friendly advice (New Super Mario Bros. U) or expressive speech bubbles (Splatoon) directly inside the game. Now, of course, Nintendo is focused on the Switch, so it’s killing the Miiverse in Japan. On November 8th, at 3pm local time, it will no longer be available on either the Wii U or 3DS family of consoles.

The closure will affect more than 70 Wii U games and 20 3DS titles. Nintendo has released a couple of screenshots that explain how this will affect software such as New Super Mario Bros. U, which baked Miiverse posts directly into the hub world. In short, they’ll disappear, leaving a rather more empty Mushroom Kingdom in their wake. Most games will still be playable, of course, but the experience will be inferior. It’s another example of how the internet is affecting game culture and preservation — whereas a NES cartridge will always stay the same, anyone revisiting Splatoon in a few years will have to imagine what it was like in 2015.

The popularity of the Nintendo Switch means that interest in the Miiverse was going to tail off anyway. With fewer active players, the volume of posts has dropped, reducing its vibrancy and appeal. Still, it’s a shame the Miiverse never lived up to its full potential. The idea that “secret” notes could be left in a game world was novel, especially when combined with the Wii U’s touchscreen GamePad. The crossover between the Wii U and 3DS also provided some intriguing game design possibilities that were never fully explored. Maybe it’s for the best — we suspect Nintendo spent a lot of time moderating the Miiverse for inappropriate scrawls every day.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Nintendo

Intel’s Myriad X chip will give drones and robots better vision

It’s been almost a year since Intel scooped up AI and computer vision chip-maker Movidius. By the time of its takeover, the company had already crammed its Myriad 2 processor into drones, cameras, and USB sticks — making it a good fit for Intel’s beyond-the-PC strategy. The newly-unveiled successor to that chip will continue in the same vein. Only, this next-gen beast is the first to pack a “Neural Compute Engine.” What that essentially means is that it has some pretty powerful deep learning capabilities. If Intel gets its way, the Myriad X chip will help drones, smart cameras, and robots to learn from and interact with their surroundings in real-time.

Just as impressive is the processor’s design. The Myriad X looks about the size of a small coin, meaning placing it on the most compact of devices shouldn’t be too hard. In terms of power, it can deliver over 4 trillion operations per second (TOPS), that’s substantially more than the 1 to 1.5 TOPS offered by its predecessor. It also boasts ten times higher performance for tasks that require multiple neural networks running simultaneously, claims Intel.

“With this faster, more pervasive intelligence embedded directly into devices, the potential to make our world safer, more productive and more personal is limitless,” said Intel VP Remi El-Ouazzane.

Source: Intel

Yuneec’s first commercial drone is ready for filming and rescue

Yuneec may be DJI’s biggest consumer drone rival, but you probably have only heard of its consumer and selfie drones. Now, it’s taking a step into the big leagues with a new model, the H520. The big, six rotor UAV with bright orange visibility is meant for commercial jobs, including video production, public safety, and inspection. It’s equipped with a retractable landing gear, mission planning software and a variety of cameras, including a thermal imaging model and one with a two-inch sensor.

The landing gear allows a 360-degree, unobstructed view, and the stabilizing gimbal can tilt 20 degrees upward for inspections. There are three of hot-swappable camera options, including the E90, with a 1-inch, 20-megapixel Sony Exmor sensor, not unlike what Sony uses on its RX100 models (there’s no mention of 4K support). The other models are a 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor wide angle camera (for inspection of cell towers, wind turbines, oil & gas platforms and the like), and a dual thermal imaging camera that can shoot regular and thermal video at the same time.

The H520 package includes a “professional grade” Android controller, with a 7-inch display and 720P real-time video download link, and can support external monitors via HDMI. The DataPilot software, meanwhile, lets you do survey and waypoint-based flight. An SDK is included, and the UAV can also be “operated as a closed architecture,” to keep images and data secure, Yuneec says.

To be sure, the H520 drone is a niche product, but it’s a good sign that Yuneec is ready to up its game against DJI by entering its commercial turf. It’s now available for $1,999 to $4,699, depending on the camera and other options, and a service contract is extra.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Uber kills plans to track passengers after their trips

Following criticism by consumers and privacy groups, Uber will change an app setting that lets it track you after a trip ends, company security chief John Sullivan told Reuters. Back in December, it stopped allowing users to limit tracking to “while using” the app, offering only “always” or “never” location tracking options. A new clause stated that “always” meant it could track you for up to five minutes after a ride ended, even if you weren’t using the app.

App users got just one chance to opt in or out once the update rolled out. Uber justified the changes by saying they used the data to “improve pickups, drop-offs, customer service, and to enhance safety.” However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) pointed out in December last year that “there are many legitimate reasons that a rider would want privacy in their final destination, perhaps stopping the ride a block or three away from their true destination.”

I think it’s a lot creepy, and I would hesitate to use Uber as a woman alone https://t.co/hdts8q5lWz

— Rosalie Donlon (@RosalieDonlon) December 5, 2016

The EFF added that opting out by choosing “never” wasn’t a great option either, as it required users to manually enter addresses, making the app much less usable. Switching back and forth before and after rides requires a lot menu diving and manipulation.

As a mea culpa, Sullivan said that Uber shouldn’t have made the change without explaining what it would offer in return. He added that the tracking was never actually implemented for iPhone users, and was suspended on Android. However, Uber may yet decide to implement the tracking in the future, but would explain it better to customers and allow them to opt in to the setting if it did, he said.

Uber has been criticized in the past for using its “God View” to track individual riders and saving user “fingerprints” on iPhones, even if they’re wiped. Sullivan, however, said his 500-strong team has working on making the app more privacy-oriented since he arrived in 2015. Whether or not new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi can fix the rest of its toxic culture cultivated under ex-CEO Travis Kalanick remains to be seen.

Source: Reuters

Apple Wants to Sell 4K Movies for $20 in iTunes, While Film Studios Want $25 to $30

Apple is said to be “scrambling” to strike deals with movie studios in Hollywood regarding the exact prices of 4K movies in the iTunes Store, taking places just weeks ahead of the rumored debut of the new 4K Apple TV in mid-September.

While the talks have been ongoing for some time, discussions have been recently hampered by disagreements over the pricing of 4K movie purchases, according to sources close to the talks (via The Wall Street Journal). Apple wants to charge $19.99 for 4K movie purchases in its digital iTunes Store, the same price it currently charges for newly-released HD films.

However, many Hollywood studios it has talked with are pushing back on that price point and are looking to charge customers a premium for the new 4K content: $25 to $30 for a 4K movie in iTunes.

Apple wants to have major Hollywood films available in ultra-high definition on the new device, expected to go on sale later this year. However, it wants to charge $19.99 for those movies—on par with what it sometimes charges for new HD movies, the people with knowledge of the discussions said. Several Hollywood studios want to charge $5 to $10 more for 4K movies, the people said.

Apple is said to be trying to finish these discussions well before September 12, the currently rumored date that will see the unveiling of the new 4K Apple TV, iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, Apple Watch Series 3, and more software-related announcements. As iTunes loses market share to companies like Amazon and Comcast, Apple is hoping that a revitalized Apple TV streaming box with 4K content — which many rival devices have already supported — will help boost iTunes sales into the last half of 2017 and the new year.

In other Hollywood-related talks, earlier this month it was reported that multiple studios were pushing forward with a plan to offer digital movie rentals mere weeks after they appear in theaters. Studios like Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. were said to be in talks with partners, including Apple, to offer movies in iTunes as early as 17 days after their theatrical debut for about $50, or four to six weeks from release for $30.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Tag: 4K
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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NYPD Defends Choosing Windows Phones, Confirms Plans to Switch to iPhones

The New York Police Department has confirmed it will begin transitioning to iPhones for its 36,000 police officers in the fall, less than one year after completing a rollout of Windows Phones to its police force.

Image: ABC7 Eyewitness News – WABC-TV New York
Jessica Tisch, the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology, said “improvements in Apple controls” will enable the department to “responsibly and cost effectively move its mobility initiative to the Apple platform.”

When the NYPD chose Windows Phone devices in 2014, Tisch said “neither iOS nor Android phones allowed it to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications” that it had deployed at the time.

“Moreover, we assessed that the Windows platform would be most effective at achieving our goal of securing 36,000 devices that would be used for sensitive law enforcement operations,” added Tisch. “This was of paramount importance.”

The NYPD said its contract provided for Nokia’s Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

As a result, the NYPD said its smartphone initiative is 45 percent under budget. Based on its current rate of spending, the department expects to stretch what was initially budgeted at two years of spending to more than four years.

Tisch said the NYPD’s mobility initiative has made its police officers “smarter, faster, and more agile” in their response to 911 calls, with response times down more than 8 percent compared to an unspecified period.

Tag: Windows Phone
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Apple Partnering With Accenture to Help Create Modern Enterprise iOS Apps

Apple today announced a new partnership with Accenture, a global management consulting and professional services company, which aims to combine iOS with Accenture’s business expertise to guide companies in unlocking new revenue streams, increasing productivity, improving customer experience, and reducing costs.

The partnership will result in a dedicated iOS practice inside of Accenture Digital Studios in certain locations around the world, where Apple experts will be placed to work alongside Accenture team members. These combined teams will include designers, programmers, data architects, and more experts, all working on launching a new set of tools and services to help enterprise clients “transform how they engage with customers using iPhone and iPad.”

“Starting 10 years ago with iPhone, and then with iPad, Apple has been transforming how work gets done, yet we believe that businesses have only just begun to scratch the surface of what they can do with our products,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Both Apple and Accenture are leaders in building incredible user experiences and together we can continue to truly modernize how businesses work through amazing solutions that take advantage of the incredible capabilities of Apple’s technologies.”

Specifically, the iOS-related tools are said to include three major services to help increase a company’s analytic capabilities. To facilitate a smooth transfer process, a migration service will assist clients in quickly transferring their own existing legacy apps, and all the information found within, into modern iOS apps.

After they have a new iOS app up and running, new ecosystem services will help clients more easily integrate iOS devices into their own corporate ecosystem, while an Internet-of-Things service will include various templates and predesigned code to streamline gathering data from IoT platforms in their own iOS apps.

Apple has added the Accenture partnership to its business partners web page, alongside partners like Cisco, SAP, Deloitte, and IBM. Accenture has also updated its website with more information about the partnership.

Tag: Accenture
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