Xbox One’s ‘Intelligent Delivery’ system will free up hard drive space

Microsoft has been working on a new feature for Xbox One and Xbox One X that stands to save users a ton of storage space, Eurogamer reports. Called Intelligent Delivery, the system allows for game data to be sorted into chunks allowing players to delete bits they don’t need and free up space on their hard drives.

Here are a few ways that could be prove to be super useful. For FIFA games where the download is largely taken up by all of the various languages supported by the game, users would be able to delete all of them except the language they need. Another example — players with Xbox One consoles wouldn’t have to download all of the 4K assets used by X consoles, which they wouldn’t need because their system doesn’t support them anyway. And further, for games like Call of Duty, players that only want to focus on either single-player or multiplayer modes, can delete the one they aren’t using and then reinstall it whenever they want to use it.

Additionally, Intelligent Delivery will support games on multiple discs, with the primary disc holding all of the necessary data and additional ones (up to 15 total) carrying extra data chunks that players could add in as needed. Right now, Microsoft is only supporting two discs, but game developers wanting to use more can work that out with the company on a case-by-case basis.

Of course all of these features depend on game creators sorting their games into data chunks, which they may not want to do solely for Xbox One and for some things — like separating campaign and multiplayer modes — it may not be so simple. But Intelligent Delivery offers some smart tools that stand to have a big impact on storage space and download times.

Source: Eurogamer.net

Japan’s latest robot is a puppy that sniffs out stinky feet

The Japanese take body odor very seriously. So much so, in fact, that companies in Japan host seminars on “smell harassment.” Impeccable hygiene also extends to the home, where people are expected to take off their shoes upon entering. Naturally, the tech-savvy nation has come up with a number of modern applications for funky-smelling folk. There’s an app that tells you if your armpits kick. A female robot that checks for halitosis. And soon, you’ll even be able to buy a robotic puppy that smells your feet.

The sniffer dog with an odor sensor for a nose is hardly subtle. Not only does it bark when it comes across slightly stinky toes, but it will roll over and (temporarily) faint if your feet reek. To ward off any pungent smells, the robotic helper releases a burst of air freshener. The rest of the time, the 15cm long puppy just wags its tail and looks cute as hell.

The robot is the brainchild of Japan’s Next Technology, the commercial arm of the National Institute of Technology Kitakyushu College. The university, which was also behind the bad breath detecting robot, has been working on prototypes of the mutt for years (one of which can be seen in the above video). And, now it’s finally ready for the public. Next Technology will release the robot known as Hana-chan — a play on hana (nose) and a common girl’s nickname — early next year. But, at 100,000 yen ($905), it won’t come cheap. Still, if it affords you avoiding an awkward chat about rank feet, it could be worth it.

Source: Japan Times

Nike’s secret weapon against sneaker bots: Augmented reality

As resellers of coveted Nike shoes continue to use bots, automated systems that can make purchases faster than humans, the company has been trying to find ways to stop them. And while doing things like in-store or online raffles have evened the playing field for shoppers — particularly those who want to wear the items they buy, not sell them for a profit — the process still isn’t perfect. But augmented reality, a technology that’s all the rage right now, could change that in the near future.

Earlier this year, Nike began experimenting with AR to sell limited-edition shoes through its SNKRS app for iOS. The implementation was fairly simple: To unlock the sneakers, you just had to go to the product page in the application, tap on a 3D model of them and then point your camera at a menu of David Chang’s Fuku restaurant in New York City. (The sneaker being sold was a collaboration with the renowned chef, dubbed the Nike SB Dunk High Pro “Momofuku.”) If you didn’t have access to a physical menu, you also had the option to point your device at a web version of it or special SNKRS posters located across NYC.

When Nike launched the feature, it didn’t advertise it as a tool to combat bots. But, whether it was intentional or not, AR seems to have helped the cause. According to Heidi O’Neill, president of Nike’s direct to consumer business, who spoke at Recode’s Code Commerce event on Thursday, the use of the tech in the SNKRS app “has come very close to eliminating bots, and taking the sneaker hunt [to] as close to a fair game that I think it is anywhere in the industry.”

Although she didn’t specify how exactly AR is able to do that, or share any statistics to back up her claims, it’s not hard to decipher the potential of the technology. Especially because in most scenarios it would require some sort of physical interaction, like you having to head to a specific location to gain access to a release. “We don’t want to disappoint,” she added. “While it’s a game, we don’t want our members and people who love the brand and love sneakers to feel like they’ve lost.”

Source: Recode

Play ‘Overwatch’ for free yet again this weekend

Looking to play popular team-based shooter Overwatch but don’t want to spring for the actual game? You’re in luck this weekend, then, as Blizzard’s cartoonish and charming FPS is coming to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from September 22nd through the 25th.

This isn’t the first free weekend for the title, of course. Players have been able to blast each other up last September, the following November and just this past May. As with other free weekends, you’ll get to play with all 25 heroes across 16 maps for use in Quick Play, Custom Games and the Arcade modes. You can level up, earn loot boxes and even get some fun customization rewards. Plus, if you end up purchasing the game (a move Blizzard would love for you to perform), you get to keep all the progress you earned over the weekend, provided you use the same login when buying your own copy.

The Overwatch free weekend starts at 11:00 AM PDT/2:00 PM EDT on September 22nd, and will be available in all regions on console. For PC, only folks in the Americas, Europe and Asia (excluding Korea) will be able to play for free. You’ll need to install the game on your console or PC before playing, of course; be sure to download the Free Trial (Xbox One) or Free Weekend (PS4) version. PC players can grab the trial via the free Battle.net desktop app, as well.

Source: Blizzard

Everything You Need to Know About the iPhone X’s Controversial Notch

Given the iPhone X’s design was leaked months before it was unveiled, many people wondered how Apple would choose to approach the notch housing the device’s new TrueDepth front camera and facial recognition system.

Now that the iPhone X is official, we know the answer. Apple’s new human interface guidelines for the device advise developers to embrace the notch by ensuring the layout of their apps fill the entire screen.

Don’t mask or call special attention to key display features. Don’t attempt to hide the device’s rounded corners, sensor housing, or indicator for accessing the Home screen by placing black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. Don’t use visual adornments like brackets, bezels, shapes, or instructional text to call special attention to these areas either.

In fewer words, Apple doesn’t want developers to hide the notch or swipe indicator by placing black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Apple says most apps that use standard, system-provided UI elements like navigation bars, tables, and collections automatically adapt to the device’s new form factor. Background materials extend to the edges of the display and UI elements are appropriately inset and positioned.

To ensure that content isn’t clipped or obscured by the iPhone X’s rounded display edges, sensor housing, or swipe gesture indicator, all apps should adhere to Apple’s safe areas and layout margins to ensure approval on the App Store.

Apple also instructs developers not to place interactive controls at the very bottom of the screen, or in the corners, to avoid interfering with gestures such as swiping up from the bottom edge to return to the home screen.

Avoid explicitly placing interactive controls at the very bottom of the screen and in corners. People use swipe gestures at the bottom edge of the display to access the Home screen and app switcher, and these gestures may cancel custom gestures you implement in this area. The far corners of the screen can be difficult areas for people to reach comfortably.

Apple’s website provides plenty of examples of how apps with system-provided elements will look, such as Messages and Apple Music.

Notably absent from Apple’s marketing materials are any screenshots of apps in landscape mode, aside from games, and the reason may very well be that many of them don’t look as pretty in that orientation.

Using the iOS simulator in Xcode, several developers have shared screenshots of what landscape apps will look like on the iPhone X, and some of them have expressed their dismay about how they look.

As noted by developer Thomas Fuchs via The Verge, landscape orientation on iPhone X looks especially worse in Safari, as Apple has letterboxed websites by adding bars to the left and right of the screen—all to avoid the notch.

iPhone X renders webpages with literal white bars on the sides pic.twitter.com/ztcWetrLPo

— Thomas Fuchs (@thomasfuchs) September 13, 2017

Fortunately, it appears the bars won’t always be white. The exact color may depend on HTML background color values.

Apparently there is a way to set the background color, e.g. the Apple TV 4K page does it. pic.twitter.com/Am3xn6wjRp

— Thomas Fuchs (@thomasfuchs) September 13, 2017

The situation is different for widescreen photos and videos, and full-screen games, which are partially overlapped by the notch.

Fortunately for videos, at least, Apple automatically insets them to avoid the notch by default. A user can double tap a video to make it full screen, at which point it becomes overlapped by the notch again.

I can confirm that the “notch” at the top of the iPhone X screen does NOT cut into videos. pic.twitter.com/tdWlMqoGj3

— David Pogue (@Pogue) September 13, 2017

Meanwhile, based on Apple’s size classes, iPhone X is considered to have “compact width” and “compact height” in landscape orientation.

Essentially, because of the iPhone X’s swipe gesture indicator, its 5.8-inch display actually has less vertical space than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8 in landscape orientation, according to developers Sean Choe and Steven Troughton-Smith.

A number of tech enthusiasts believe Apple should have given the iPhone X’s slightly larger top and bottom bezels to avoid having a notch, akin to Samsung’s Galaxy S8, Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2, and LG’s V30. A few Twitter users went as far as mocking up what the iPhone X could have looked like with said design.

Notch-less iPhone X mockup by UI/UX designer Matthijs Klaver
For now though, at least, the notch is the future. When the iPhone X is released in early November, we’ll get our first taste of the new user experience, and many developers will certainly tailor their apps as best as possible.

Related Roundup: iPhone X
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Pinball Game ‘INKS’ Available for Free as Apple’s App of the Week

Each week, Apple chooses an “App of the Week” to highlight in the App Store, making it free to download for seven days. This week’s pick is pinball app INKS, which is normally priced at $2.99. INKS was first released in May of 2016 and has never been available for free before. INKS was also a 2016 Apple Design Award winner.

INKS is a modern interpretation of pinball, combining the fun of a pinball game with tactical skill-based challenges and art creation. As you play, the ball sends bursts of ink across the game board, so it’s a different experience each time.

The game features more than 100 unique pinball tables to conquer, balanced gameplay, the ability to share high scores and favorite canvases, and, best of all, no in-app purchases. Apple’s Editors’ Notes:

Pinball meets paintball in this gorgeous Apple Design Award winner from the team behind Lumino City. Inks ditches the stressful not-so-fun parts of pinball, focusing instead on a breathtaking experience that’s part puzzle-solving, part artistic explosions of color. We seriously want to frame our best levels–inks is that beautiful.

In a review, our sister site TouchArcade gave INKS four and a half stars and called it a “clever spin on one of the oldest concepts in electronic gaming” with superb level design and visuals.

INKS can be downloaded for free for the next seven days, and after that, a new App of the Week will be chosen. [Direct Link]

Tag: App of the Week
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Spotify’s iMessage app shares clips of your favorite songs

Spotify has gotten into a variety of non-Spotify apps lately, from an integration with crowd-sourced traffic app, Waze to Facebook Messenger. Now you can send and receive tracks from the streaming music service within Apple’s iMessage, too. “Spotify’s iMessage app is available now, allowing users to quickly search for and share music with friends directly from iMessage,” a Spotify spokesperson told Engadget. “It’s the latest way in which we’re empowering users to share music with friends in a fast and fun way.”

In iMessage, you’ll need to tap the app button to find the Spotify icon, which will appear if you have the latest Spotify app on your iPhone. You can then search Spotify for any tracks you want to share with your buddies on iMessage. Tapping the song you want to share puts a little preview and link in iMessage, similar to the way you can share songs from the Spotify app itself. The difference here seems to be that when you share via the new Spotify iMessage app, your recipient gets a full screen preview of the track in iMessage. When you share from the main app to iMessages, your friend gets taken to the main Spotify app or a web page.

Once your friend gets the song you shared in iMessage, they can play a 30-second preview, or they can hit the Play on Spotify button. If they’re a Spotify member, they’ll also see a little Spotify icon in the upper left corner of the iMessage screen. They’ll need to enable the new Spotify iMessage app, however, to access the preview.

Compared to the Apple Music iMessage app (as noted by MacRumors), which only shares from a recently listened track list, the Spotify feature enables a full-library search without having to drop out of your conversation to use the main Spotify app.

Via: TechCrunch

The Wirecutter’s best deals: Harmony Elite and Google Home bundle is now $280

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.

ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4

Street price: $103; MSRP: $103; Deal price: $83

This is a nice deal on our upgrade instant-read thermometer at $79. The ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4 is seeing more regular sales, though they only seem to last a few days each at most. This deal ends at the end of the day on September 15th, so you don’t have too much time to take advantage of this deal. The Mk4 comes with a 2-warranty from ThermoWorks and the discount is available for all colors. $4 flat-rate shipping brings the total up to $83.

The ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4 is our serious upgrade pick in our guide for the best instant-read thermometer. Kevin Purdy wrote, “If you’re looking for more precision in your cooking, you should upgrade to the Thermapen Mk4. Like the “classic” Thermapen, the new model hits a close temperature in two seconds, then a precise temperature in about three seconds. It has a long fold-out probe and large display, and it’ll last a very long time with only rare calibrations. The few features added were smart: an automatic backlight, screen rotation, and motion-based sleep and wake-up. It’s also more waterproof than the prior model, and it switched from drawing power from a coin battery (that you never have on hand) to a single AAA battery.”

Harmony Elite + Google Home Bundle

Street price: $355; MSRP: $479; Deal price: $280

If you’re interested in jumping into the world of smart home technology, this bundle is a great way to do so. It features two of our picks, the Harmony Elite universal remote and the Google Home. For those who want control of their AV system, voice command functionality for smart elements around the house and more, this pairing is very worth picking up. The Harmony Elite currently has a street price of nearly $250 and the Google Home nearly $110, so you’re getting a savings of around $75 with this bundle. Shipping is free.

The Logitech Harmony Elite is our theater enthusiasts pick in our guide to the best universal remote conrol. Darryl Wilkinson and Grant Clauser wrote, “If the relative ease of programming, vast control database and smart activities of the Companion just isn’t enough for you, and what you really want is a cool touchscreen to let you tap your home theater into action, and you’d like to integrate even more of your smarthome devices into your system, then you’ll want to investigate the Harmony Elite, the top dog remote in the Logitech lineup.”

The Google Home is recommended in our guide on it. Grant Clauser and Brent Butterworth write, “If you are already invested in the Google ecosystem and want a voice-controlled speaker for listening to music or controlling smart-home devices, the Google Home is an easy recommendation. Despite being new to the game compared with Amazon’s Echo, the Home feels surprisingly polished and complete, both in design and abilities.”

Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD Battery Pack and Charger

Street price: $110; MSRP: $120; Deal price: $88 w/ code KINJA879

Here’s a good price on our recommended battery pack for USB-C laptops. Usually $110, use code KINJA879 to knock the price of this battery pack (which includes a separate accompanying wall charger) down to $88. As so far this charger bundle hasn’t seen significant discounts and battery packs capable of effectively powering USB-C laptops are still hard to find, this is a nice deal. Shipping is free.

The Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD Battery pack and charger bundle is our battery pack pick for USB-C laptops in our guide to the best USB-C battery pack and power banks. Mark Smirnotis wrote, “If you want to charge a USB-C–powered laptop away from a power outlet, the Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD Battery Pack and Charger Bundle is the best way to do that. This battery pack can provide more power, for longer, than our smaller mobile-device pick, extending the battery life on USB-C laptops such as the most recent MacBook Pro models, and the Dell XPS 13. The Power Delivery (PD) standard delivers twice as much power as standard USB-C outlets—at least 30 W instead of just 15 W—but twice the power comes at around four times the price at this writing, so it’s important to confirm that you need the benefits before you plunk down the cash. Non-PD devices such as smartphones, tablets, and speakers will still charge from this pack, but not any faster than they would from much less expensive standard USB battery packs.”

Apple iPhone 7 Leather Case

Street price: $45; MSRP: $45; Deal price: $30

With preorders for the iPhone 8 starting 9/15 and iPhone X arriving in early November, iPhone 7 accessories are predictably seeing some of the best prices we’ve noted for them. The Apple branded iPhone leather case, usually $45, is down to $30, a new low. It’s available in all colors except midnight blue ($35) at the deal price, but saddle brown is backordered. Shipping is free.

The Apple iPhone 7 Leather Case is our pick for the best leather case in our guide to the best cases for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Nick Guy writes, “If you prefer the look and feel of leather over plastic or silicone, Apple’s iPhone 7 Leather Case is the best option. It isn’t as protective as our overall favorite, but we like it anyway. It offers enough coverage to guard against the majority of scuffs and minor drops, and even though it’s thin and light, it still has an adequate lip protecting the screen. The Leather Case is available in seven classy color options, and while the lighter colors may show dirt and wear sooner than you might like, one person’s “dirt” is another’s patina, the coveted accumulation of wear that makes the case unique. Most important, though, Apple’s Leather Case just looks and feels great.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursday, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.

Apple adds 2017 12-inch MacBook to its range of refurbished systems

Why it matters to you

If you’re looking to save a little on your MacBook purchase, it’s well worth looking into buying a refurbished system.

At WWDC 2017, Apple introduced a new iteration of its 12-inch MacBook. Now, the company has offered up refurbished versions of this laptop via its official online store for the first time.

The basic version of the MacBook, with a 1.2GHz Intel Core m3 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of flash storage, and an Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU typically costs $1,299. The refurbished version is priced at $1,099, according to Mac Rumors.

Likewise, a more advanced model with a 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 processor and double the amount of flash storage would normally set you back $1,599, but getting a refurbished model drops the price to $1,359.

Apple offers a variety of different hardware configurations of its 12-inch MacBook, and as such there are several refurbished options available, too. Prices range from $1,099 up to $1,659, depending on the components that are selected. Color options include gold, rose gold, and space gray.

There are compelling savings to be had, as long as you don’t have any qualms about not being the very first owner of your new laptop. That being said, buying refurbished systems from Apple is a far cry from picking up your MacBook on Craigslist.

The company states that every system that enters its refurbishment program undergoes a “rigorous” process of testing and certification. For all intents are purposes, the MacBook you receive is the same as one that you would buy brand new — it’s even given its own serial number, and it is protected by the same one-year warranty as any other system.

You can also expect to receive a working power cord (which might not be the case if you were buying second-hand from an individual). Apple will even package it up nicely in a fresh white box.

The 12-inch model didn’t fare too badly in Digital Trends’ analysis of the Apple’s entire range of MacBooks, but there were a couple of sticking points. The fact that it’s the smallest, lightest laptop the company has ever produced is great if you need a super-portable system, but it does restrict its battery life to a less-than-stellar 10 hours. What is more, the standard processor is a little underpowered, and its single USB Type-C port can be restrictive.

Still, if you are looking to reap the savings of a refurbished 12-inch MacBook, you can do so here.

AI assistants will soon recognize and respond to the emotion in your voice

Why it matters to you

AI that can understand how you’re feeling based on the emotion in your voice will open up whole new areas of personalization.

You know when people say that it’s not what you say, but how you say it that matters? Well, very soon that could become a part of smart assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri. At least, it could if these companies decide to use new technology developed by emotion tracking artificial intelligence company Affectiva.

Affectiva’s work has previously focused on identifying emotion in images by observing the way that a person’s face changes when they express particular sentiments. Affectiva’s latest technology builds on that premise through the creation of a cloud-based application program interface (API) that is able to detect emotion in speech. Developed using the power of deep learning technology, the smart tech is capable of observing changes in tone, volume, speed, and voice quality and using this to recognize emotions like anger, laughter, and arousal in recorded speech.

“The addition of Emotion AI for speech builds on Affectiva’s existing emotion recognition technology for facial expressions, making us the first AI company to allow for a person’s emotions to be measured across face and speech,” Rana el Kaliouby, co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, told Digital Trends. “This is all part of a larger vision that we have. People sense and express emotion in many different ways: Through facial expressions, voice, and gestures. We’ve set out to develop multi-modal Emotion AI that can detect emotion the way humans do from multiple communication channels. The launch of Emotion AI for speech takes us one step closer.”

Affectiva developed its voice recognition system by collecting naturalistic speech data from a variety of sources, including commercially available databases. This data was then labeled by human experts for the occurrence of what the company calls “emotion events.” These human generated labels were used to train and validate the team’s deep learning models, so that over time it grew to understand how certain shifts in a person’s voice might indicate a particular emotion.

It’s smart stuff from a technology perspective but, like the best technology, it also has the possibility of helping users on a practical basis. One specific application could include car navigation systems that are able to hear a driver start to experience road rage, and react to prevent them from making a rash driving decision. It could similarly be used to allow automated assistants to change their approach when they hear anger or frustration from a user — or to learn what kind of responses elicit the best reactions and repeat these strategies.