Chromecast Ultra delivers the best casting experience with Daydream

All Chromecasts are not created equal, especially when it comes to Daydream.

Google’s latest update to the Daydream VR platform includes an exciting new way to share VR experiences with those in the room with you. A quick click on the Chromecast icon will send everything the player sees to the closest television, which is a lot more fun than just watching someone with a headset on their face.

The big question now is which Chromecast will offer the best experience for this? And if you already have a Chromecast, is it time to consider an upgrade? After some extensive testing, it looks like the Chromecast Ultra is going to offer the best experience for Daydream users. Here’s why!

Read more at VRHeads!

UK orders shutdown of online casino games aimed at kids

Have you ever seen a gambling machine or website that was all too conspicuously aimed at children? British regulators certainly have. The country’s Gambling Commission and advertising overseers have ordered over 450 gambling sites to “immediately” remove casino games they say are targeting the under-18 crowd. The cartoonish graphics, cute characters and even game names (such as Piggy Payout) serve as gambling advertising that’s “likely” to appeal to kids, according to an official letter. And these aren’t just free titles — bets range as high as £600 (about $792), so this could be particularly damaging if a child got access.

The crackdown follows an investigation from the Times that showed gambling sites taking advantage of a “loophole” they believed let them make child-oriented games without violating Gambling Commission rules. They used age verification checks for anyone who wanted to play for money, but you could play for free without any kind of checks. And that’s where the problem was — the free-to-play experience was effectively a sales pitch, even if it was just to sell young visitors on the concept of gambling.

Some in the industry have denied intentionally marketing to kids, but they don’t all object. William Hill, one of the sites asked to take down some casino games, is welcoming the order. It’s not hard to see why it might help in the long run. Although this will remove more than a few games, it could force gambling companies (including those beyond the UK) to mend their image by focusing their attention on adults. Whatever short-term losses they face might be more than offset by the reduced amounts of legal scrutiny and bad press.

Via: The Times

Source: Gambling Commission

The best DSLR for beginners

By Mike Perlman

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

The Nikon D3400 is the best entry-level DSLR for those looking to improve their photography and learn the ins and outs of tweaking camera settings. The D3400 has some of the best image quality we’ve ever seen at this price, along with excellent battery life, Bluetooth connectivity, 1080/60p video, silent autofocus for video, and easy-to-use controls—and it’s widely available for less than $500.

How we picked and tested

An entry-level DSLR has to be able to do a lot these days. It has to provide excellent image quality, including low noise and a wide dynamic range. It has to be easy enough to use that someone who has never tried a complex camera before can learn how to handle it, but it still has to offer manual controls that photographers can graduate into as they improve their skills. And it has to be affordable.

We spent hours researching DSLRs by reading editorial reviews from photography sites and customer reviews from a handful of top retailers. We also drew on our own experience with trends in photography to assemble a list of candidates. Then, we hands-on tested each model on our list for six hours, assessing each camera’s image quality, focusing speed, menu layout, features, handling, and battery life.

Our pick: The best beginner DSLR for most people

Photo: Mike Perlman

The Nikon D3400 is designed to be easy enough for a total newbie to use, but it has all the manual controls they could need as they get more comfortable. It can shoot video in 1080p at up to 60 frames per second, and has a still-image burst mode that can capture action at five frames per second. It includes Bluetooth connectivity for automatically transferring captured images to your smartphone via the SmartBridge app. The D3400 also packs some of the longest battery life around, significantly surpassing that of its competition.

Nikon uses better sensors in its low-end cameras than other camera companies, which means the D3400 is able to capture a wider range of lights and darks in your images. It also has one of the better kit lenses among beginner DSLRs. Nikon’s new collapsible AF-P 18–55mm Nikkor lens is a pretty fantastic and sharp lens, and it uses a stepping motor to achieve speedy, ultraquiet focusing. This is particularly useful in video mode, providing much quieter focusing than the lens on our runner-up, the D3300.

Unfortunately, Nikon chose to reduce the power of the D3400’s built-in flash, cut the panorama mode, and removed the automatic sensor-cleaning feature. If you need these features, check out our runner-up, the Nikon D3300.

Runner-up: A cheaper alternative without Bluetooth

Photo: Mike Perlman

Our previous pick, the Nikon D3300, came close to remaining our top pick. It’s got image quality that is second only to the D3400 according to DxOMark, a more powerful flash, built-in sensor cleaning, a mic jack, and panorama mode. What the D3300 lacks over the D3400 is Bluetooth, though you can buy an adapter to not only transfer images but to control the camera as well. The D3400 also has the benefit of the silent autofocus lens, which is one of its main selling points.

The videography pick: Canon EOS T5i

The Canon EOS T5i. Photo: Mike Perlman

If you think you’re going to be shooting more video than still photography, or you’re a budding filmmaker on a student budget, a good way to go would be the Canon EOS T5i. With a lens well-suited to videography, a tilting touchscreen, and compatibility with third-party firmware, there’s a lot there for a video fans to like. That said, in terms of ease of use, battery life, and image quality, it still lags behind the D3400.

The T5i’s primary strength is its swivel LCD touchscreen, a crucial feature to filmmaking. It lets you capture high- or low-angle shots while still being able to see the Live View feed on the LCD screen. The screen is also capable of touch focus—just tap on what you want to focus on. The T5i’s STM lenses offer smooth, seamless autofocus during video recording. However, it lacks 1080/60p video recording, which the Nikon D3400 proudly flaunts. If you want to shoot 1080p natively on the T5i, you’ll be stuck at 30 frames per second.

For the advanced still photographer: Pentax K-S2

The Pentax K-S1 has the same video and image quality as the K-S2 but a slightly different exterior and a couple of minor changes. Photo: Mike Perlman

For a photographer who already has some idea of what they’re doing, the Pentax K-S2 outclasses the D3400 in many ways. It has a built-in stabilization system that will work with lenses dating back decades, as well as built-in Wi-Fi/NFC connectivity. The K-S2 has focus peaking and an anti-aliasing filter than can be disabled or enabled, features usually found only in more-expensive models. It has a renovated, completely weather-sealed external design with a front dial to improve handling and a tiltable, swivel LCD. Most important, the K-S2 produces beautiful still images.

Unfortunately, the K-S2’s video quality is poor compared with that of the Nikon D3400 and Canon EOS T5i. With stabilization enabled, the video suffers from the dreaded jello effect, more professionally referred to as rolling shutter. With stabilization disabled, the shake can be dramatic. The Pentax K-S2 is also saddled with a more confusing menu system than the Nikon or Canon cameras we tested. And though the focus system is quick and accurate at times, it’s super loud and occasionally gets stuck hunting.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

These scientists beat the bookies — until the online casino shut them down

Why it matters to you

There’s no sure thing in gambling, online or otherwise, and if you find a way to game the system, you’ll eventually get caught.

It’s nearly impossible to win money betting on sports, and that’s by design. Whether it’s online or at a casino, the bookmakers who set the betting odds for sports gambling have an array of statistical tools at their disposal to ensure the numbers are always in their favor. But they also have to account for the human factor, and this is where a team of scientists came up with a way to use the bookies’ own calculations against them.

Researcher Lisandro Kaunitz of the University of Tokyo and a few of his friends from around the world devised a mathematical system that let them consistently make money betting on soccer games online. The MIT Technology Review has all the details on the system they used, but to understand it, you have to know how sports betting actually works.

When bookmakers set the odds on a particular match, they use historical data and sophisticated analysis to predict the most likely outcome, and then set the odds of a win, loss, or draw accordingly. Certain teams are more popular than others, of course, and tend to draw more betting action, especially on big events like the Super Bowl. As a result, the oddsmakers may adjust the betting line by a few points one way or the other to compensate for this bias.

Kaunitz and colleagues devised a system that consistently identified betting opportunities that favored them rather than the house. They tracked odds offered by online betting companies on soccer matches and calculated the average odds to discover any outliers. Then they analyzed whether a bet on the outlier matches would favor them or not.

To test their system, they analyzed the results of 479,440 soccer games played between 2005 and 2015. This simulation delivered a return of 3.5 percent. “For an imaginary stake of $50 per bet, this corresponds to an equivalent profit of $98,865 across 56,435 bets,” they said. A random simulation yielded a return of  negative 3.2 percent, or a loss of $93,000.

“At this point we decided to place bets with real money,” Kaunitz said. Over a five-month period, their 256 different $50 bets paid off 47.2 percent of the time, and they made a profit of $957.50, an impressive return of 8.5 percent.

But then down came the banhammer.

The online casinos would no longer accept their wagers, or would limit them to amounts as small as $1.25. “The sports betting industry has the freedom to publicize and offer odds to their clients, but those clients are expected to lose,” Kaunitz said. “If they are successful, they can be restricted from betting.”

One of the bookmakers used by the team told the New Scientist it’s the casino’s prerogative to restrict certain bets. “This can be for a number of reasons, including bonus abuse and taking proportionately more than their fair share of special offers and enhanced prices, which are designed for the many rather than a few,” said the spokesman.

What did they do with their winnings? Kaunitz and his wife splurged on a nice dinner in Tokyo. “We were excited, but it’s worth mentioning – you need to spend a lot of time to do it,” he said.

Editor’s Recommendations

• Sensor-packed smart belt could help Parkinson’s patients stay on their feet
• Japan’s RoboCup 2017 sees soccer robots compete to beat humans in 2050
• The results are in, and Tesla’s solar roof is cheaper than a normal roof
• From crime stories to experimental films, here are the best drama movies on Netflix
• Looking to buy Motorola? Here’s our ultimate guide to all 2017 Moto smartphones

Best new songs to stream: Big K.R.I.T., MGMT, Curls, and more

Every week, there are thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves — and it’s just too much for your two ears to handle. With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks that deserve a thumbs-down click — you want the best new songs to stream right now.

But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week, and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.

Here are our five best new songs to stream this week. And don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post. Not sure which streaming service is best for you? Check out our post about the best music streaming services, or go in depth and learn the differences between Apple Music and Spotify to better weigh your options.

Big K.R.I.T. — Keep The Devil Off

Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. channels his inner Chance The Rapper on this brand-new track, which features layers of horns, a church choir, and an organ combining to create a positive and uplifting hip-hop tune with a subtle trap influence. If this is any indication of the quality of his upcoming album 4Eva Is A Mighty Long Time — a massive 22-track release due in November — listeners have a lot to look forward to.

MGMT — Little Dark Age

On Little Dark Age, vintage synthesizers and drum machines join with the voice of  MGMT frontman Andrew VanWyngarden to create a beat-driven tune that feels ripped straight from mid-’80s radio. The video for the latest single from the indie-rock heroes is as odd as it is compelling, a mansion-set visual accompaniment with scenes of oddly dressed band members, wood chopping, and fireplaces that’s perfectly timed for the Halloween season.

Curls — Gentle and Kind

This powerful ballad from ex-Girls frontman Christopher Owens’ new band Curls sounds like something straight from the late-’60s Beatles songbook. The song starts right on the first verse, powered by a gentle Let It Be-esque piano line and a beautiful vocal melody that’s eventually joined by organ and elegant background vocals. John Lennon would be proud.

Hundred Waters — Firelight

Beautiful layers of vocal harmony immediately grab your attention at the beginning of Hundred Waters‘ latest track Firelight. From there, an elegant melody and cool whirling synthesizers pair with piano and digital drums, creating a musically stunning soundscape that invokes comparisons to the intricate works of songwriters like Justin Vernon (Bon Iver).

 Kan Wakan — Tuesday

Los Angeles-based songwriter Gueorgui Linev has been hard at work on his band’s upcoming triple album called Phantasmagoria, and recently shared this beautiful string-filled single featuring vocal help from Rachel Fannan. A gentle and introverted song, we expect this one to accompany us on many rainy fall excursions into the woods.

That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more songs to stream, and check out the playlist loaded with our recent selections below:

Editor’s Recommendations

• The best new songs this weekend from Beck, Twin Peaks, Bermuda Triangle, and more
• Best new songs to stream: LCD Soundsystem, Washed Out, and more
• Best new songs to stream: Queens of the Stone Age, Moses Sumney, and more
• Best new songs to stream: Arcade Fire, Mac Demarco, and more
• Best new songs to stream: Haim, Spoon, Sharon Van Etten, and more

Best Heavy Duty Cases for Amazon Fire Tablets

What’s the best Amazon Fire case for kids? The one that keeps it in one piece!

With Amazon recently announcing a new refresh for its Fire tablet line, it’s time to consider upgrading to the latest and greatest. But what to do with your old tablet?

Slap on a kid-proof case and let your kids have fun with a tablet of their very own!

• Fintie Casebot Honey Comb Series
• Topsky heavy duty case
• Avawo convertible handle stand
• Tinkle One EVA case
• EpicGadget hybrid case
• Amazon FreeTime
• Moko case
• Bear Motion

Fintie Casebot Honey Comb Series

Bouncy, durable, flexible silicone is totally the way to go if you have kids who can’t wait to get their sticky mitts all over your Amazon Fire.

The honeycomb design helps to disperse the force of impact, so that your Fire stays in one piece when dropped from a short height. It wraps around the front of your tablet to protect the bezel and create a bumper between your screen and whatever your kid happens to lay it down on.

Comes in 10 colors and only fits the 2015 7-inch Fire. Grab a couple — they’re only $9 apiece.

See at Amazon

Topsky heavy duty case

These Topsky cases are made of polycarbonate and flexible silicone, so that they’re easy for your child to hold and durable enough to withstand playtime, even if playtime means playing with your Fire tablet instead of on it.

The kickstand is perfect to help you set up your tablet for the little ones when they want to watch cartoons or play games. And if you’re taking your Fire tablet on a roadtrip any time soon, the Topsky case will more than see it through life on the road.

Comes in seven colors and fits the 7-inch Fire tablet (2015). $16 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Avawo convertible handle stand

Tablets can be awkward for the kidlets to hold onto without dropping, so having a case with a handle made for little hands is perfect.

The handle folds into a convenient stand, and the case is thick and made with heavy duty EVA foam, which protects your Fire tablet from drops and the odd toss.

Comes in purple, green, red, or black for $15 and fits the 2015 (5th generation) Fire tablet only.

See at Amazon

Tinkle One EVA case

EVA foam is where it’s at for shock-proof cases that help kid-proof your Amazon Fire tablet. It’s wipeable with a damp cloth and durable enough to survive short drops.

That being said, drops shouldn’t be common, since the case is designed with little hands in mind, and it comes in six fun colors (well, five and black) to appease even the most discerning of toddlers.

Fits the 7-inch Amazon Fire tablet (2015). $14.

See at Amazon

EpicGadget hybrid case

EpicGadget’s hybrid case is shock-proof and provides great drop protection, thanks to its flexible silicone and hard polycarbonate makeup.

The vertical kickstand lets you stand your Amazon Fire tablet upright or horizontally, so you can watch cartoons or play games hands-free.

The color combinations are fun and bright, and you can count on the silicone to be grippy and easy to clean.

Fits the 7-inch Amazon Fire tablet. Comes in five colors and starts around $13 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Amazon FreeTime

Amazon’s own FreeTime case is totally designed with kids in mind, with a shape meant for little hands, reinforced corners for extra drop protection, fun colors, and made from a material that’s kid-safe and easy to clean.

All the buttons and ports are easily accessible for adults and children alike, and raised bumps on the inside help to further disperse impact.

Fits the 7-inch Amazon Fire tablet (2015). $15.

See at Amazon

Moko case

This rugged case from Moko is made of impact-resistant EVA material to protect from drop damage with a convenient handle so your kids can easily carry it around and hopefully prevent it from being dropped in the first place. There’s an ample bezel around the screen to keep that protected while keeping the buttons and camera accessible.

The handle also folds over to create a kickstand which is convenient indeed. This case only works with the 2015 edition of the Amazon Fire 7 tablet and is available in seven funky colors starting at $20.

See at Amazon

Bear Motion

Bear Motion’s silicone case is similar to Fintie’s in its sort of honey comb design, but its shape makes for a better grip and a neat way to protect your new 7th-gen Fire tablet. This case offers a thick bezel on the front to protect your screen, and the flexible silicone absorbs impact.

You can grab this on on Amazon for only $10 and in seven colors.

See at Amazon

What’s on your Fire?

Do you have an awesome go-to case to make sure your kids don’t destroy your Amazon Fire tablet? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated October 2017: Added pricing.

Does the Google Pixel 2 XL have a screen burn-in problem?

This isn’t a great sign.

Consternation surrounding the display in the Google Pixel 2 XL is well known at this point, and to be honest most of it has been pretty overblown. But we have something new to talk about now: screen burn-in. It’s something people with OLED screens worry about (to varying degrees) and something people who prefer LCDs like to poke fun about. But one of our Pixel 2 XL review units, in use for about a week, is already seeing some pretty crazy levels of burn-in.

That’s some pretty wild OLED burn-in on the Pixel 2 XL after maybe 7 days of full-time use pic.twitter.com/EPJTs6D0Kg

— Alex Dobie (@alexdobie) October 22, 2017

Viewing a grey image on the screen, you get a clear look at where the navigation bar has started to settle in on the display. You also interestingly see the portions of pixels where the back, home, and recents buttons go — those don’t seem to be burned in themselves (displaying white instead of black), but the outlines clearly show where they are compared to the black portion that’s burned in. Or that may be some optical trickery and the buttons are burned in. We’re just not sure what we’re seeing here.

So as a quick refresher, what is burn-in?

Screen burn-in happens when a portion of the display has the same imagery long enough to cause a ghost image of it to hang around after you change the screen to display something else. It’s usually most noticeable in the notification shade or status bar (the clock is notorious for “burning in”) but it can also happen with navigation buttons or even home screen icons. It’s usually an issue with OLED panels and usually takes a good few months before it starts to show up.

When you change what’s on your screen, leftover images can stay behind. But they shouldn’t.

There’s also a phenomenon called image retention. Image retention, or ghosting, is a part of the screen staying barely visible even after you’ve moved away and have something new on the display. Like burn-in, this usually happens with buttons or icons, but anything on your display can leave a ghost image if it’s static and on long enough. Image retention is usually associated with LCD panels, and plenty of people with an LG G6 or LG V20 have noticed it happens even more often with Quantum Dot technology. Thankfully, image retention is temporary and will go away on its own after a short time.

At first glance, what we see looks more like screen burn-in than image retention. While burn-in is more often associated with OLED and image retention is associated with LCD, there is crossover and you could see either issue on any type of display. As more reports come in and more people have examples to share the problem can hopefully be pinpointed.

How to check your screen

It can be difficult to see screen burn because we usually have so much information on our screens. Here’s a quick test you can do to check your phone.

• Open this article in a web browser on your phone.
• Click and open each of these thumbnails and view the images full screen

• Check the bottom of your screen where the navigation buttons normally appear and check the notifications areas (especially around the clock) for a faint “ghost” image of any screen elements that were left behind.

Screen burn, of either type, can be barely noticeable or it can be distinct and in your face. Using a black or red background is the best way to see it, but you still may need to look very closely.

What should you do?

This particular Pixel 2 XL, as we said, has only been in use for about a week — each day seeing about 3 hours of time with the screen on. We don’t want to jump to the conclusion that this is indicative of how all Pixel 2 XL’s will age, and we sure hope it that isn’t the case. After tweeting out the image earlier today we started to get a few replies indicating that others were seeing the same type of burn-in after similar periods, though.

If you’re seeing screen burn-in on a Pixel 2 XL (or any phone) after a week, or even just a month, of a regular use, you’re going to be entitled to a warranty replacement from the manufacturer. As we saw with the 2016 Pixels, of which some experienced burn-in and screen issues early on, people were being granted posthaste warranty replacements.

What you shouldn’t do is try any workarounds or apps from Google Play that promise to “fix” screen burn. Right now nobody even knows exactly what we’re seeing, only that it’s there. Hang tight and wait for more information before you make anything worse.

We’ve reached out to Google for a comment on the issue and will be updating this story as soon as we have any word back from the company.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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