Nintendo Announces Animal Crossing Pocket Camp for iOS Devices

Nintendo this evening shared details on its upcoming Animal Crossing game that’s coming to iOS devices, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp.

In Pocket Camp, you manage a campsite that you can decorate with furniture and items to attract the traditional Animal Crossing villagers. When you place an animal’s favorite furniture item, that animal will come to visit your campsite. Based on the Animal Crossing Pocket Camp website, the full range of animal types will be available in Pocket Camp.

The game is highly focused on crafting, and crafting is used to create the furniture items that will draw villagers to the campsite. Crafting furniture requires materials, which are earned by completing quests for your campsite visitors.

Animals will ask you to collect fruit, bugs, fish, and other items, and will reward you with crafting materials when the job’s done. As with other Animal Crossing games, you can catch bugs and fish and sell them to get bells, the game’s main currency.

You live in a camper, which can be customized both inside and out in the city. You can purchase furniture and new exterior paints and other options, and there are also stores for buying new outfits and accessories. Limited time and seasonal items will be available.

You can also build amenities like pools for your campsite visitors, and there are nearby recreation spots to explore for exotic bugs and fruit, like a beach and an island.

Time passes as it does in real life, so when it’s morning, it’s morning in Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. You can visit your friends’ campsites, and sell and exchange items with one another.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is a freemium game and it uses a “Leaf Ticket” currency. Leaf Tickets can be earned in games or purchased with real money. Leaf Tickets speed up building times for furniture and can be used to purchase the resources necessary to build furniture.

When you put out an animal’s favorite furniture item, that animal will come visit the campsite, and when completing tasks, you can also level up your friendship with each animal.

Nintendo didn’t share a specific launch date for Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, but it is set to be released in late November, so there’s about a month to go before it sees a release.

Tags: Nintendo, Animal Crossing
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New 2018 Honda Gold Wing is the First Motorcycle Equipped With CarPlay

Honda is set to release the first motorcycle that comes equipped with CarPlay, reports CNET. The new 2018 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle features a 7-inch LCD in the dashboard, which offers support for CarPlay, just like a standard in-car dashboard.

An iPhone can be connected to the bike via USB in the trunk or the storage cubby in the tank, and then accessed through the touch panel. To use CarPlay with the Gold Wing, a Bluetooth headset is required.

According to CNET, CarPlay in the Gold Wing works well, and can be controlled through the left grip or a rotary controller on the tank.

Yes, you do have to connect a Bluetooth headset, a requirement mandated by Apple, one that is a bit frustrating since most CarPlay interactions don’t require voice. Still, once enabled it works well, controlled either via four-way controller on the left grip or a central, rotary controller down on the tank — though frankly I can’t recommend reaching down to that while on the go. Still, having intelligent navigation and access to your media on the bike is great.

Honda’s new Gold Wing is 90lbs lighter than older models, and it features an 1,800cc engine with a double-wishbone front suspension. CNET says it’s narrower and more attractive, but has much less cargo space than before. Additional information on specs can be found on Honda’s website.

Pricing on the 2018 Honda Gold Wing starts at $23,500, and it will be available for purchase in February of 2018.

CarPlay is now available in more than 200 vehicles from a wide range of manufacturers, and there are also several aftermarket solutions available for cars that don’t come with native CarPlay support. Along with motorcycles, CarPlay is also now available in some new semi trucks from Volvo.

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: Honda
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iPhone X App Switching Demoed in New Video as Apple Revamps Homepage Ahead of Pre-Orders

Following the debut of the iPhone X in September, Apple employees have been using the device in public, leading to a range of “in the wild” iPhone X photos and videos showing off new features and the device’s revamped design.

The latest iPhone X video is short but demos a new app switching feature that’s unique to the device. On iPhone X, you can swipe left or right on the display to quickly switch between apps, a process that’s smooth and seamless in the video that was discovered on Imgur and then shared on Twitter.

App switching on iPhone X looks pretty smooth. (via https://t.co/mXpNJhOwzw) pic.twitter.com/Lf9X3twx58

— Webastiaan the Sith (@sdw) October 25, 2017

Apple did demonstrate this gesture on stage when the iPhone X was introduced, but the video gives a clearer look at how well it works.

On previous devices, app switching was largely initiated through the Home button, but with no Home button available, Apple found a simpler, more intuitive solution for the iPhone X. iPhone X users will also be able to use a swipe upward and hold gesture to get to the traditional card-based app switching interface.

In other iPhone X news, Apple tonight revamped the Apple.com homepage to focus solely on the iPhone X ahead of pre-orders.

The page has an iPhone X front and center along with the pre-order time, and it features several animated sections highlighting various iPhone X features like the edge-to-edge display, Face ID, the TrueDepth Camera, the improved rear camera with Portrait Lighting, the A11 Bionic processor, and wireless charging.

iPhone X pre-orders will kick off in just two days on Friday, October 27 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. The first pre-orders will begin arriving to customers on Friday, November 3, the official launch date for the iPhone X.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Caution)
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Chromebook, say, ‘Cheese!’ Here’s how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook

Chromebooks and other devices that run Chrome OS are great if you want a simple and cost-effective machine for accessing the web. Google’s browser-for-everything approach can cause some confusion, however, especially for general functions like taking a screenshot in Windows or doing the same on MacOS. While Chromebooks don’t include a “Print screen” key, learning how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook is actually fairly simple — whether you need to grab the entire screen or just a portion.

Capturing a full screenshot

To take a screenshot of everything you see on your Chromebook’s screen at once, hold down the “Ctrl” button and press the “Switch window” key. The latter button is located in the top row, in between the “Full-screen” and “Brightness down” buttons, and is represented by multiple squares.

On Chromebooks, the Multi-Window button is in between “Full-screen” and “Brightness down.”

Once you press both of them, you see a notification in the bottom corner of the screen alerting you that your screenshot has been saved. Screenshot image files save directly to the Chromebook’s “Downloads” folder, so you can take and access screenshots even when offline, and are labeled with the date and time they were recorded. Click the notification to open the Downloads folder and select the image file.

Note: Screenshots are saved locally and won’t be available on Google Drive unless you manually move the file.

Capturing a partial screenshot

Chrome OS can also select only a portion of your screen to save. Hold down the “Ctrl” and “Shift” keys at once, then press the “switch window” button. Chrome’s cursor will be temporarily replaced with a crosshair. Click and drag a square across the portion of the screen you want to save, then release the trackpad or mouse button. The partial screenshot will be saved in the Downloads folder, the same as a full screenshot.

Copying screenshots

Chrome OS doesn’t save screenshots as copied images like Windows does when the “Print screen” button is pressed. If you’d like to simply copy a screenshot (for insertion into an image editor, for example), watch the notification that appears above the system clock. Click the “Copy to clipboard” button, then press Ctrl+V when you want to paste it.

Editing screenshots

The screenshots captured by Chrome OS are ready to share, but if you want to do a little more with them, you should familiarize yourself with Chrome’s built-in image editor.

Open the Downloads folder, double-click your screenshot to open it in the image viewer, then click the pen icon in the bottom right corner of the window to enter edit mode. Tools for cropping, rotation, and brightness adjustments will appear at the bottom of the window.

When you’re done, click the pen icon again to finalize your edits. The built-in editor doesn’t allow you to save copies, so you may want to copy the image manually before working on it.

Using external keyboards

If you’re using a Chrome-powered desktop (also known as a Chromebox) or you’ve plugged an external keyboard into your Chromebook, the keyboard probably uses a standard function key row instead of Chrome’s dedicated button row. The good news is that the function keys do the same job — F1 goes back, F2 goes forward, et cetera. The F5 button works as the “switch window” button on standard keyboards, so the screenshot command becomes Ctrl + F5.

Other screenshot tools

The built-in image tools for Chrome OS are a bit anemic, but luckily there are plenty of apps and extensions on Google’s Chrome Web Store to help add extra functionality. Here are some helpful picks:

Clipular — An all-in-one Chrome app that lets you save, edit, and annotate screenshots. It can also save screenshots directly to Google Drive.

FireShot — Save an entire page as an image without multiple screenshots.

Pixlr — An online image editor with much more robust tools than the one built into Chrome’s image viewer.

Awesome Screenshot Minus — This screenshot tool supports direct annotation on Chromebooks with touchscreens.

File System for Dropbox — If you prefer Dropbox to the built-in Google Drive, this app will mount your Dropbox folder in the standard file browser. Just copy your screenshots over from the Downloads folder.

If you’re still having any issues with your Chromebook, our full Chrome OS troubleshooting guide can help you identify and resolve them.

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32-bit vs. 64-bit — what’s the difference, and what does it mean for your PC?

You’ve probably seen 32-bit and 64-bit options available whenever you download an app, or install a game. Your PC might even have a sticker that says it has a 64-bit processor. But does it really matter? Most new PCs have a 64-bit processor, so what do you really need to know about 32-bit vs. 64-bit CPUs?

Well, for starters, if you’re a Windows user, you’ve probably noticed that you have two Program Files folders — one labeled simply “Program Files” and the other labeled “Program Files (x86).” Understanding the difference between these two folders and why you have them in the first place is pretty important, especially if you’ve ever installed the wrong program in the wrong folder. It’s the kind of thing you’ll never notice until you accidentally do it and your apps start misbehaving.

The same, but different

First off, the reason you have those two folders is because there are currently two fundamentally different architectures used to manufacture computer processors, and as a result, there are two fundamentally different ways to write programs and apps for them. Applications all use shared resources on a Windows system; these are called DLL files, or Dynamic Link Libraries. They’re basically just pooled libraries of common resources that many different apps will use. Windows puts them all in a single place to make things easier for software developers.

Those DLL files are written and structured in fundamentally different ways because they’re meant to be used by 64-bit applications or 32-bit applications. If, for instance, a 32-bit application reaches out for a DLL and finds a 64-bit version, it’s just going to stop working. Imagine going to a library to find a specific textbook, and then realizing that everything is in a foreign language. You’d likely leave and assume you went to the wrong place. The same basic principle applies here.

Wouldn’t it be easier if you simply used 64-bit software on 64-bit systems, and ignore 32-bit software entirely? Well, not really. The problem is the 32-bit (x86) architecture has been around for a very long time, and there are still a host of applications that utilize 32-bit architecture. Modern 64-bit systems can run 32-bit and 64-bit software because of a very simple and easy solution: two separate Program Files directories. When 32-bit applications are sequestered to the appropriate x86 folder, Windows knows to serve up the right DLL, aka the 32-bit version. Everything in the regular Program Files directory, on the other hand, can access the other stuff, the good stuff.

So why does it even matter, why do we have these two different architectures at all?

What are bits?

The number of bits in a processor refers to the size of the data types that it handles and the size of its registry. Simply put, a 64-bit processor is more capable than a 32-bit processor because it can handle more data at once. A 64-bit processor is capable of storing more computational values, including memory addresses, which means it’s able to access over four billion times as much physical memory than a 32-bit processor. That’s just as big as it sounds. 64-bit processors are to 32-bit processors what the automobile is to the horse-drawn buggy.

The key difference: 32-bit processors are perfectly capable of handling a limited amount of RAM (in Windows, 4GB or less), and 64-bit processors are capable of utilizing much more. Of course, in order to achieve this, your operating system also needs to be designed to take advantage of the greater access to memory. This Microsoft page runs down memory limitations for multiple versions of Windows.

A horse-drawn cart will get you to work just as easily as a car will, barring any equine issues, but a car is a lot more capable – it can get you to work, or across the country and it can do it a lot faster than a horse can.

How many bits?

As a general rule, if you have under 4GB of RAM in your computer, you don’t need a 64-bit CPU, but if you have 4GB or more, you do. While many users may find that a 32-bit processor provides them with enough performance and memory access, applications that tend to use large amounts of memory may show vast improvements with the upgraded processor. Image and video-editing software, 3D rendering utilities, and video games will make better use of a 64-bit architecture and operating system, especially if the machine has 8GB or even 16GB of RAM that can be divided among the applications that need it.

Through hardware emulation, it’s possible to run 32-bit software and operating systems on a machine with a 64-bit processor. The opposite isn’t true however, in that 32-bit processors cannot run software designed with 64-bit architecture in mind. This means if you want to take full advantage of your new processor you also need a new operating system, otherwise you won’t experience any marked benefits over the 32-bit version of your hardware.

Operating System Differences

With an increase in the availability of 64-bit processors and larger capacities of RAM, Microsoft and Apple both have upgraded versions of their operating systems that are designed to take full advantage of the new technology.

In the case of Microsoft Windows, the basic versions of the operating systems put software limitations on the amount of RAM that can be used by applications, but even in the ultimate and professional version of the operating system, 4GB is the maximum usable memory the 32-bit version can handle. While the latest versions of a 64-bit operating system can increase the capabilities of a processor drastically, the real jump in power comes from software designed with this architecture in mind.

Software and Drivers

Applications with high performance demands already take advantage of the increase in available memory, with companies releasing 64-bit versions of their programs. This is especially useful in programs that can store a lot of information for immediate access, like image-editing software that opens multiple large files at the same time.

Video games are also uniquely equipped to take advantage of 64-bit processing and the increased memory that comes with it. Being able to handle more computations at once means more spaceships on screen without lagging and smoother performance from your graphics card, which doesn’t have to share memory with other processes anymore.

Most software is backwards compatible, allowing you to run applications that are 32-bit in a 64-bit environment without any extra work or issues. Virus protection software (these are our favorites) and drivers tend to be the exception to this rule, with hardware mostly requiring the proper version be installed in order to function correctly.

Updated on October 24, 2017 by Jon Martindale.

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Show off your Halloween shopping skills & you could win a $100 gift card!

Our friends at Thrifter are holding a Halloween contest.

They challenge you to create the coolest, thriftiest Halloween ever this year. Show them how you decorate your home or dress up for trick-or-treating, all while saving money. Repurposing common items for your costume? Thrifty pumpkin carving? Secondhand mantle decorations? The possibilities are endless!

To enter:

Upload an image of your creation to Instagram
Let Thrifter know in the caption how much you spent, any deals you took advantage of, etc.
Use the hashtag #ThrifterHalloween in your caption
Tag @thrifterdaily in the photo
Make sure your Instagram is public and upload the image to enter!

The Thrifter team will pick their favorites on November 1st. The grand prize winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card, the second-place winner will receive a $75 Amazon gift card, and the third-place winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Random entries will win $10 Amazon gift cards and standouts might even get some cool Thrifter swag.

You have until 11:59PM PT on October 31st to enter. Good luck!

More from Thirifter:

• Fifty Thrifty Halloween Costumes
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For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Parrot’s latest drones are for farmers and firefighters

It’s been a tough year for Parrot. The drone maker cut 290 jobs after sub-par sales, and it wasn’t shy in admitting that its lineup was both unfocused and (for personal drones) unprofitable. However, it has an idea as to how to recover: by targeting the professional crowd. Its new Bebop-Pro Thermal and Bluegrass drones include equipment tailored to specific needs. The Bebop, as its name implies, includes a thermal imaging camera and matching software alongside the usual video cam. It’s meant to help firefighters and rescue crews pinpoint sources of heat, whether it’s a blaze or a person trapped under rubble. There’s also a long-range remote control in the box to keep pilots well out of harm’s way.

The Bluegrass, meanwhile, is geared toward agriculture. It includes a multispectral sensor and flight planning software to help farmers monitor their fields without sending someone to check in person. An individual drone can cover about 74 acres on a single charge, according to Parrot. Naturally, the long-distance remote is also part of the package.

Parrot isn’t mentioning prices, although it’s safe to say you probably won’t be picking up either drone for personal use. There’s no secret as to why Parrot would make this move, at least. Pro drones are more a question of need than want, and it’s easier to charge a premium when there’s less competition than in the home space. The challenge is simply fending off the competition that does exist. Heavyweights like DJI are already making industrial drones, and they’re not about to take a new rival lightly.

Source: Parrot (Bebob-Pro Thermal), (Bluegrass)

FTC loosens guidelines to let kids use voice commands

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act bars companies from collecting audio recordings from kids under 13 without their parents’ permission. However, that raises concerns about voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant: is it legal for under-13s to use voice commands, given that there’s rarely (if ever) a permanent recording to put them at risk? According to the Federal Trade Commision, the answer is yes… within limits. The agency has stated that it won’t pursue enforcement action against companies simply because they let kids issue voice commands. So long as the firms only hold on to recordings for a brief moment and use them solely for voice commands, they’ll usually be in the clear.

The restrictions pop up when companies start asking for sensitive info or otherwise venture outside of those above-mentioned boundaries. COPPA still applies when companies ask for names and other personal data, and they have to outline how they collect, use and delete audio in their privacy policies. And as you might expect, companies can only use recordings for personal info if they want to avoid running afoul of regulations.

The change prevents companies from treating children exactly the same as they would adults, but it’s still a big deal for anyone making voice assistants and the smart speakers that use them. They don’t have to require parents’ permission before pre-teens are allowed to use these assistants, or prevent that younger audience from using the voice helpers altogether. The FTC’s main challenge is ensuring that companies don’t try to misuse this newfound freedom and collect more data than they should.

Source: FTC

‘Hitman: Game of the Year Edition’ adds new ‘Patient Zero’ campaign

When developer IO Interactive separated from publisher Square Enix, it got to keep the popular Hitman franchise, giving the now-independent studio control over the 2016 stealth shooter game it developed. Back in June, the company released the first episode of Hitman for free to attract new customers, and now it’s putting out a “Game of the Year” version of the game for PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 7th. The new edition will include the entire first season, a brand new ‘Patient Zero’ campaign, new Escalation Contracts, new weapons, new suits, new challenges and improved graphic and lighting effects.

IO Interactive’s first new content release for Hitman since it went independent will contain all seven locations and more than 100 hours of gameplay, including all of the original Challenge Packs, Escalation & Featured Contracts and more than 700 challenges. The “Patient Zero” campaign is entirely new, too. It’s got four missions to play through across various in-game locations as Agent 47 has to stop a global pandemic from being unleashed on an unsuspecting planet. The new edition also includes three weapon/suit combinations, the Clown suit and the “New Bat,” the Raven suit and sniper rifle “Sieger 300 Ghost,” and a Cowboy suit with magnum pistol “The Striker.” If that’s not enough, you’ll get new themed Escalation Contracts that bring new complications based on the suit you’re sporting.

Hitman – Game of the Year Edition will be available starting November 7th for $60 digitally. If you already own The Complete Season, digital or on disc, you can grab a “GOTY Upgrade” and get the rest of the good stuff for only $20. The offer is also good for those who bought all episodes individually or bought the Intro/Upgrade Pack combination. There’s also an update in the works for anyone who has the game of any version, including a redesigned UI, new Contracts Mode, all the extra lighting improvements, a commemorative Elusive Target unlock for those who completed those specific challenges, enhancements for the Xbox One X, and Tobii eye-tracking support for PC.

Via: Vice

Source: IO Interactive

Still need an outfit for Halloween? Check out these 3D-printed costumes

So it’s getting closer to Halloween and you’re scrambling for a costume idea, or you’re missing that special piece to tie it all together. Well, instead of frantically buzzing around town looking for the right shop with the right stuff, have you considered 3D printed Halloween costumes? Fire up that printer and check out our list of 3D-printable masks and costume pieces to get all geared up for this year’s spooking.

Venetian mask  — bq Labs

Going for a classier look this year? This Venetian mask would pair nicely with that gown you picked up that one time from the Goodwill bins.

Low polygon mask — Carlos Porto

Or how about something a little more stiff-chinned, like this ‘low polygon’-style mask. Easily customized and sturdy as heck, this is a good foundation for plenty of costumes.

Rick Sanchez full mask — EasilyUsed

There will probably be a lot of Ricks out there this year — take the win with this amazing mask! Definitely one of the most impressive 3D-printed masks we’ve seen.

Full-face skull mask — Andrew Askedall

Here’s a spookier one to finish off a Grim Reaper costume, Skeletor, or Marvel’s Red Skull.

‘The Mask’ mask — Byambaa Erdene

For a different approach to a classic costume, go as the confused Stanley Ipkiss from Jim Carrey’s The Mask — pre-green face.

Shaman mask — Alejandro

Need a mask to tie together your shaman or wendigo outfit? This full fox skull is just the trick — albeit this is one of the larger prints in this list. The two-part jaw with a fully articulated jaw is definitely worth the filament you’ll burn through, though!

Splicer bunny mask — Audrey2

Are you a fan of the Bioshock series, bunnies, or creepy half masks? Then this one has got you covered with an unnerving upper-half masquerade rabbit mask.

Dark mask — bq Labs

This two-piece mask is perfect for tying together any generic scary murderer costume you have laying around. The hinged jaw also allows for you to keep drinking while you’re spooking!

Wolf mask — CuriosGreg

This full wolf mask is one of the bigger prints on this list, but can be just the right touch you need to tie your Teen Wolf or Little Red Riding Hood costumes together.

LED horns — Adafruit Industries

Don’t need a full mask, but want to light your outfit up with a little devilish flare? These LED horns can easily be fitted to your headgear of choice this year and not only will they look cool — the’ll also help you stay visible and avoid becoming roadkill.

Cat ears — TeamTestBot

Horns aren’t what you’re looking for? Or maybe you’re just really into cats? Here is a simple print for some cat ears to get your inner anime on.

Demon baby — Taikonaught

Got a bun in the oven this year and hoping to plan a costume around that? This simple three-part print slipped under your shirt will definitely get you some double takes!

Unicorn horn — Phraust

This one is pretty straightforward. It’s a unicorn horn with strap loops. Everyone should own one, regardless of your costume this year. I mean, c’mon.

Bugged-out eyeballs — Stephen Kongsle

How about an item that you can just wear with an expression? These bugged-out eyeballs can turn an everyday outfit, plus some moves, can make this the costume solution for you.

Moustache for low poly mask — Yvo Waldmeier

If you liked the low-poly mask from earlier in the article, but it wasn’t quite suave enough for you, try out this mustache and eyebrow addition for some more personality!

Pokeball  — Andrew Sink

Going as your favorite Pokemon trainer this year, but short on Pokeballs for your belt? Check out this print for a fun design with a magnetic clasp!

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