Logitech Circle 2 Wired Home Security Camera Updated With HomeKit Support

Logitech’s recently released Circle 2 Wired home security camera is today gaining support for HomeKit, which will allow the device to interface with other HomeKit apps, send notifications, work with Siri voice commands, and be controlled through the dedicated Home app on iOS devices.

“HomeKit truly complements the simplicity of setting up and using Circle 2,” said Vincent Borel, director of new ventures at Logitech. “We’re focused on building experiences that let you easily and securely control your Circle 2 camera, while expanding its capabilities. Whether you’re checking on the kids from another room with your iPad or looking for extra peace of mind while you’re away, HomeKit makes Circle 2 work even smarter for you and your family.”

The new Circle 2 Wired camera was introduced in June and began shipping out to customers in July, but Logitech had not yet implemented HomeKit support. The camera is designed to let you keep an eye on what’s going on in your house while you’re not there with features like high quality 180-degree video, cloud uploads, night vision, an adjustable ball joint, and various mounting solutions.

With HomeKit, the Circle 2’s motion detection features can be used in scenes to do things like turn on HomeKit-connected lights in the house, and the camera stream itself can be viewed directly in the Home app. With an Apple TV or iPad set up as a Home hub, HomeKit connectivity is also available when you’re away from home.

Logitech also offers a wire-free version of the Circle 2, but that product is not compatible with HomeKit because HomeKit requires always-on connectivity to work with camera accessories. HomeKit works with the Circle 2 Wired camera by itself and when the camera is attached to either the Plug Mount or Window Mount.

HomeKit connectivity is available starting today. Existing Circle 2 users will need to follow the instructions on the Logitech website to enable HomeKit support.

The Logitech Circle 2 is available from the Logitech website for $179.99. It will also be coming to Apple Stores and the Apple online store in October.

Tags: Logitech, Circle 2
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Twitch extensions are live and ready to customize your page

Your favorite Twitch stream might look a bit busier and more colorful than usual now that the platform has switched on the extensions it announced at PAX West. Streamers can now customize their pages with interactive experiences they can display over their live videos, including Hearthstone match tickers, virtual pets, the channel’s top cheerers, various overlays, live trackers, in-game statistics and the like.

Some extensions like “Gear on Amazon” can help them earn affiliate money by giving them a way to display their favorite products on screen — they don’t even have to leave their dashboard to create their list. While the platform has a bunch of extensions streamers can use, they can also create their own plug-ins if they need something more personalized.

Twitch is giving third-party developers access to free asset hosting and fanout messaging on its Extensions platform. That means streamers can commission people to conjure up plug-ins for personal use if they can’t create their own, allowing them to add their own flair to their channels.

Twitch Product Manager for Extensions Ryan Lubinski said in a statement:

“Twitch is a platform where communities create, share, and interact with the content they love. With Twitch Extensions, we’re taking interactivity to the next level by empowering our developer community to create customized interactive content, directly integrated with the Twitch platform, opening up a whole new world of creator-viewer interaction.”

Although the feature is now live, it sounds like the company has yet to reveal everything about it. Twitch promises to share more at TwitchCon Developer Day on October 19th, including “how streamers and developers can make money through Twitch Extensions.”

Source: Twitch

IBM is installing a Watson AI lab at MIT

Both MIT and IBM are leaders in the field of Artificial Intelligence and now they’re teaming up. IBM announced on Thursday that it had reached a 10-year research partnership agreement with the university worth nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. That investment will see more than 100 researchers from both organizations collaborating to advance four key focus areas within the AI field.

Those focal areas include deep-learning algorithms that can help neural networks move from single-use applications to more generalized performance. Not only will this make AI systems more versatile, it will improve their transparency as well, enabling them to explain how they reached the answer they did.

The IBM-MIT partnership will also study the intersection between machine learning and quantum computing. Interestingly, this focal area will aid both fields, with AI helping to identify and characterize quantum devices and with quantum computers helping to optimize machine learning methodologies.

The MIT lab will also collaborate extensively with the IBM Watson Health and Security office in nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts, to further develop applications in the existing AI healthcare and cybersecurity fields. But those aren’t the only commercial fields being investigated, researchers will also look into the “economic implications of AI and investigate how AI can improve prosperity,” according to an IBM press release.

This isn’t the first time that these organizations have worked together. Just last year, IBM and the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences began orchestrating a machine vision study. What’s more, IBM has also teamed with MIT’s Broad Institute and Harvard for a multi-year study of AI’s effects on Genomics.

Source: MIT Watson Lab

Here’s how to make a great card deck in ‘Madden NFL 18’ Ultimate Team mode

Though many Madden fans focus primarily on Franchise mode, there’s another significant and fun playing option in Madden NFL 18 — the card-based mode, called Madden Ultimate Team (MUT). First added in Madden NFL 10, the core premise of Madden Ultimate Team is simple: Collect player cards to fill out, and create a fantasy roster that can crush any other.

Ultimate Team has evolved in notable and exciting ways over the years, and you can find an enormous amount of depth in assembling and tweaking a juggernaut squad. It’s more complicated than the rest of Madden, and can be a bit daunting for new players. To that end, we’ve put together an explainer that breaks down each component of this year’s Ultimate Team mode. While seasoned veterans may know much of this, Ultimate Team works a little differently in Madden NFL 18, so you may still find valuable information here as you embark on your quest.

Overall levels

For starters, Madden NFL 18 Ultimate Team features a team-wide leveling system. As you progress through solo challenges and head-to-head matches, each player will gain MUT experience points that increase your rank. You’re always gaining experience in Ultimate Team, no matter what action you take. You earn rewards every time you level up. Often they’re MUT coins, but you’ll occasionally receive cards and packs, which can further improve your squad.

Overall ratings

EA Sports modified the way overall team ratings are calculated in Madden NFL 18, widening the gap between ratings. More so this year than in years past, the difference in performance between a team with a 70 rating and another rated 71 is significant. Most players, even superstar-caliber players, have relatively low ratings to start out. Our Marshawn Lynch card, for example, had a 58 overall rating. That’s extremely low for a player of that caliber. The change puts more emphasis on overall ratings. While your initial squad will feature players with ratings around 60, once you start to replace players with others with slightly better ratings of 61 or 61, your team will noticeably improve.

Coins, points, tickets, contracts, and items

Next to your overall rating and MUT Level, you’ll see markers for coins, points, tickets, contracts, and items.

You earn MUT coins by tackling and completing objectives in Ultimate Team. Those coins can be turned in for new items and card packs, whether via the store or through the auction house. You can also use points, obtained with real cash, to buy new card packs and items. Some packs can only be purchased with points, which is frustrating, but you can still assemble a quality team without them.

Tickets get you into Ultimate Team tournaments and events hosted by EA Sports. You can buy tickets in the Ultimate Team store with coins or points. Beware, though, they are a bit pricey.

Each player you acquire comes with a 25-game contract. When a Contract hits zero, not only can you not use that player on the field, but you cannot trade him in for coins or to another user, or auction him off. Basically, it’s a dead card until you add some new contracts. Make sure to keep track of the contract counter and re-sign players when it gets low. You can buy contracts to assign players using MUT coins.

Items include player cards, coaches, stadiums, uniforms, playbooks, and collectibles. Out of the gate, you’ll have one playable stadium and one team’s playbook. We picked the Browns so we have First Energy Stadium and the Browns’ offensive and defensive sets. Uniforms, stadiums, and coaches can be acquired through card packs and as rewards for completing challenges. Collectibles include cards with MUT tips and player-specific tokens that can be used to level up players (more on that to come). You can check out all of your items by viewing the Item Binder.

Card tiers

There are four versions of every standard player card in Madden Ultimate Team — Elite, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Bronze-tier players typically have ratings in the high 50s to low 60s. Silver-tier players are rated in the mid to high 60s. Gold-tier players have ratings in the low to mid 70s, and Elite tier players have ratings in the 80s.

Some cards fall outside of the standard “core” cards. There are Legends, NFL Stars, Longshot, Kickoff Challenge, and more. All of these, and others designated as NAT cards, cannot be traded to other users or auctioned off.

You can “quicksell” these types of cards for paltry amounts, but we don’t recommend ever doing that with cards. Just know that you cannot auction or trade these. To upgrade them, especially ones of the bronze and silver variety, you’ll need to combine them into sets, which we’ll cover later.

Complete solo challenges

You can spend dozens of hours in Ultimate Team without ever playing a human opponent. Solo challenges place you in scenarios that, if completed, net you coins, card packs, and other items. We suggest completing some solo challenges before competing against other players. While some of the solo challenges can get a bit tedious, it’s the best way to give your team a fighting chance against human opponents without spending real money on points. EA has been adding time-specific challenges each week since launch, so there’s always more to do.

Complete Longshot mode

Madden 18‘s story mode is fantastic, and you should play it no matter what, but you definitely need to play it if you want a quick boost for your Ultimate Team. By playing Longshot, you’ll unlock cards for its protagonists, Devin Wade and Colt Cruise, who both have mid-70s ratings. Once they’re unlocked, you can play through a set of Longshot-specific solo challenges that will push their ratings even higher. You’ll also get NFL legends Dan Marino and Chad Johnson, who are both rated in the 80s. Right out of the gate, they will be your best players.

Auction house/Trades

Opening card packs is pretty thrilling, but we don’t think it’s a smart use of your coins. The occasional card pack purchase, especially on players that can be leveled up, is fine, but you can get much more for your money buying cards at the auction house, where you place bids on players in real time.

You can get incredible deals at the auction house, or get completely ripped off. We purchased a 75 overall Gold player for 500 coins after watching that same player go for 10 times that amount just an hour earlier. Like any auction house game mechanic, the key to success here is discipline: Don’t chase after the players you want, make smart bids, and walk away the price gets too high. You won’t get every player you want, and progress might come more slowly, but you’ll be using your hard-earned coins well.

When auctioning your own players, you can check and see what the same card has been going for on the market. Along with putting it up for bidding, you can place a “Buy it Now” price, just like you can on eBay.

In addition to the auction house, you can browse and put players on the trading block, which lets you swap players instead of spending coins. We recommend using the trading block when you are stacked at one position, but weak at another. For example, if you have four gold QBs but only one gold WR, search for wideouts and offer up one of your QBs. If there are specific players you want to trade, simply toss your unwanted players on the trading block and wait for users to approach you with opportunities.

Upgrading sets

As mentioned earlier, some cards cannot be auctioned or traded. To turn underwhelming cards into better ones, you can use “Upgrade Sets” — a wide-ranging tool that lets you turn a group of junk cards into a single better one.

Using a set to upgrade a card is called an “exchange.” In an exchange, you turn in 5 to 7 cards with the same general rating and tier, and you’ll get back one random, higher-rated card. For instance, you can trade in five low silver cards for one high silver card, or five high silver cards for one low gold card. While the value doesn’t sound great, if you have a bench filled with low silvers, getting a potential starter of high silver caliber is worth it.

You can also upgrade sets to get new stadiums, uniforms, playbooks, and coaches. Each upgrade you make here can go a long way toward increasing team chemistry. Tom Brady plays better in a Patriots uniform than he does in a Browns uniform — it’s just a fact.

You can also upgrade certain individual cards marked as “NFL stars” by combining the card with tokens, which are found in packs or purchased at the auction house. For example, we upgraded Chargers running back Melvin Gordon from a 70 to a 75 using a silver token. You can upgrade any NFL star card up to five times via a combination of silver, gold, and elite tokens.

This is where Madden Ultimate Team becomes an addicting time sink, as it can take a lot of time to acquire tokens. If you really want to upgrade a specific player, you can exchange a bevy of players for a team-specific token as well. We don’t recommend doing this until you have earned a fortune in coins, as this is one way to quickly deplete your roster (you typically have to give up 10 players for one token).

The same system applies to “Level Master” players, though they have a separate set of tokens. For instance, we purchased LaDainian Tomilson from the MUT store, and then proceeded to earn Level Master tokens to upgrade him from a 72 to a 74. He can be upgraded up to a 92 overall using more tokens.

Team chemistry

Your starting lineup has a team chemistry rating. Generating your best lineup takes the positives from each team’s chemistry and compiles them together. You can also generate a lineup solely based on a specific team’s chemistry, which provides additional stat boosts for player’s hailing from that team. We don’t recommend doing this unless you have all four or five tiers of one team completed. We targeted a specific team chemistry to further boost a star player, but our overall team rating actually went down. But feel free to tinker with team chemistry settings, as sometimes you’ll be surprised at the effects it has on your overall team grade.

As you collect more cards, you’ll receive increased chemistry options and boosts. As you can see above, we received boosts for players on the Bengals, Broncos, Bills, Browns, and numerous other teams. Often, these boosts increase awareness on offense and play recognition for defensive players. The more players on that team that you have, the more boosts you’ll receive. Ultimately, filling out one team’s pie chart leads to higher overall team ratings.

Head online

Once you get the hang of all the moving parts in Ultimate Team, you’ll be ready to go head-to-head against human opponents. Playing in ranked and season modes can earn you impressive coin and card pack rewards. However, we recommend you fill out your team with at least high silvers before jumping in online. Due to microtransactions, many players may already have extremely formidable teams. In the meantime, if you’re itching to play against a real opponent, your best bet is to play against a friend who doesn’t have a killer lineup yet.

For more Madden NFL 18 tips, check out our offensive guide, defensive guide, and kick-blocking guide. Madden NFL 18 is available now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Will Tom Brady avoid the Madden curse? Check out our detailed history of the Madden curse.

Watson tracked every serve, set, and save to show you the best of the U.S. Open

Last Thursday, 19-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was taken to the limit in a five-set thriller against Mikhail Youhzny at the 2017 U.S. Open.

As the action played out at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Digital Trends was invited into the heart of the Arthur Ashe Stadium to see how IBM used its cutting edge technology to track every serve, set, and rally.

IBM has been a fixture at the U.S. Open since 1990, and the company’s ability to give fans better access to the biggest matches has evolved with every passing year. This year, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and a host of other technologies came together to curate the best play from each day of the tournament.

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Yet the company’s plans don’t end at the U.S. Open. It has plans to bring the lessons Watson learned while tracking every move of a tennis match to purposes both fun and practical.

Watson is Watching

The U.S. Open is a massive tournament. Between men’s and women’s singles and doubles competition, as well as mixed doubles, an incredible amount of tennis is played over its two-week duration.

Watson analyses numerous data points from each match, selects the most engaging moments, and makes them available online

If you’re in attendance at the National Tennis Center, it can be difficult determine which court is going to offer up the most exciting matches. Even if you’re at home, you might find yourself jumping between streams. There’s simply too much happening for any one person to take in.

IBM is using Watson to make sure tennis fans don’t miss a thing. Its Cognitive Highlights capability analyses numerous data points from video of each match to select the most engaging moments, and make them available online and via the U.S. Open app shortly after they take place.

“Think of seven courts worth of video, from matches going on at the same time,” said John Kent, IBM’s program manager for global sponsorship marketing. “To try and create highlights for each of those matches, and push them out on mobile, would require an army of people.”

IBM does have a significant presence at the U.S. Open, but it’s not exactly an army — perhaps fifteen members of staff are in the bunker at any given time. Watson does the heavy lifting.

The Bunker

When I arrived at the National Tennis Center last Thursday, I was whisked past various security checkpoints into the underbelly of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, dodging pro players as they came and went from locker rooms to matches, or back. It made sense for IBM’s base of operations to be in the heart of the venue, as it needed to be hooked to an incredible array of hardware scattered across the complex, yet also cause minimal disruption. The sensors kept track of weather conditions, watched player movements, and even gauged the reaction of the crowd.

The bunker was packed with hardware, from the displays that lined each wall with stats from the day’s competition, to stacks of server blade supplying pure processing power, to individual workstations where engineers made tweaks and ran diagnostics. IBM’s hardware set-up brought all the different feeds of information together, and allows Watson dive into the data.

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

This kind of analysis is where Watson comes into its own, using computer vision to pore over the video feed and find the highlights. If an on-court sensor records a blistering serve, Watson can pinpoint that part of the broadcast footage. However, its curation abilities become smarter when computer vision comes into play.

IBM taught Watson to recognize players making a fist pump motion, which tennis players do a lot, as they typically have a racquet in their other hand. Yet there was a problem — fist pumps celebrating a well-earned point were getting confused with clenched fists of frustration. To clarify things, Watson was instructed to cross-reference the sight of a fist with the level of crowd noise, to make sure it was a great play as opposed to a bungled serve.

All Access

Cognitive Highlights is great for fans who want to soak up the best action over the course of the tournament, whether they’re fortunate enough to be there in person, or watching remotely from anywhere in the world. However, IBM’s efforts to process footage from the tournament also benefits pro players.

The same tech could index a podcast, so that listeners can decide which topics are worthy of their time.

Whenever players do battle on one of the National Tennis Center’s seven show courts — where televised matches take place — they’re given access to footage straight after the final set. They can log in to a special web portal, or request a USB key loaded with the content.

“There are specific players and agents that come looking for that after their match,” said Kent. “We presume if they’re coming for it, they’re going to use it.”

This isn’t just a recording of the match as it was broadcast. Numerous events and occurrences are indexed, making it easy for players and coaching staff to pinpoint exactly what they’re looking for without trawling through hours of video.

“They’ll be able to look at their unforced errors, look at their winners, look at their aces, look at their double faults,” explained Kent. “So whichever aspect of the game they’re looking to analyze, it’s a tool that helps them to more rapidly go through their match footage.”

Dark Data

Whether you’re a fan, a player, or a video editor working on behalf of the USTA, IBM is looking to make it easier to sift through content. The company has plenty of ideas for making continued improvements.

Kent told me about Watson’s capacity to shine a light on dark data, the useful information that’s locked away in video, audio, and other content, which computers can’t parse easily. He offered up a scenario that isn’t currently part of IBM’s tennis coverage, but is technically possible.

A player interview is recorded on camera, then subtitled using a text-to-speech program, which produces a transcript that’s exported as a text file. This is a good thing in of itself, as it makes that content more accessible to people with disabilities. However, Watson can use these materials to dig deeper into the content for indexing purposes.

“We can analyze that transcript and find out more about the context of what that player was talking about, and add more specific tags about that video,” said Kent. A video clip wouldn’t just be labelled as a Federer interview, it would be tagged with information about what the player was discussing. That way, if you were looking for competitors’ opinions on playing with the roof of the Arthur Ashe Stadium closed, for example, you could quickly find those exact portions of different interviews.

IBM isn’t just exploring how Watson can be used to sift through content for the sake of curiosity. The endgame is Watson Media, a suite of tools and services that’s set to be offered on the IBM Marketplace later this year.

What’s On, Watson?

IBM works closely with the USTA to implement Watson at the U.S. Open, but Watson Media will give news organizations, movie studios — and whoever else wants it — access to IBM’s content analysis tech. It’s turnkey access to incredibly potent technology, ranging from the ability to parse through text transcripts, to the use of computer vision to analyze video footage.

“Stitching those things together, that’s something that developers can do on their own, using those tools and services that are enabled on the platform,” said Stephen Hammer, chief technical officer for IBM Sports.

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

Brad Jones/Digital Trends

This technology could change how people organize content. Hammer gave the example of a movie studio giving subscribers better access to individual portions of different films. Working your way through a break-up? You could ask to see only the most emotional scenes from all the romantic comedies and dramas on hand. Need to psyche yourself up ahead of the big game? You could search for ‘inspirational sports speeches’ and enjoy a playlist of the most powerful addresses from coaches, mentors, and former champs ever committed to celluloid.

He also put forward a possible application for reporters and journalists, who might have an enormous back catalogue of images and video to supplement their work. The tools that comprise Watson Media could underpin a system that gives reporters access to relevant content. Just ask for a picture of a boat, and Watson could offer every ship on file. Need a cargo boat, or a racing boat? Watson can work with that, too.

Such capabilities are not entirely unheard of, but now IBM is packaging it and selling it, which means more people can use it. Those looking to use cutting-edge AI won’t need to develop the tools from the ground up; they’ll have access to tried-and-tested services, tools that have already been put through their paces in high-pressure scenarios — like broadcast coverage of the U.S. Open.

Watson Media will give news organizations, movie studios — and whoever else wants it — access to IBM’s content analysis tech.

“More data is being created daily,” observed Kent. “There’s structured data — we know how to deal with that, we’ve dealt with it for a long time — but then there’s unstructured data, all those videos, all those texts, all those blogs.” Unless it’s processed, searching through this kind of content can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Watson can digest it, organize it, and make it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Think back to Watson’s ability to use computer vision to recognize a player’s fist pump, checking that it’s assumption is correct by listening to crowd noise. This is a system that can look and listen — and crucially, it can do so at scale.

The same tech could run an automated search for common lines of dialogue that were shared between movies released in the 1990s, or analyze which advertising banners saw the most screen time over a season of the Barclays Premier League, or index a podcast, so that listeners can decide which topics are worthy of their time.

Watson Media will help us organize, categorize, and analyze huge quantities of audio, video, and text with greater efficiency than ever before. If developers can wield this power properly, it’s sure to have a big impact wherever it’s implemented.

Insta360 One 360-degree Camera hands-on Review

Research Center:
Insta360 One

Shooting photos and video should be fun. It’s an aspect we look for in our smartphone reviews: Does the camera inspire us to go out and take a picture, and then actively make us think of ways to use it better? We want the answer to be yes. In our Insta360 One hands-on review, we find out the company’s new 360-degree camera has ticked that box. Insta360’s no stranger to 360-degree cameras, and we’ve already checked out the Insta360 Air and the Insta360 Pro cams. The Insta360 One almost combines the two into a single camera, providing 4K-quality 360-degree video with plug-and-play simplicity.

It’s an iPhone-compatible camera, with a clever foldaway Lightning connector in the side, ready to connect to your phone. Attached like this, it operates in a similar way to the Insta360 Air, and can be used for stills, video, and 360-degree live-streaming through Facebook, Periscope, and other platforms. However, with the universal tripod mount on one end, it can also be attached to a selfie stick, a tripod, a helmet mount, or even a drone, greatly increasing its versatility. The included protective cover doubles as a small stand too.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

It’s about as wide as the iPhone 7 Plus, but several times thicker. It adds considerably to the weight of your phone when it’s attached. Its size and shape is reminiscent of the LG 360 Camera , meaning you’ll probably want to carry it around in a bag, and not in your pocket.

Because the Lightning connector is at the bottom of your phone, the Insta360 app rotates 180-degrees, reminding you to hold the iPhone upside down when using the camera. It takes 24-megapixel stills and will shoot 4K, or 3,840 x 1,920 pixel, video. It has an HDR mode, a manual mode, and Bluetooth for remote control.

If the selfie stick is a blight on society, then the Insta360 One’s flying camera mode is its revenge.

In our brief trial of the Insta360 One, we tried out video recording from a moving vehicle, and an innovative “flying camera” mode, where a drone isn’t needed to create the unique effect of a camera zooming around you. A button on the side turns the camera on, and an LED lets you know everything is up and running. A double-tap of the same button starts recording video.

We shot in 4K and were impressed with the clarity on the phone’s screen, but mindful it was showing it at a lower resolution, and found the six-axis image stabilization worked well at making in-car footage smooth and stable.

Our footage was recorded on a very sunny day, and the camera coped with the changing light conditions extremely well. This was a negative aspect of the Insta360 Air, but has been greatly improved here. With the recording complete, the camera is plugged into the phone, and the footage synced across. From the app it can be shared online or saved to the phone’s memory.

If the selfie stick is a blight on society, then the Insta360 One’s flying camera mode is its revenge. Insta360 has made it possible to capture an effect that’s very similar to “bullet time” using some digital trickery, and some borderline dangerous antics with the camera. Attach the camera to either Insta360’s special selfie stick, or to a lasso-style attachment, activate the bullet time mode, and swing the camera around your head.

Yes, really. Swing the camera around you, being careful not to hit anyone passing by, or smash any windows. Once again, syncing requires plugging the camera into your phone. The clever part is, the software digitally removes the selfie stick from the image, making it appear the camera was floating in mid-air and zipping around you. Yes, you’ll still see your arm held high, but it’s not overly distracting, depending on the situation.

We actually liked the end result, and given how expensive and complicated it would be to get this kind of shot normally, we think it’s a fun feature many people will really enjoy. It triggered the “how can we use this feature better” feeling we want from a camera too.

The Insta360 app has an editing mode called FreeCapture, which turns your 360-degree videos into a fixed-view video, leaving you to direct the action. It’s simple to use: You can change the viewpoint to include a Tiny Planet or panoramic view, and move your iPhone around to direct the action or show the greater scene. This is all performed after the video has been shot, and can be done multiple times.

Insta360 One Compared To

Star Wars: Jedi Challenges

Samsung DeX Station

Oaxis InkCase i7 Plus

Ampy Move

Neo Smartpen N2

Motrr Galileo

Typo keyboard case

Moga Mobile Gaming Controller

Hasbro My3D

Iomega SuperHero

BlackBerry Presenter

Callpod Chargepod

Griffin Elan Holster

The digital trickery used to create all these effects has previously been only available to anyone who can use complicated, technical pieces of post-production software. It’s also similar to a feature announced, but not yet released, by GoPro called OverCapture. What Insta360 has done is given regular iPhone owners, whether they have knowledge of post processing or not, the chance to create the same effect in moments, with almost no effort. We think that’s something to be applauded.

The Insta360 One does have its downsides. We’ve been testing a pre-release version, with pre-release firmware, and it has locked up several times; but we expect this to be cured by the time the camera goes on sale. The app’s editing suite, outside of FreeCapture, isn’t very extensive.

For example, there’s no way to trim videos before sharing them to YouTube. Because the Insta360 One shoots 4K video, we’re dealing with huge file sizes. A single, 46-second clip we shot was 117MB. Try sharing that to Twitter over a 4G connection, and not fear for your monthly data allowance.

We had fun with the Insta360 One. We created, simply and easily, videos that would previously been impossible to make without a degree of specialist knowledge, using a camera that plugs into the phone we carry with us each day. But like all 360-degree cameras it’s a niche product — a $300 gadget, at that — so while we think it’s cool, you’ll need to consult your wallet. It’s out to buy now.

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 (Late 2017) hands-on review

Research Center:
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop (Late 2017)

We didn’t love last year’s Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop. Despite showing a lot of promise, especially given its low price point, our testing revealed some glaring technical issues with the display. The screen was even a step back from .

Dell’s next version of the Inspiron 15 seeks to fix the problem by offering better display options, more powerful hardware, and subdued design. While we won’t be able to say whether the Inspiron 15 has become the budget gaming laptop players have been waiting for until we get it in the office, Dell seems to be moving in the right direction at first glance.

Raising the roof, Max Q-style

While the Inspiron 15 Gaming isn’t a completely new machine, the late 2017 refresh features a new set of hardware that may make it more appealing to players who want to see a range of options, from affordable to fast.

Mike Epstein/Digital Trends

Mike Epstein/Digital Trends

Mike Epstein/Digital Trends

Mike Epstein/Digital Trends

Unlike last year, a maxed-out system can now have an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with Max Q technology. Gamers can also upgrade to a 4K IPS anti-glare panel. Add to that an Intel Core quad core i7-7700HQ processor, with up to 32GB of 2400 MHz RAM, and you have a machine that will do right by any modern game.

The laptop’s surfaces are now covered with a material Dell called “silky plastic.”

These improvements ratchet up the cost for the Inspiron 15 Gaming, though. The 4K UHD model will run you at least $1,450. If you drop 4K, the GTX 1050-equipped model starts at $1,000, which puts it just barely inside what we’d consider a “budget” gaming laptop. In addition to a visual boost across the board, the optional GTX 1060 makes the Inspiron 15 a “VR ready” machine.

The new hardware does come with a slight tradeoff — a smaller 56 Watt-hour battery, down from a 74 Watt-hour battery in the last model. Dell reports that the new battery can last up to seven hours, but that is likely under ideal conditions. In our experience, gaming laptops that have a battery in the 50-watt to 60-watt range don’t fare well in endurance tests.

Beyond those key changes, the laptop is basically the same machine as before. The Inspiron 15 Gaming supports a range of storage options, including a 1TB HDD, a 512GB SSD, or a dual-drive with 1TB HDD and a 256GB SSD. Connectivity still includes an HDMI 2.0 port, a Thunderbolt 3 port, 3 USB 3.1, a 2-in-1 SD card reader, and a headphone jack.

Subtle once more

Aesthetics continue to rank among the Inspiron 15 Gaming’s strengths. Though sleeker, more professional gaming laptops aren’t novel at this point, the Dell continues to impress with a slanted shape, and bright, tactful colors. Remember – this is an affordable gaming laptop. You wouldn’t know that from its looks.

Mike Epstein/Digital Trends

Dell is continuing to offer a second black and red color scheme for the laptop (as opposed to the original red and black). The “Matte black” version features a black top case and red piping instead of the other way around. While the red model was the lead design in 2016 and 2017, we think the black edition is more appealing.

When equipped with a GTX 1060, the Inspiron 15 is a “VR ready” machine.

On the black version, the glow from the optional red LEDs on the backlit keyboard is much more dramatic, so if gamer-style PC lighting is your jam, it will be right up your alley. This is a “budget” device, so don’t expect mechanical keys, but the keys have good, tight feel — par for the course on a modern laptop.

Regardless of whether you choose a red or black system, there are some other minor changes to the physical design. The lid and interior are now covered with a rubberized material Dell referred to as “silky plastic.” It pairs well with the device’s matte finishes. Also, the exhaust grill on the front and top of the laptop are now plain, horizontal stripes — they’re less showy, yet they still look dramatic.

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop (Late 2017) Compared To

Origin EON15-S

Asus ROG Zephyrus

Razer Blade (2017)

MSI GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro

Alienware 13 R3

Acer Predator 15

MSI GS60 Ghost Pro

Acer Predator 17 G9-791-79Y3

Alienware 15 (2015)

Asus ROG G501

Digital Storm Triton

Acer Aspire V15 Nitro Edition

AVADirect Clevo P157SM-A

MSI Global GT60 Dominator Pro

Lenovo IdeaPad Y500

Weight-wise, the Inspiron 15 gets up to a hefty 6.28 pounds with the GTX 1060 and 4K display. That said, compared to other gaming laptops, it does feel manageable. If you need a gaming laptop to play, either because you’re a dorm-bound college student or travel often, this is closer to a conventional notebook than most high-performance gaming laptops.

A step in the right direction

Dell’s latest Inspiron 7000 Gaming seems to be built in response to criticism of the previous model. Though extremely affordable at $800 to start, it suffered an extremely poor display, which ruined the experience. We thought a better display at a higher price point would be better, and that’s what Dell hopes to deliver. Whether it’s successful remains to be seen – we weren’t able to run our display tests during our hands-on time with the laptop – but this does seem a step in the right direction.

Pixel 2 will be waterproof and feature an always-on display

More details on the upcoming Pixel phones have come out, confirming more features.

Now that Android 8.0 Oreo has been released, the next big hurdle for Google will be the release of this year’s flagship phones. The Pixel line of phones is expected to be updated in the coming months and more and more details have been emerging.

9to5Google reports the Pixel 2 will be offered in a 64GB model for its base version, up from 32GB last year. There will still be a 128GB option for those that need more internal storage, though. Earlier leaks have shown and all black design, but there will allegedly be a lighter (though still dark) silver variant. This silver variant will still have a black faceplate, however.

Like all good 2017 flagships, the Pixel 2 will be IP68 dust and water resistant. The phones will also feature front-facing stereo speakers, which haven’t been seen from Google since the Nexus 6P. This is a nice consolation considering the device doesn’t include a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. A USB-C to 3.5mm dongle will be inside the box, though. The phones will foresake optical image stabilization (OIS) again for electronic image stabilization (EIS), with a priority of great low light photos. The cameras on the Pixel phones are already great, so it’ll be interesting to see how much better the new sensors are.

HTC has been confirmed as the manufacturer of the smaller Pixel 2, and that device will largely look like the current Pixel. Meanwhile, LG will be manufacturing the larger Pixel XL, which will follow this year’s trend of using the smallest bezels possible. Both devices will include an always-on display mode, which apparently looks different from the current ambient display. The devices will likely launch with Android 8.1, similar to how last year’s phones launched with Android 7.1.

Elsewhere, the Data Transfer Tool application that comes pre-installed on current Pixel phones was placed in the Play Store today, and the Google phone pictured inside the app looks a lot like the leaked Pixel XL.

Are you looking forward to the next Pixel phones? Let us know down below!

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

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John Deere bought an AI company to optimize crop spraying

Want to know how pervasive AI is becoming in seemingly all facets of daily life? Just ask Deere & Company. The John Deere brand owner just acquired Blue River Technology, which uses machine learning and computer vision to target herbicide spraying at just the weed-infested portions of a farm field. The technology can minimize both waste and the amount of input needed while spraying, saving farmers headaches and money in the process.

The deal involves a $305 million investment and should wrap up later in September. Blue River’s team is staying in its Sunnyvale, California home. That’s to maintain the “same entrepreneurial spirit” that led to its growth, Deere says.

While Deere hasn’t outlined its exact plans, the AI-assisted spraying is just part of a larger strategy. Machine learning is an “important capability for Deere’s future,” the company explains — this is about making the technology an integral part of its equipment. It knows farming will be increasingly automated, and this buyout could help it stay ahead of the curve.

Source: PR Newswire

Apple Establishes New Streaming Deal With Warner Music Group, Will Pay Lower Rates

As Apple’s original Apple Music deals with record labels begin expiring, Apple has been pursuing lower streaming rates as it negotiates new deals. Apple recently reached a deal with Warner Music Group, reports Bloomberg, and the Cupertino company was indeed able to secure a lower rate.

Warner Music Group will provide Apple with a catalog that includes Ed Sheeran, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruno Mars, and more, for iTunes, the online store, and Apple Music. Apple will be paying Warner Music Group a smaller percentage of sales from Apple Music subscribers than it did in its original deal. Apple is also close to a deal with Sony Music Entertainment, but is still negotiating with Universal Music Group.

Large technology companies and music rights holders are establishing a framework this year for how to share proceeds from on-demand streaming, now the dominant source of sales for the record business in the U.S. Music rights holders are willing to accept a slightly smaller share of the sales from on-demand services, provided those services continue to sign up paying subscribers at a high rate.

Apple began aiming for a lower rate after Spotify was able to secure a rate reduction. Since 2015, Apple has been paying labels 58 percent of revenue from Apple Music subscribers, while Spotify was paying 52 percent. Apple is now said to be considering providing labels with a 55 percent cut, with that number decreasing should Apple meet certain subscriber number targets.

Since its debut in June of 2015, Apple Music has seen steady growth, undoubtedly giving the company an upper hand when negotiating new deals with labels. As of June 2017, Apple Music had 27 million paying subscribers.

Tag: Apple Music
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