How to fix Gear VR audio issues on your Chromecast

Sharing VR with friends is fun. Sharing audio issues is not. Here’s how to fix your audio issues when streaming Gear VR to a Chromecast.

A great addition to the Gear VR is the ability to stream your virtual reality session to Chromecast devices. This lets you take your personal VR view and cast it to a TV that your friends and family can watch. Unfortunately, a common issue with this setup is audio not working well or not working at all. There are a few causes for this and some fixes you should try before deciding that VR has to be a solo experience.

How to Chromecast your Gear VR

Why is this happening?

Since streaming the Gear VR to the Chromecast rolled out, audio syncing has been an issue. The Chromecast seems to struggle with the demand of streaming VR audio and video in sync. Even higher-end Chromecasts still have some audio syncing issues. As a result of this, some developers have opted to not even support audio casting when you’re streaming the Gear VR’s video. This doesn’t fix the problem but also likely prevents people from rating apps lower for an issue that isn’t the developer’s fault.

But just because the problem is common, doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. There are some general fixes that help your experience improve.

Check your Network

It doesn’t matter which hardware you’re using if you’re on a bad network or have a bad connection between your phone and your Chromecast. Make sure that your network has a strong connection where you’re using your Gear VR and Chromecast. Additionally, if your game relies on the web, make sure that your internet speed is high enough and consistent enough to stream content.

Upgrade your hardware

There are multiple versions of the Chromecast, including two that are relatively new. The latest generation Chromecast costs $35 and the Chromecast Ultra which supports 4K costs $69.99. In our testing to determine the best Chromecast to use with your Gear VR, we found that audio latency issues were cut in half while using the Chromecast Ultra compared the latest generation Chromecast.

Look at alternatives

Sometimes the issues isn’t your fault. Some users have found that no matter what they do, Chromecast still won’t work with audio when you’re streaming your Gear VR. If this is what you’ve run into, you can check out alternatives, some of which you might not realize you already have in your house.

If your TV has built in casting, whether that be Samsung’s support of Miracast, Hisenses’s Anyview cast, or many other casting options, you can cast your Galaxy phone to the TV and then place your phone into your Gear VR. In my tes,ting I found that casting my Galaxy S8+ to our Samsung Series 6 worked well and audio seemed to line up. It’s important to remember that alternatives don’t requirea Samsung TV as many other TVs have casting support. In fact, many of them are using the same technology that’s just labelled differently.

Over to you

How has your experience been when casting your Gear VR to a Chromecast? Have you managed to iron out any bugs or have you had to look at alternatives. Let us know in the comments below.

Eufy EverCam is a truly wire-free security camera with 365-day battery life

Available for backing right now on Kickstarter.

There have been a lot of innovations in the smart security camera market over the last few years, but a couple pain points that still remain are complicated setup processes and short battery life. Eufy, the Anker-owned smart home brand, is now trying to tackle both of those issues with the EverCam.

EverCam was recently launched on Kickstarter by Eufy, and it offers a lot of the features you’d come to expect – including facial recognition, IP66 weatherproofing, night vision, and a wide 140-degree field of view with 1080p Full HD recording. However, EverCam goes a step further by not requiring any wires and promising 365-days of battery life before needing to be charged up.

How is that possible?

In regards to the wire-free design, you’ll start out by connecting EverCam’s base station to your Wi-Fi network and plugging it into a wall outlet inside your home. The camera itself wirelessly communicates to the base station using low-frequency technology, and it can be attached to the included mount or any existing metal surface using built-in magnets.

As for the 365-day battery life, the EverCam is powered by a 13,400 mAh battery from Anker and switches to a low-power mode when it doesn’t detect motion. This means you won’t get 24/7 recording like some other cameras offer, but Eufy says this also allows for 95% fewer false alarms thanks to a three-step motion detection process.

The EverCam comes with an included 16GB microSD card that “records approximately 1 year of video on one camera, with 10 videos per day, 30 seconds each.” You can obviously purchase a larger microSD card if you’d like, and Eufy will also sell an optional cloud storage service for $2.99/month.

Other features of the EverCam include two-way communication using the built-in microphone and speaker, an anti-them alarm that’s triggered when the camera is forcibly removed, and full remote control via the Eufy mobile app.

EverCam’s retail price is currently set at $329, but you can pick it up for just $219 with the limited-time Kickstarter Special. Shipments are expected to go out this September, and at the time of publication, Eufy’s already had over $595,000 in pledges with a goal of just $50,000.

See at Kickstarter

You should never have to reset any software, so why do we need to reset our phones?

A Motorola StarTAC sold new for $900 in 1996 and you never had to factory reset its software. One of these things has changed.

There’s a disturbing long-term belief that broken software is somehow our fault for not keeping it clean when it comes to a phone. I’ve seen it rise up again recently now that Oreo has been available for the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 long enough for users to experience problems, but it happens with almost every device, even when an update hasn’t recently arrived. Phone running badly? Factory reset it to fix things.

What?!

via GIPHY

Pardon my interrobang moment, but that’s ridiculous. Not that it’s bad advice because it can often fix things, but it’s a thing we should never have to do. When the “fix” for your software is to delete all its associated data and start fresh, that means your software is bad. Full stop. It (meaning the software) either fills its own data files with garbage that causes it to slow down while trying to sort through it all or it has no checks written to prevent it from reading garbage data that may have been written to storage incorrectly. Or both. Probably both.

I understand why we do it, because its easier to just bite the bullet and reinstall everything than it is to deal with a phone that acts like its broken. I’m not even saying we shouldn’t be doing it or suggesting it because unfortunately, it’s solid advice. Waiting for an update to fix the real problems isn’t a solution because it will never arrive — manufacturers are too busy working on something new they can sell to find time to fix or maintain the things they have already sold. It’s just painful to know that 20 or so years since the invention of the smartphone have passed and we still have to find user-initiated fixes because the software performs so poorly. And it’s only gotten worse over time.

10 years from now will we be paying a mechanic to factory reset our self driving cars?

Sometimes having a user reset software to its factory state is a proper request. For example, if you’re running a beta test of a program or operating system and decide to drop out of the program and go back to the regular release build. It’s reasonable to expect that the data from the two versions won’t be consistent and no easy way to migrate backwards has been developed. The same reasoning applies if you skipped a version — going from ver. 1 to ver. 2 to ver. 3 should always work, but going from ver. 1 straight to ver. 3 may not. I can also accept it when a mea culpa from the developers comes with: “We found some major issues and were able to fix them. Unfortunately these fixes require you to reset the software” is nothing you ever want to see, but the very few times you do are acceptable. Developers are regular folks like me and you and can face problems that kick their butts. Scrap the problems and start new is a reasonable request.

You should never have to take responsibility and fix for software issues on a $900 phone yourself. Ever.

But we’re not talking about regular-folk developers when it comes to resetting a phone operating system. In Samsung’s case, the need to delete everything because it’s broken is not OK because this software comes from a company that made like $75 Billion dollars last year on the backs of these phones and this software. Other companies didn’t make nearly as much but still made a lot more than you or I ever will. Knowing that some users need to reset all their data periodically should be concerning. Seeing the internet-at-large recommend you factory reset your phone because of an update or it’s just been a while since you last did so should be setting off huge alarms with klaxon horns and rotating red lights in an executive office. If your first idea is to reset the software to erase any of the data it created, it shows how little confidence you have in that product.

Properly written software should never need to be reset to its default state. We have to periodically reset our phones, or reset after an update to fix things like battery life. When both of these statements are true, there is a problem that shouldn’t be there when you’re paying $900 for a product.

Sonos One will be available in red, yellow, and green this September

The new colors will come with a $30 price increase over the regular models.

The Sonos One is already a good-looking speaker, but it’ll soon get a welcome jolt of color thanks to a new partnership with Danish design brand HAY.

This coming September, Sonos will launch the HAY Sonos One Limited Edition Collection with new red, yellow, and green models. The colors were taken directly from HAY’s 2018 design palette, and although they won’t be available to purchase, HAY will also be showing off the Sonos One in pink and gray during the Milan for Design Week.

Commenting on the Sonos One’s new looks, HAY’s Co-Founder and Creative Director, Mette Hay, says –

Color is one of the most important tools in the design process, and it was very important we didn’t just create a color scale that looked beautiful. Colors can hide completely and disappear or provide contrast.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to purchase the pink Sonos One in this picture.

If you’re interested in picking up one a HAY Sonos One for yourself, they’ll be available at Sonos’s website, flagship stores in New York City, London, and Berlin, and the HAY House in Copenhagen. Pricing is set at $229, making it $30 more expensive than the regular Sonos One.

Sonos One review: Adding Alexa is just the start

Android P: The best new features so far

Everyone loves new features, and Android gets new ones every year when it’s time for a new version.

In 2018, that means Android P and there are a handful of new great things to check out on top of the changes that make Android more efficient and easier for developers to build applications. We’ve picked out the best of these new features that you can look forward to having once your phone gets updated or you buy a new model running Android P.

Notch support

Now that phones have notches at the top, Android has tools developers can use to work around them. Love them or hate them, if a notch has to be there at least software can be developed to mitigate the drawbacks.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the clock is now on the left side so things can be symmetrical around a notch. Developers will also be able to change the status bar height automatically based on how far the notch protrudes into the display area. this should eliminate the letterbox effect. If an app is designed for full-screen display the developers can define an area where a notch would be so that nothing important is placed there.

For developers who don’t have phones with notches for testing purposes, they can simulate one on their display using Android’s developer tools.

HDR and HEIF support

Android P includes native support for the royalty-free HDR VP9 profile. This means that HDR movies using the profile can be watched using any media player. Previously, the media player app needed to support HDR profiles to display content correctly on an HDR display.

Android P also supports the HEIF image compression format. HEIF stands for High Efficiency Image Format and pictures using it can store twice as much data using the same size file as a JPEG image, meaning the pictures displayed have a much higher quality.

These changes are more important than hey sound. HDR VP9 and HEIF are becoming popular and without support your phone wouldn’t be able to display anything using either. More importantly, you wouldn’t know why nothing was being displayed and need to troubleshoot on your own. That’s not a good experience, so we’re really glad to see them supported.

Indoor navigation

Android P introduces support for the IEEE 802.11mc Wi-Fi protocol, also known as WiFi RTT (Round Trip Time).

WiFi RTT support means your phone can use its Wi-Fi signal (when on a network with support) for location services. RTT is precise and can locate your phone within 1-2 meters, which is more precise than the GPS signal you use outdoors.

While your first thought at hearing this might be indoor turn-by-turn navigation, this protocol can also be used for things like helping find a restroom by sending an alert or letting multiple people keep track of where each is while on a Wi-FI network with RTT support.

Multi-camera API

API stands for Application Programming Interface and what this means is that devices with two cameras will now have both be supported by the standard Android camera tools developers use. That means any camera app can support all two-camera setups and you aren’t forced to use the included camera app with your phone.

These APIs include features like zoom, portrait/bokeh, and 3D stereo vision as well as the current Android camera functions. This will help developers get their apps working well on devices with multiple cameras, and allow them to build one version that works with every phone. That means you’ll see your favorite app get updated to support your two-camera phone much, much faster.

Notification improvements

Android P introduces support for “more informative” notifications.

You will be able to see a preview of an attached image, see the last few messages in a conversation, and use Google Assistant-powered smart replies from the notification shade.

We see improvements to notifications with every new Android release. That’s understandable, as Android’s notifications are one of its strong points and we see their influence in other operating systems, both mobile and on the desktop. That happens when you build something great.

With every new set of features also comes the wait for developers to update their apps to include them. Sometimes they “just work” and other times some of them will work, but usually to get the full extent an app will need to be updated. Changes in notifications for Android P are no different.

A rotation button

Android P has a new way to control how the display rotates, and it’s great!

You can lock your rotation settings in place so that things stay vertical no matter how you tilt your phone, and a new button in the system bar will change things with just a tap. Perfect for bedtime readers.

Changes to Google’s Launcher

There are also some changes to Google’s interface on the Pixel line. These changes can be incorporated into the user interface by other companies but aren’t required as they aren’t part of the core Android system. On the Pixel phones we’ll see things like a new volume slider widget that appears on the side instead of the top when you press a volume key, a more colorful settings menu, and a revised layout for Quick settings.

Some of these are already present in other phones from companies like Samsung and LG, while others might make their way there if support was added in Android that makes them easy to include. Just know that you might not see any of these when your phone gets updated.

These need developer support

As we see every year with a new version of Android, most of the new features have one thing in common — they need developers to update their apps to include them. This can be frustrating because it takes so long for most phones to get updated. Developers have to prioritize their time, and when the bulk of phones are running an older version of Android, supporting those phones is the priority. Any changes that introduce new features have to be written with backwards compatibility in mind so the user-base doesn’t have a poor experience.

Because of this, many of your favorite apps will take a while to get updated with the features you want to see. That’s better than breaking an app for billions of other phones, though. Eventually, the most popular apps will receive an update to support what’s new and everyone is happy.

Google Voice integration with Sprint is coming to an end

Google Voice, the service that gives US users a free phone number they can use for calls, texts and messages on devices other than a smartphone, recently got a big overhaul. Left intact was Sprint’s unique arrangement with Google that allowed its customers to use their Sprint phone number for Google Voice. Google has informed Sprint customers that the arrangement is about to end, however, thanks to changes coming to Sprint’s network.

Google Voice let users make free calls to most places in the US and Canada, but as of June 1st, 2018, all outgoing calls, including international calls, will go through Sprint and be billed accordingly. Messages, calls and voicemails after that date will no longer be stored on Google Voice, and you won’t be able to use Voice-enabled features like call forwarding, voicemail transcription and spam detection.

Google recommends disabling integration before the cutoff date of June 1st, and re-blocking any phone numbers using the carrier’s MySprint application. You’ll have to re-install Google Voice on your phone if you want to keep using it. (Check here for Google’s complete article on the matter.)

Not all is lost. You can still use Voice by getting a dedicated number from Google, or even port your Sprint number to Google Voice, though you’d then have to get a new Sprint number. You’ll never regain the handy centralization of all your telephony and messages across multiple devices, though. It also marks the end of unprecedented cooperation between a US carrier and tech company, entities that are normally oil and water.

Via: 9 to 5 Google

Source: Google

Pros and cons: Our verdict on Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Yoga (2018)

We loved Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon, but if you want the added functionality of a convertible, the X1 Yoga might be for you. Just like Lenovo’s other Yoga machines, it has a hinge that lets you twist the screen a full 360 degrees, letting you use it as a giant tablet or in a tent formation. Because of that, we found it to be more useful than a traditional laptop, but you’ll have to deal with a slightly heavier weight than the X1 Carbon. And, unfortunately, you’ll have to pay extra for the HDR-equipped screen.

Cambridge Analytica may have used other quizzes to gather Facebook data

Brittany Kaiser, a former Cambridge Analytica employee, testified today in front of a UK committee that’s investigating the misuse of Facebook users’ personal data. Kaiser claimed in her spoken and written testimony that Cambridge Analytica used other quizzes, such as the “‘sex compass’ quiz,” to gather users’ data.

Kaiser did not have information on the specific quizzes that Cambridge Analytica used, but her statement makes clear that “This Is Your Digital Life” was not the only quiz that the company utilized to scrape Facebook data. Her written statement claims that Cambridge Analytica was not up front with Facebook in regard to the data it had. For example, she notes that Cambridge Analytica data scientists appeared to be using Facebook data two months after the company told Facebook that said data had been deleted.

According to TechCrunch, in her spoken testimony, Kaiser said, “In my pitches I used to give examples even to clients that if you go on Facebook and you see these viral personality quizzes — not all of them would have been designed by Cambridge Analytica/SCL Group or our affiliates but that these applications were designed specifically to harvest data from individuals, using Facebook as the tool.” Facebook has made it clear that the company is looking into any apps that have access to large amounts of information, and has already suspended other firms that have used quizzes to collect data.

“We are currently investigating all apps that had access to large amounts of information before we changed our platform to dramatically reduce data access in 2014,” a Facebook spokesperson told Engadget. “We will conduct a full audit of any app with suspicious activity. And if we find developers that misused personally identifiable information, we will ban them and tell everyone affected.”

“It’s widely known that like other marketing agencies we sometimes collect personality data using a research panel with an appropriate statement of consent,” Cambridge Analytica said in a statement to Engadget. “These surveys are entirely unconnected to the GSR/Kogan data for 30 million users that we lawfully licensed in 2014 and then deleted when Facebook asked us to do so.” The company then directed us to its press statements and Twitter feed.

This is very much getting into “he said, she said” territory, but what we can take away from this is that Cambridge Analytica may have not been telling the full truth. Facebook is taking steps to secure its platform, but at this point it’s likely that the majority of the social network’s users have been affected by one of these apps, whether deployed by Cambridge Analytica or not.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: UK Parliament

34 major tech companies are uniting to fight cyberattacks

Cyberattacks are a global issue that can cause havoc regardless of who’s involved, and key members of the tech industry are uniting in a bid to fight these attacks. A group of 34 companies has signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, an agreement promising to defend customers around the world from hacks regardless of where they take place or who the perpetrator might be. They’re promising to boost defenses for customers (including users’ capacity to defend themselves), establish more partnerships to share threats and vulnerabilities, and — importantly — refuse to assist governments in launching cyberattacks.

Cisco, Dell, Facebook, HP, Microsoft and Nokia are some of the bigger general technology companies in the initial group, while security firms like Avast, FireEye and Symantec have also pledged support. Telecom giants BT and Telefonica are also aboard. Membership is open to other companies, of course, but they have to be “trusted,” share “high cybersecurity standards” and “adhere unreservedly” to the Accord once they sign up.

The first meeting of Accord members takes place during the ongoing RSA Conference (the RSA is also a member), and they’re considering joint actions such as common guidelines and “broadly deployed” features.

In theory, this presents a united front where companies work together and assert that cyberattacks are harmful as a whole. “Everyone deserves protection,” according to the agreement. With that said, there are issues. To start, there’s a distinct lack of specific action at this stage — it’s easy to make general statements of principle, it’s another to back those up.

We’d add that there are notable omissions in the current roster, including Apple, Amazon and Twitter. We wouldn’t expect Chinese or Russian firms to sign, for that matter. No matter how much they endorse the ideas behind the Accord, there’s little they can do to stop local officials from ordering them to weaken security. The Accord is an important start to fending off cyberattacks, but it may need to expand significantly beyond its existing member list to be truly effective.

Source: Cybersecurity Tech Accord

Apple Expands Its Machine Learning Hub in Downtown Seattle

Apple has expanded its office space at Two Union Square, a 56-story office tower in Downtown Seattle, according to GeekWire.

The report claims Apple will soon occupy five floors inside the skyscraper, up from a floor-and-a-half of space it originally leased, based on permits filed with the city and the publication’s own visits to the building.

The expansion gives Apple more than 70,000 square feet of space, enough for potentially close to 500 people, the report adds.

Last year, Apple confirmed that its Seattle engineering hub is focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, technologies that power the likes of Siri and advanced facial recognition on the iPhone X.

Apple’s jobs website lists 19 open positions in its Seattle office in a variety of fields, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, smart home automation, cloud computing, and natural language processing.

Apple’s senior director of artificial intelligence and machine learning Carlos Guestrin back in February 2017:

We’re trying to find the best people who are excited about AI and machine learning — excited about research and thinking long term but also bringing those ideas into products that impact and delight our customers. The bar is high, but we’re going to be hiring as quickly as we can find people that meet our high bar, which is exciting.

Seattle has become a hotbed for technology companies because of its talent pool and lower cost of living compared with the San Francisco area, with Amazon, Facebook, and Google among the tech giants with offices in the region.

Last year, Apple became a member of the Partnership on AI, a non-profit organization established “to study and formulate best practices, to advance the public’s understanding of AI, and to serve as an open platform for discussion and engagement about AI and its influences on people and society.”

Apple recently hired John Giannandrea, the former head of Google’s search and artificial intelligence division. Apple’s Machine Learning Journal documents the company’s efforts in the artificial intelligence area.

Tags: Seattle, artificial intelligence
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