You probably won’t buy an Intel NUC, but it could change the way you game

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Intel’s NUCs are something of a niche product. If you’re unfamiliar, they’re really just very small PCs. They typically have the kind of horsepower you’d expect out of an entry-level or mid-range laptop, just enough to get you through the a workday, or maybe serve as a media center tucked safely away behind your TV. In other words, they’re usually pretty unremarkable. Usually. Intel’s Hades Canyon NUC, the latest of its kind, is a different story entirely.

I’ll be honest, I never paid much attention to the NUCs. They were products from a weird subcategory of a subcategory, and they just never got my interest. There are stick PCs that do the same thing, and products like the Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, and Fire TV fill the media center niche pretty well. NUCs didn’t seem very noteworthy. Even when the Hades Canyon NUC came into the office, I was unimpressed. Intel’s marketing for the device promised improved gaming performance and quicker hardware, but I was skeptical. Until I spent some time with it.

This NUC is different from its predecessors in that it’s the first NUC to feature Intel’s upcoming 8th-generation processors with on board Radeon Vega graphics. That’s the marquee feature right there. It’s a CPU with on board graphics that can keep up with entry-level and mid-range PC hardware.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

During our tests, the NUC hit an average of 49 FPS in Battlefield 1 on Ultra settings at 1440p. That’s kind of unbelievable. This tiny little thing without a stand-alone graphics card outperformed some full-sized desktop graphics cards. That means this Intel chip with Radeon graphics can provide performance on par with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, and comes really close to the performance we’ve seen out of our GTX 1060.

What does that mean for PC gaming? Well, we don’t really know for sure — and that’s the exciting part. If this processor in this miniature system can perform as well as it does without a discrete graphics card, that means gaming PCs can get a whole lot smaller.

It could lead to a lot of interesting innovations into a gaming PC market that really needs some. For instance,  your gaming rig could become something you can toss in a messenger bag and take to work, or a friend’s house, or on a business trip. One thing’s for sure though, the implications of the Hades Canyon NUC are going to turn a lot of heads — and might even ruffle a few feathers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
• Intel ‘Hades Canyon’ NUC hands-on review
• Intel’s Radeon-backed ‘Hades Canyon’ mini PC runs games at 1080p, Ultra graphics
• Intel’s ‘Hades Canyon’ NUC packs gaming hardware into just 1.2 liters
• The best gaming desktops you can buy

Microsoft creates a particle promising a more accurate quantum computer

Microsoft

Quantum computing is one of those technologies that is difficult to understand but that nevertheless promises to dramatically impact how computing impacts our lives. Many contemporary technologies, such as artificial intelligence, need faster computers than traditional computing architectures allow, and quantum computing is likely what will enable those technologies to advance.

Most major technology companies are working to build their own quantum computers, and Microsoft is among those that are working the hardest. It’s recently taken a significant step toward its own version of a commercial quantum computer, Bloomberg reports, and that step is based on some pretty basic physics and involves a subatomic particle that has been difficult to create.

The particle in question is the Majorana fermion, a specific kind of fermion particle that acts as its own antiparticle. You will appreciate this fact most if you’re a physicist, but for everyone else, it’s enough to know that the particle will serve as the “building block” of Microsoft’s quantum computing technology.

Essentially, Majorana fermions can be used to create quantum bits, or qubits, that are the basic elements used by quantum computers to perform calculations. The particles bring the specific benefits of potentially being less error-prone, making them more suitable for practice quantum computing applications. Now that Microsoft’s Delft University of Technology, located in Holland, has evidence of the creation of these particles, the company can move forward with creating usable qubits.

Google, IBM, D-Wave Systems, and other competitors are in many ways ahead of Microsoft in the creation of a viable quantum computer. Primarily, Microsoft lags in that it hasn’t yet created a qubit that actually works in a quantum computer design. If this current research pans out, then perhaps Microsoft could make up some lost ground, by creating a design that’s less “noisy” than the competition and thus more efficient and accurate.

If you’re wondering why this matters, just imagine the difference between a thinking computer like Skynet and today’s far more limited Siri and Alexa digital assistants. Today’s binary computing architectures are less likely to get us to a truly intelligent machine, and it will likely take a major leap such as quantum computing to get us there. Microsoft’s recent accomplishment is just one more step in that direction.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel explores ‘spin qubits’ as the next wave in quantum computing
• Microsoft’s quantum computing language is now available for MacOS
• Intel is building brain-like processors that will power the robots of the future
• Google wants to push quantum computing mainstream with ‘Bristlecone’ chip
• Physicists create a new type of light, and it’s heavier than before

First Spectre, now BranchScope — another vulnerability in Intel processors

Researchers from four universities discovered a new vulnerability in Intel’s processors dubbed as BranchScope. The problem resides in the method a processor uses to predict where its current computational task will end, aka speculative execution. By exploiting this flaw, hackers with access to the PC could pull data stored from memory that’s otherwise inaccessible to all applications and users. 

The speculative execution process enhances the CPU’s speed by enabling the chip to “speculate” what needs to be done later in the chain of commands to finish the overall task as quickly as possible. This feature explores options in advance, taking different avenues in various branches to get to the final destination in the shortest amount of time. With the path laid out, the CPU completes its task and moves on to the next. 

The BranchScope exploit enables attackers to take control of this “think ahead” decision-making component and steer the upcoming path in the wrong direction. Hackers can then grab sensitive data stored in memory not generally accessible by users and applications. The vulnerability is similar to Spectre Variant 2, only BranchScope targets the process that decides which branch the CPU will take next whereas Spectre Variant 2 resides in the cache component associated with branch prediction. 

“BranchScope works reliably and efficiently from user space across three generations of Intel processors in the presence of system noise, with an error rate of less than one percent,” the paper states. “BranchScope can be naturally extended to attack SGX (Software Guard Extensions) enclaves with even lower error rates than in traditional systems.” 

The researchers specifically tested BranchScope on three Intel processors: The sixth-generation Core i6-6200U chip, the fourth-generation Core i7-4800MQ chip, and the second-generation Core i7-2600 chip. As the paper suggests, hackers don’t need administrator privileges to execute the attack. Data can even be pulled from private regions of memory, aka enclaves, that’s locked away by the processor’s Software Guard Extensions. 

The researchers believe Intel’s updates addressing Meltdown and the two Spectre vulnerabilities won’t mitigate the security hole seen in the BranchScope discovery. The problem resides in a different part of speculative execution thus Intel will need to conjure up new software fixes for current chips, and a hardware fix for future processors. But Intel believes it’s current patches should address the BranchScope issue. 

“We have been working with these researchers and have determined the method they describe is similar to previously known side channel exploits,” the company states. “We anticipate that existing software mitigations for previously known side channel exploits, such as the use of side channel resistant cryptography, will be similarly effective against the method described in this paper.” 

According to Intel, one of the best ways to protect customers is to have a close relationship with the research community. But the company likely wasn’t quite so enthusiastic after researchers went public with the Meldown and Spectre vulnerabilities earlier this year. The company is likely bracing for additional criticism given BranchScope is now out in the open. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• New ‘Prime’ Meltdown, Spectre exploits outlined by Nvidia, Princeton University
• Intel opens bug hunt to all security researchers, offers possible $250K payout
• Microsoft misses another Edge-related 90-day security disclosure deadline
• Microsoft will pay you up to $250,000 to find Spectre-like flaws
• Intel CEO reveals hardware plans for addressing Meltdown, Spectre exploits

Best Cases for the Honor View 10

Protect your Honor View 10 with one of these cases.

The Honor View 10 is a slick new phone with a modern design and plenty of power to back it up, but it’s also made entirely of aluminum, which is notoriously slippery and easy to scratch. If you’re thinking about picking up a View 10, a case wouldn’t be a bad idea.

There aren’t too many cases for the View 10 at the moment, but we’ve sought out some of the best cases you should consider.

• Avidet Hard Back
• Tudia Slim Fit
• KuGi Folio
• CoverON ClearGuard
• TopAce Ultra Thin
• Armor-X

Avidet Hard Back

The Avidet Hard Case is a simple case for those that just want a little protection for the back of their phone. Rather than wrapping around all of its edges, this case simply snaps onto the sides of the View 10 and adds some much-needed grip.

It’s made of a hard polycarbonate to withstand any scratches or dents that would otherwise deface the View 10’s aluminum back, and it leaves plenty of room on the bottom and sides for easy access to buttons and ports.

If you want to pick up an Avidet case for yourself, it’ll only run you about $8 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Tudia Slim Fit

If you’re a bit more prone to dropping your phone, you may be better off with the Tudia Slim Fit. This case combines a soft inner lining with a hard outer shell for dual layer protection, absorbing the shock from most drops.

The raised edges around the camera and screen provide additional protection, and there are covers over the power and volume buttons to make them easier to find. Best of all, this case is only $9.

See at Amazon

KuGi Folio

Perhaps a folio case is more your style. KuGi offers a folio case made of TPU and polyurethane that allows you to prop up the View 10 for a more convenient video watching experience.

KuGi includes magnets to help keep the case shut when not in use, and there are various cutouts giving easy access to the buttons and ports.

This is one of the cheapest case on the list, at just $6 (though shipping costs just as much).

See at Amazon

CoverON ClearGuard

The ClearGuard by CoverON is a classic-looking case that combines a tough TPU bumper with a clear polycarbonate panel protecting the back of the phone. This case is particularly nice if you want to show off the color of your View 10 — especially if you have the sleek dark blue finish.

As always, there are cutouts for the various ports and microphones on the View 10, as well as covers for the power and volume buttons. If you want the CoverON ClearGuard for yourself, it’ll run you about $9.

See at Amazon

TopAce Ultra Thin

For the no-nonsense shopper, the TopAce Ultra Thin is the most traditional case — a simple TPU cover that wraps all the way around the sides of the View 10 and creates a protective lip for the front. It’s flexible, making it easy to apply and remove, and the combination of brushed metal and carbon fiber stylings make for an attractive look.

Like other cases in this list, the TopAce cover adds extra protection to the corners, and goes a step further with a shock-resistant inner lining.

You can snag the TopAce Ultra Thin on Amazon for just $8.

See at Amazon

Armor-X

This is easily the most niche case of the list. Like plenty of other cases, the Armor-X case protects the View 10 from drops with shock-resistant TPU, but you’ll notice something a little different about it. On the back of the case is a large mount Armor-X calls its X-Mount adapter, which allows you to attach the View 10 to bicycles, belt clips, and even carabiners.

The X-Mount adapter also doubles as a kickstand, allowing you to prop up the View 10 and take advantage of its large display for watching videos.

The Armor-X case definitely isn’t for everyone, but if it piques your interest, you can order one for around $25.

See at Armor-X

Which one would you buy?

There may not be as many cases available for the View 10 as there are for more popular phones, but hopefully the ones we presented have given you some ideas. Are you ordering any of them for your View 10? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated March 2018: Removed ZeKing case and added cases from Tudia and CoverON.

Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact now up for pre-order in the U.S.

Available for $799 and $649, respectively.

Sony’s Xperia phones don’t get much love here in the States, and depending on who you ask, that’s either a shame or well-deserved. As such, you’ll either feel indifferent or ecstatic to learn that the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are now both available for pre-order in the U.S.

These are the two Android phones that Sony showed off at MWC in February, and they’re some of the most exciting entries we’ve seen with the Xperia line in years.

If you’re interested in reserving either of the phones for yourself, B&H appears to be the only retailer that’s taking pre-orders for the phones right now.

The Xperia XZ2 will set you back $799.99, whereas the smaller XZ2 Compact is going for $649.99. All color options are available, including Green, Black, Silver, and Pink. Shipping is free, but in regards to a release date, B&H simply states that the devices are “coming soon.” Europe’s official launch is scheduled for April 5, and assuming the U.S. follows shortly after, you shouldn’t have to wait too terribly long before your new phone ships.

See at B&H

Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

Today you can get great deals on a variety of devices including a computer monitor mount, Anker Bluetooth headphones, Google Play gift cards, and more! Don’t pass these up.

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Best social multiplayer games to play at a party

Your smartphone is the key to an evening of sweet party games with friends!

Party games provide a great way for friends, new and old, to come together, share a laugh, and just have a good time. But with pretty much everyone owning a smartphone these days, the way we play party games has evolved.

While some might say it’s anti-social to be on your phone at party, these hilarious party games typically only require an Android phone

We’ve included a couple options that use a Chromecast-enabled TV, along with a tried and tested VR classic that requires Daydream View or Samsung Gear VR.

• Escape Team
• Selfie Games: Sketchies
• Chwazi Finger Chooser
• Jackbox Party Packs
• Psych!
• Who Can’t Draw?
• Teledoodle
• Charades
• Ticket To Ride
• Cardcast
• Big Web Quiz
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes!

Escape Team

Escape rooms are great fun for a group of friends, but getting a group together can be tricky and booking a room can get expensive.

Escape Team lets you enjoy the fun of solving escape room-style puzzles in the comfort of your own home using pen and paper. You download and print off missions from the Escape Team website and then load up the matching mission in the Android app. The app gives you your countdown clock and delivers a fictional backstory for the missions via audio clips. You can also use the app to request hints if your group gets stuck on a puzzle.

The game is recommended for groups of 2 to 4 people, and requires some outside-the-box thinking and teamwork if you’re to be successful. You get the introduction and first mission for free then you can get the remaining four missions for just $1 — and that’s the only in-app purchase or ad you’ll see. The paid missions are each around a half hour to complete, so for $4, you can get a full afternoon’s worth of good clean fun saving the world.

If you’ve ever tried an escape room or just love solving puzzles, you’re going to fall in love with this game.

Download: Escape Team (Free w/IAPs)

Selfie Games: Sketchies

Selfie Games is a quirky and fun casual party game that makes use of the Google Chromecast to open up the gaming fun for the whole party.

Designed to be played with 3-10 players, everyone loads up the app on their phone (iOS folks can play, too) and snap a few selfies. These selfies are then used as drawing prompts and there’s around where everyone sketches out a few scenes. Once everyone is done their beautiful works of art, everyone writes a fake caption for each selfie sketch — you’re trying to trick the other players to choose yours.

Everything is then revealed on the TV and players choose which caption they think is real. You get points if someone chooses your caption, you choose the original caption, or nobody chooses the real caption on your drawing.

The app is free to download on iOS or Android, although one person needs to pay to unlock the full game for the party — that cost is currently just $4.99. It’s some silly good fun and plays like a dream on Chromecast — although you can also play it on a computer or tablet by going to the Selfie Games website.

Download: Selfie Games (Free w/IAP to unlock hosting privilege)

Chwazi Finger CHOOSER

Most of the entries on this list are great multiplayer games you and your friends can play using your phone at a party, but Chwazi Finger Chooser is an awesome app to have on your phone for more traditional games. It’s an app that’s designed to quickly and randomly help groups decide who goes first or split into teams.

Simply load up the app, choose the parameters (fingers to chose who goes first, and groups to make teams), and then have each player place one finger on the screen. Once everyone is in, Chwazi takes a moment and then randomly selects one finger to go first or splits everyone into color-coded teams.

It’s a quick and fair way to split up into teams or choose who goes first so you and your friends can spend more time playing and less time bickering about making fair teams. Chwazi can support up to 32 fingers, but good luck fitting that many on your average smartphone (tablets will work better for larger groups).

Download: Chwazi (Free)

Jackbox Party Pack

Since 2013, Jackbox Games has been developing outstanding social party games that are super intuitive to play, and available across a wide variety of platforms. It gets people talking and laughing like any good party game should, and Jackbox has really fine-tuned the party game genre. They’ve repackaged a number of their mobile games into fun party games you can play on your TV or computer and have released three party packs each featuring five great party games. Best of all there are no special controllers required — up to 8 people can play using only a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to connect.

The three bundles each contain five different social games that typically support 3 to 8 players:

• Jackbox Party Pack — includes YOU DON’T KNOW JACK 2015, Fibbage XL, Drawful, Word Spud, and Lie Swatter.
• Jackbox Party Pack 2 — includes Fibbage 2, Earwax, Bidiots, Quiplash, and Bomb Corp.
• Jackbox Party Pack 3 — Includes Quiplash 2, Trivia Murder Party, Guesspionage, Tee K.O., and Fakin’ It.

Jackbox offers its Party Packs for virtually every platform and video game console, including Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Steam. People at your party can log in and play on their phone, a tablet or a computer — all they really need is a browser to access Jackbox.tv and the four-letter room code.

All party packs are available for $24.99 no matter which system or device you’re running with the exception of PlayStation 4 users who can try the original Jackbox Party Pack for free, and enjoy a 70% discount on Jackbox Party Pack 3 with PlayStation Plus.

My friends and I are quite partial to the bundle of games included in the first Party Box, so I’ll link it in the Google Play Store below. But you really can’t go wrong with any of these bundles. Each offers great value and a guaranteed good time with friends and family. Best of all, “The Jackbox Party Pack 4” was just recently given an autumn release date, so we have even more uproarious party games to look forward to in the near future!

Download: Jackbox Party Pack ($24.99)

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Psych!

Psych is a game of trivia and bluffing where everyone comes up with a fake answer to the question, and then try and guess which is the real answer. You get points for picking the right answer, or if someone picks your answer. It’s very similar to games like Balderdash or Fibbish.

This game requires that all players have the app loaded onto their own phones, along with a solid internet or Wi-Fi connection. There are in-app purchases to unlock new categories, or decks, but there’s enough variety in what’s included for free for an evening’s worth of fun.

Download: Psych (Free)

Who Can’t Draw?

Get your friends and family to flex their artistic skills (or lack of said skills) and find out Who Can’t Draw. The first artist gets a word and does their best to draw a picture of that word. The phone is then passed around the room, with each person trying to do their best to copy the drawing they were passed… in just 15 seconds. It’s essentially a sketching version of the old schoolyard game of telephone. Once the phone reaches the last person in the game, they must try and guess what the original word.

At the end of each round, you’re shown a results page with everyone’s drawing. It’s hilarious to see how the interpretation changes from person to person, as guessed word and the original word are rarely the same.

Download: Who Can’t Draw? (Free)

Teledoodle

Another social drawing game, Teledoodle is a mobile version of Telestrations that can be played on a single device with up to 8 people. Drawers get up to a minute to create their masterpieces, but it’s ultimately up to the guesser to determine what was drawn. That guess is then passed to another drawer who must interpret what they are given so on and so on until everyone has had a turn. Then, it’s time to see how the drawings and guesses progressed, often with outrageous results.

Download: Teledoodle (Free)

Charades

Love it or hate it, charades is a classic party game that’s perfect for all ages. The Charades app takes the format and brings it into the 21st century by holding your phone up to your forehead and having your friends and family act out or try to give you clues for the word on the screen. With over 44 categories available in this free-to-play app, there’s a ton of fun to be had.

You might have played this game as Heads Up, which is typically what we would recommend here, but according to reports from the Google Play Store, a recent update has caused the app to become unstable for many users. If you find it working fine for you, it’s another great option.

Download: Charades (Free)

Ticket To Ride

The award-winning train-based board game is a household favorite around these parts, and it’s also got an outstanding, fully-licensed app for Android. It’s a great little game to play with up to four other friends, featuring pass-and-play for playing on a single device, or local area network options if everyone has the app on their own phone. Setup and play time is short and brisk thanks to all the card dealing and pieces being handled digitally, making a well-designed game even more fun to play.

This is a paid app, with in-app purchases to unlock other game boards. Given the price of the physical version of the game, the combo that includes all expansions and versions is a great deal that increases the game’s replayability tenfold.

Download: Ticket To Ride ($2.99)

Cardcast

If you’ve got a Chromecast, you’ve also got a digital version of Cards Against Humanity to play as a two-screened experience with your TV and phones. It’s an open-sourced game that actually allows you to go in and create your own decks to play with if you so desire, or choose a deck from the deep database of user-created decks. Up to 10 people can play at one time, and players are free to connect or disconnect in the middle of a game.

If you’re not familiar with CAH, it’s notorious for its not-safe-for-work content. However, one of the benefits of Cardcast is that you can find a family-friendly deck to play, so that Granny isn’t offended… unless of course you’ve got a pretty cool Granny.

Download: Cardcast (Free)

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Big Web Quiz

Another quick and fun game to play on the Chromecast, Big Web Quiz is a fast and fun quiz game with cross-platform compatibility — whether your friends and family are on iOS or Android, everyone is able to download the app and connect to the Chromecast.

Up to six people can connect up and play. Everyone watches the screen for the question, then uses their phone to answer. It’s a fun, colorful app filled with interesting and quirky trivia.

Download: Big Web Quiz (free)

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes!

It’s not too often we get to recommend a VR game for a party or social gathering given how isolating a typical VR experience is… but Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is far from your typical VR game. It’s an intense game of bomb defusal that looks to recreate those movie moments where the main character gets defusal instructions over the walkie-talkie.

Available for both the Samsung Gear VR and Google’s Daydream View, one person straps the VR headset on and gets to look and manipulate the bomb, while everyone else in the room consults the bomb manual (downloadable for free from BombManual.com. Can your family or friends work together to defuse the bomb before it goes off? This game is quite stressful at times, but also a lot of fun.

If you’re playing on a Samsung Gear VR, you’ll need to download from the Oculus Store. If you’re playing on a Daydream View with your Pixel phone, you’ll want to download the version from the Google Play Store.

Download Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes from Google Play ($9.99)

Download Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes from Oculus Store ($9.99)

Anything we missed?

Got a party classic that didn’t make our list? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated March 2018: We’ve added Selfie Games to our list! Create some hilarious memories at your next family gathering!

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Smart Launcher 5 update brings an all-new design and features

Introducing ambient themes, adaptive icons, new app drawer layouts, and much more.

Third-party launchers are often the best way to customize the look and feel of your Android device, and one of the most popular ones — Smart Launcher — is getting a complete overhaul thanks to its new Smart Launcher 5 update.

There’s a lot to take in with Smart Launcher 5, but the thing you’ll notice right away is its new look. Smart Launcher 5 is using an all-new design language called “Acrylic Design”, and the main goal of Acrylic Design is to place your most-used apps to the bottom while reserving the top and middle for “information and visual contents.”

At the top of your home screen, you’ll now see a brand-new clock widget that shows the time, alarms, weather, and upcoming calendar appointments. The search bar has been moved to the bottom of the screen below the app dock, and the search page itself has a redesigned layout and now allows you to create new contacts, make calculations, etc.

Swiping up from the bottom will bring up the app drawer, and there are three layouts to choose from — allowing you to place the category bar on the side, bottom, or hide it altogether.

Rounding out these changes, Smart Launcher 5 also introduces:

• Themes that change color based on the wallpaper you have
• Adaptive icon backward compatibility for devices running Android 4.0 or later
• Ability to resize widgets in a freeform mode without grid snapping
• Redesigned settings page
• New wallpaper picker
• Icon sorting based on color
• Smart Launcher’s notification plugin is now built into the launcher by default

Smart Launcher 5 is available as a free download on the Play Store now, and it’ll replace the old Smart Launcher 3. Smart Launcher 3 Pro will remain, and anyone that purchased it can continue to use it and upgrade to Smart Launcher 5’s Pro features automatically.

Users will also be able to purchase the Feature Pack 2018, and this will add 15 additional adaptive icon shapes, a new mode that hides the on-screen navigation buttons, space for adding more widgets to your home screen, and custom icon sorting.

If you’re a long-time user of Smart Launcher, what do you think about the new update?

Download: Smart Launcher 5 (free)

Please say a VR180 version of Google Clips is next

Don’t just show me pictures, let me stand in the room where it happened.

It takes a little bit of getting used to, but Google Clips is a fantastic way to capture memories without needing to walk around with your camera in-hand all day. After my review, I continued bringing it with me wherever I went, and have continued to enjoy using it whenever the perfect moment struck. But at the end of the day what I have are photos and videos captured from a fisheye lens, which means a lot of times the thing I wanted to capture appeared too far away or wound up being partially off to the left or right of where I had positioned the camera.

I think the next step for Google Clips it to make me feel like I am standing in the room I was in, like I am re-watching a memory instead of observing through the window of my phone. As much fun as I am having with this camera, I really hope the next version is built for VR180.

Where small 360-degree cameras like the Samsung Gear 360 do a great job of letting me capture everything happening around me when something cool is happening, some important context is frequently missing. These images and video don’t capture depth, which means everything looks flat like it would on a normal screen. Not a huge deal if all you want to do is upload to Facebook, but there are options for doing a whole lot more in VR.

For depth, you typically require a pair of sensors on either side of the body instead of just the one. This makes stitching the image into a perfect sphere a little more challenging, usually resulting in the use of six or more sensors to better assemble the perfect sphere. As you can imagine, this dramatically increases the size and cost of the camera. The solution, at least for now, is what’s known as VR180. It takes a pair of sensors, puts them side by side, but has them facing the same direction. This allows for a camera to capture depth, making the photo or video you watch in VR look fantastically real without compromising quality in the photo you would see on your phone.

Google made a big announcement earlier this year about working with companies to produce VR180 cameras with a unified software experience, so those photos and videos would be both easy to share and thoroughly enjoyable in VR. The more content creators you enable for VR, the more likely people are to want to have a VR headset around to watch something cool. This could be as intense as a roller coaster ride, or as story-driven as a scene in a play. But either way, the initial goal is to encourage creators to tell stories through these VR180 cameras. It’s cool, but not at all the experience you get with the Google Clips AI system.

Clips has been designed to set the camera up somewhere and let the AI figure out what events are worth keeping as memories. It works well, but could be so much better if the camera system was able to capture in a way that allowed you to stand as though you were there when it happened. Combining Google’s VR180 software with Google Clips would create VR experiences in the most natural possible way, and being able to share that through a VR headset would allow family members to more personally participate in the scene.

This raises a number of unique challenges. For starters, part of what makes Clips work well now is the ability to self-edit things before you see them. If a VR180 version of Clips were to try to crop an image, for example, it could take away from the immersive effect or negatively impact the depth perception created by the sensor pair. But if it’s possible to merge Clips and VR180 in such a way, I would happily throw money at it.

Facebook is stepping up its fight against fake news

In the wake of the 2016 US elections, Facebook began to fight against fake news and divisive content. It hired third-party fact checkers to start vetting content that had been flagged by regular users. The company sponsored a call today with members of the press to address how it continues to protect elections from abuse and exploitation.

Facebook wants to combat foreign interference in the various elections around the world, remove fake accounts, increase ad transparency and reduce the spread of false news, according to Guy Rosen, VP of Product Management.

Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos pointed out that in addition to fake news, Facebook has to also deal with fake identities, fake audiences, false facts and false narratives (“divisive headlines and language that exploit disagreements and sow conflict”). Of course, doing so will require different approaches in each country. “At the end of the day,” said Stamos, “we’re trying to develop a systematic and comprehensive approach to tackle these challenges, and then to map that approach to the needs of each country or election.”

​​​Facebook’s product manager for civic engagement, Samidh Chakrabarti, said that the company was also proactively looking for foreign Pages that produce false civic-related content, as well, and is removing them from the platform. The tools used for this were piloted in Alabama, have been deployed in Italy and will likely be used during the upcoming US mid-term elections. The company has also removed millions of fake accounts, said Chakrabarti. “We’ve been able to do this thanks to advances in machine learning, which have allowed us to find suspicious behaviors — without assessing the content itself.”

The company is also changing the way it works with third-party fact checkers. “We’re ramping up our fact-checking efforts to fight false news around elections,” said product manager Tessa Lyons. “We’re scaling in the US and internationally, expanding beyond links to photos and videos, and increasing transparency.”

Finally, Facebook is adding more steps in its ad review process, said Product Management Director Rob Leathern. “This spring, in the run up to the US midterm elections, advertisers will have to verify and confirm who they are and where they are located in the US,” he said. This will include advertisers needing to submit government-issued IDs and physical mailing address, respond to a mailed verification letter from Facebook and to disclose which candidate, organization of business they represent.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Facebook