‘Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’ Begins Early Worldwide Rollout on the iOS App Store

One month after its announcement during a Nintendo Direct in late October, Nintendo today has begun rolling out Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp onto iOS [Direct Link] and Android devices worldwide, following a limited soft launch in Australia. The game was announced to be coming out tomorrow, November 22, but it has begun appearing on the iOS App Store for some users in the United States, United Kingdom, and France, and potentially other markets where it is launching.

The new game is Nintendo’s fourth mobile app created in partnership with developer DeNA and follows Miitomo (launched March 2016), Super Mario Run (December 2016), and Fire Emblem Heroes (February 2017).

Similar to the latter two games, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a mobile-optimized version of its franchise’s larger console games, and introduces a few new features into the traditional Animal Crossing gameplay to streamline certain actions for one-handed smartphone sessions. For example, both fishing and bug hunting are as simple as tapping on the screen, and the world that the player occupies — centered around a campsite — is scaled down from the villages of games like New Leaf and Wild World.

The main mechanic of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp centers on convincing animal villagers to stick around at your campsite by foraging for materials and crafting their favorite furniture. Outside of the camp, there is also a beach, river, island, and other areas that are accessible through your camper, which you can also customize and decorate to your liking. Additionally, you can visit your real friends to check out their camps to give them “kudos” on their decorations and see what items they’re selling in their Market Box.

Any time you visit Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the game will reflect the time of day and current season of the real world, and Nintendo has said it will be launching seasonal events over the holidays with exclusive furniture, outfits, and item decorations for players to collect.

Images via Touch Arcade
Nintendo’s latest smartphone game is free-to-play and uses optional “Leaf Tickets” as in-game currency, but our sister site Touch Arcade got hands-on time with the game in October and found very little reason to spend real money in the game, thanks to gameplay systems that eventually reward players with the items they want if they put in the time to get them.

You can also spend Leaf Tickets to craft any furniture you might not have the materials for, but again, the first session of the game sprays so many of these different things at you that you’re really going to need to play the game for a while before you’re running low on anything.

There’s other “cheater” items (and I’m saying “cheater” with the absolute most exaggerated air quotes imaginable) that you can buy with Leaf Tickets too like fishing nets and honey, which are used to catch loads of fish or bugs in one go- But, it seemed like if I wanted to invest the time I could just fish and catch bugs all day, so this seems like a real weird way to spend premium currency.

Players should note that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp requires a “persistent internet” connection — mentioned in the game’s “digest” trailer — which seems to be similar to the always online requirement of Super Mario Run. At the time of Super Mario Run’s launch, Shigeru Miyamoto said that Nintendo’s reasoning behind this move is to “support security” and prevent piracy.

Looking ahead, Nintendo’s next mobile game is rumored to be set within The Legend of Zelda universe, although it’s still unclear exactly what the gameplay would be for that app.

For more information on Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, head to Nintendo’s website, and you can download the game on the iOS App Store for free beginning today [Direct Link]. For those playing on iPhone X, the game has been optimized to support the 5.8-inch display of Apple’s new smartphone.

Tags: Nintendo, Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
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Now some of London’s buses use coffee to get started each morning

It’s no longer just humans that use coffee to get started each morning. Now some of London’s buses are guzzling the liquid lightning to fire up their engines at the beginning of their daily rounds.

OK, they’re not downing the Starbucks stuff or anything made at the city’s plethora of indie coffee shops. Instead, they’re making use of a biofuel made from oil extracted from waste coffee grounds.

The project is the result of a collaboration between recycling firm Bio-bean, Shell, and Argent Energy.

Brits drink more than 50 million cups of coffee a day, which in London alone creates more than 200,000 tons of coffee waste a year, according to Bio-Bean.

To make the fuel, Bio-bean collects waste from cafes and factories that produce instant coffee, and extracts oil from it at its processing plant. After mixing it with diesel, the result is a B20 biofuel containing a 20 percent bio-component that includes the coffee oil.

It reduces CO2 emissions by around 10 to 15 percent compared with traditional mineral diesel, and prevents waste coffee from ending up in landfill where it releases harmful methane. And importantly, London buses can use the fuel without the need for any engine modification.

“It’s a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource,” said Bio-bean founder Arthur Kay.

Bio-bean said that so far, 6,000 liters of coffee oil has been produced. If this was used as a pure-blend for the bio component and mixed with mineral diesel to form a B20, it “could help power the equivalent of one London bus for a year.”

If the project stays on track, the coffee-based biofuel could one day power up to a third of London’s buses and have a meaningful impact on pollution levels in the capital city, among other advantages.

“The poo bus”

It’s not the first time that Brits have utilized waste products to power their buses, though a trial effort in 2014 was rather more, shall we say, stinky. Dubbed “the poo bus,” the 40-seat vehicle ran solely on biomethane gas generated from human sewage and food waste.

It could travel up to 184 miles on a single tank of the gas, which was generated via a treatment process known as ‘anaerobic digestion.’

Importantly, it produced far fewer emissions (pun very much intended) than regular diesel engines, helping to improve the surrounding air quality. And in case you’re wondering, the bus filtered out impurities, so pedestrians didn’t have to hold their nose when the bus trundled by.

Sadly, the plan to extend the fleet of poo buses went down the toilet last year when the operator failed to win vital funding from the government.

KFC’s ‘Internet Escape Pod’ offers an oasis of calm in Colonel Sanders’ embrace

With Cyber Monday just around the corner, things are about to get crazy in busy homes across the land with everyone jumping online, hitting their top shopping sites, and ordering stuff they don’t need.

If the mayhem gets all too much, KFC suggests you climb inside its absurd Internet Escape Pod for some peace and quiet. It’s a Faraday cage of sorts, with its frame of stainless steel mesh designed to prevent any gadgets taken inside it from connecting to the internet.

With “a hailstorm of coupons, BOGOs, hot dealz, and brand advertising” coming your way this Monday, pod owners will be able to seek sanctuary in the protective embrace of Colonel Sanders. Yes, that’s him lying on top of the pod, though it has to be said, he looks rather slimmer than the regular Colonel we’ve come to know and love. And goodness knows what’s happened to his arms.

KFC

The pod weighs eight pounds and besides the steel mesh consists of high-density foam and enamel paint. The door handle (pictured) is a chicken drumstick. We’re assuming it’s fake.

KFC’s Internet Escape Pod costs a mere $10,000, or in KFC currency, around 400 eight-piece family meals.

It seems as if there’s only one pod available, and the product isn’t sold out yet, which tells you something about its popularity.

If you are the one that orders it, bear in mind that shipping is likely to take a week, so having it ready in time for Cyber Monday could be a close run thing.

A cheaper way of staying offline on Monday would be to go for a stroll and leave your phone at home, or, if you need to stay in, to turn off your connected devices. But then you might miss out on all those bargains …

KFC’s marketing team sure likes to enjoy itself. From sending its Zinger sandwich into space for no good reason (with the help of Rob Lowe), to the launch of a metal tray that also acts as a Bluetooth keyboard for your phone, to a Gamer’s Box with a built-in controller and smartphone mount, the company clearly likes to have fun with its promotions.

Although not all of its decisions turn out for the best.

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Toyota’s T-HR3 robot mimics your movements

While Honda’s ASIMO has taken much of the attention for automaker-built robots, Toyota has been working on humanoid helpers of its own for years, and now it’s unveiling a third-generation model. The THR-3 expands on previous models built to test specific joints and movements by putting together a full body to be controlled by a human operating its Master Maneuvering System. The force feedback-enabled control system includes a head-mounted display (HTC Vive), “data glove” and torque servos that allows the operator to “instantly manipulate” the robot by mapping their motions and force precisely.

The 5-foot-tall, 165 lb robot is still intended as a test platform, but the idea is to build on this with robots that “home, medical facilities, construction sites, disaster-stricken areas and even outer space.” The video shows off T-HR3 practicing its balance, and sensitively picking up a ball without popping it, although there’s nothing in the demo that matches the backflipping Boston Dynamics robot — yet. That may explain why Toyota also pursued acquiring the robot builder before Softbank snapped it up and still has plans to invest over a billion dollars in robots and AI research.

Source: Toyota

Pokémon GO players catch 500 million Pokémon in under two days

Spurred by Pokémon GO’s latest event, players have caught 500 million pocket monsters in less than two days. Developer Niantic kickstarted the Global Catch Challenge on Sunday (inviting fans to collectively catch a whopping 3 billion Pokémon in return for prizes) and it’s well on its way to becoming the game’s biggest hunt yet.

That was fast, Trainers! You’ve caught over 500 million Pokémon & unlocked new rewards during the Global Catch Challenge. #PokemonGOtravel pic.twitter.com/GuOTPxh6ts

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) November 21, 2017

The more Pokémon everyone nabs, the more prizes get dished out, including region-locked pocket monsters, like Farfetch’d (which will be available worldwide for 48 hours when players hit the top milestone). The same goes for Kangaskhan — which is currently restricted to Oceania — who will pop up in East Asia for the same duration. But, you’ve only got till November 26th to complete the task before the clock runs out, and the prizes dry up. So, get your ass off the couch and start searching if you want to complete that Pokédex. Even though at this rate amassing 3 billion Pokémon should be a cinch.

The first set of rewards (including double XP and a six-hour timer on Pokémon-attracting incense) are now available. The silver tier (unlocked after 1.5 billion catches) will throw in double stardust to boot. Best of all, more pocket monsters are now appearing worldwide, and will continue to emerge as more benchmarks are secured. And, if you still haven’t got your fill of cute critters, the event also includes a video series that sees trainers travel the world catching Pokémon.

Source: Pokémon GO

Google’s Gboard app gets more languages and built-in stickers

After catching up with iOS, Google’s keyboard app for Android is now racing ahead, courtesy of an update that packs 40 additional languages (including Japanese), and built-in sticker packs. Although Google already has a keyboard for non-Latin script languages, it’s not forcing you to adopt Gboard, as noted by 9to5Google. Instead, you’ll need to manually configure the Android app for a new language.

For the uninitiated, Gboard puts Search right in the keyboard. And, it also adds GIFs, emoji-centric tools (including type and scrawl to search), and glide and voice typing to the mix — which may make you kick your other keyboards to the curb.

With the latest update, Gboard now boasts 120 languages in total. Plus, you get access to four sticker packs by default (previously Gboard only included stickers if Google’s Allo messaging app was installed) — so you never have to use words again.

Source: Gboard (Google Play)

Pick up an unlocked 32GB Moto G5 Plus at Amazon for $170

This deal features the Moto G5 Plus at its lowest price ever!

Is this deal for me?

Amazon is selling the unlocked Moto G5 Plus phone for just $169.99. This is the device’s lowest price ever and saves you around $50 off its regular price. This offer is only available on the Lunar Gray device.

The Moto G5 Plus features:

• Fingerprint reader
• High-grade aluminum design
• Octa-core processor
• 5.2″ HD Display
• 12 MP rear camera
• 5 MP front-facing camera
• 3000 mAh battery
• Android 7.0

This model comes with 32GB of storage space though there’s a 64GB model available for $300. You can add a microSD card for more space if you want as well.

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? – This unlocked device is free of ads unlike the other discounted version Amazon sells.
• Things to know before you buy! – The Moto G5 Plus has a 4.1 out of 5-star rating on Amazon and is the #1 best-seller on the site in the Unlocked Cell Phones category.

See at Amazon

Deal: Alcatel Idol 5S is down to $200, its lowest price ever

Some great Black Friday smartphone deals.

Last year, Alcatel’s Idol 4S was one of our top budget smartphone choices, so we were pretty excited when the sequel, the Idol 5S, didn’t make too many changes.

What the phone did, though, was get introduced at a much lower price than its predecessor. For $280, users got a 5.2-inch 1080p panel, a Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 2620mAh battery, a 12MP rear camera, and a low-profile version of Android 7.1 Nougat.

Now the Idol 5S is down to $199.99 for a limited time — between Thursday, November 23 at 12:00AM PST and Monday, November 27 at 11:59PM PST — for Black Friday. That’s the same price Amazon sells the ad-supported Prime Exclusive version, but this one is ad-free and compatible with all four U.S. carriers.

See at Amazon

Alcatel is also discounting its entry-level A30 smartphone to $60 for the same period, which is a pretty outstanding deal on a device with a Snapdragon 210 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, an 8MP camera, and Android 7.0 Nougat.

See at Amazon

GE hub connects its smart lights to Alexa and Google

When GE introduced its latest C-series smart light bulbs, the focus was on affordability — as they talked directly to your phone through Bluetooth, you didn’t need a bridge device. That kept them out of touch of voice assistants, however, which meant replacing the whole lot if you wanted hands-free control. Well, you won’t have to rethink your investment from now on: GE has introduced a hub, the C-Reach, that puts its bulbs on WiFi to enable support for Amazon’s Alexa and (by the end of 2017) Google Assistant. As with most smart lighting kits, you can steer lights individually or in groups just by talking to your phone or a smart speaker.

The C-Reach is available on Amazon right now, although whether or not it makes sense depends on what you buy and when. By itself, the hub costs $50 — your once-thrifty lighting setup could suddenly cost about as much as its peers. Things get better if you’re starting fresh. A kit with a hub and two basic C-Life bulbs (which only do white light) will sell for $65, or $50 if you buy on Cyber Monday. A bundle with color temperature-shifting C-Sleep bulbs sells for $85, or $65 on Cyber Monday. If you don’t need more advanced bulbs from a system like Philips’ Hue, this might represent a bargain.

Via: The Verge, Slashgear

Source: GE

The FCC’s plan to undo net neutrality is about to be revealed

Back in April, new FCC chairman Ajit Pai outlined a plan to undo net neutrality protections implemented during the Obama administration, before taking public comments. Millions of messages in response crashed the FCC’s website for a time, but despite opposition, he is reportedly ready to move forward and may unveil more details this week. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Politico separately reported that we will find out details later on Tuesday, before the commission votes on them in December.

All three described the upcoming plans as a “full repeal,” reversing a decision to treat broadband as a utility and removing protections preventing ISPs from blocking, slowing down or charging extra to deliver different kinds of content, while also reassigning regulation of any anticompetitive behavior to the FTC. Gigi B. Sohn, a former counselor to the previous FCC Chairman, said in a statement that “In a few short weeks, the big broadband providers will be free to double their prices, extract extra tolls on fast lanes for online businesses, and track and sell their customers’ web browsing activity. Senator Brian Schatz tweeted that “You pay the ISP, you get the whole Internet. What the FCC is doing is revoking that rule… I generally prefer that this kind of thing get settled in the legislative branch.”

We’ve explained the looming issues with these changes before, but it appears we’ll find out the details of the plan — and see what those opposed to the rollback are preparing in response — in just a few hours.

Source: New York Times, Politico, Wall Street Journal