Google Chrome may now support Oculus Rift

An eagle-eyed Redditor may have just discovered that Oculus Rift is now supported in the latest stable version of Google Chrome. You’ll have to do a little menu legwork to set it up by tracking down a setting in Chrome’s flags, but the browser can supposedly now output WebVr to that headset and the Oculus Touch controllers natively. It’s been a few years since that integration was first promised back in 2014, and sadly, it’s only available for Chrome users on Windows for now.

Chrome added WebVR support for its Daydream headsets in Chrome for Android in February 2017, then introduced mobile virtual reality web browsing back in September. Adding Oculus Rift to the desktop version of Chrome seems to have come out of nowhere, especially since the last non-Google headset to get more WebVR support was the Samsung Gear VR.

In any case, it will be interesting to see if Rift users start using Chrome instead of waiting for Oculus’ long-awaited VR web browser, Carmel. But if you get the headset working in Google’s browser, you can start with some experimental virtual reality exhibits created by the WebVR team.

Via: Variety

Source: Reddit

California opens investigation into Tesla factory safety

Tesla has been struggling lately to meet its automotive production targets, vowing to run its Model 3 factories “24/7.” Unfortunately, they might also be underreporting serious workplace injuries, labeling them “personal medical” to avoid penalties. Now, according to a report at Bloomberg, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is opening an official investigation into the allegations.

By law, California businesses must report any injuries sustained by employees that result in missed work, job performance restrictions or medical treatment beyond first aid. A report at Reveal made the initial claims, and Tesla has repudiated the report itself, saying that it has never intentionally misrepresented its safety record. Whatever the actual story, CalOSHA told Bloomberg that it takes workplace hazards and allegations of underreported work-related injuries seriously, and that is why it is investigating.

Via: CNBC

Source: Bloomberg

Sony and Carnegie Mellon team up to research cooking robots

Robots might not be a novelty in the kitchen for much longer if Sony and Carnegie Mellon University have their way. They’ve struck an agreement that will have the two collaborating on AI and robotics research, initially focusing on food prep, cooking and delivery. They’ll start by augmenting manipulation robots and will eventually develop robots customized for specific food types and the limited spaces of kitchens.

The research will largely take place at Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science school in Pittsburgh, with Sony executive Dr. Hiroaki Kitano leading professors and students. Sony is also reciprocating by funding the university’s research projects and startups.

Why food? As Sony explained, the skills needed for cooking robots could be translated to a “broader set” of tasks. Food involves handling fragile and oddly shaped objects in a small space, not to mention loads of routine household and business chores. If a machine can excel at preparing your pad thai, it probably has talents that can be applied to medicine, factories and rescues. Just be patient — any practical uses of the research are likely years away.

Source: PR Newswire

Lego League returns to space with two robotics kits for competitions

If you got excited for the Women of NASA and Saturn V rocket Lego sets, you’ll dig this new offering from the building brick company from Denmark. Lego’s education arm just announced two new robotic kits that can be used in the First Lego League series of robotics competitions, the Mission Moon and Into Orbit sets were designed in partnership with astronauts and space experts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Lego league itself.

The new robotics kits fit right into Lego League Jr. and Lego League Mindstorms systems, which are made to help kids explore their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills. The Mission Moon challenge will reach over 86,000 students ages 6 to 10 from 41 countries around the globe, while the Into Orbit Challenge will offer more than 280,000 kids from age 9 to 16 in almost 90 different countries. The younger kids will build the space-themed model and use Lego’s WeDo software to make it move, while the older students will design, build and code the more advanced Mindstorms robot to complete multi-step missions on a playing field.

“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of FIRST LEGO League, we are excited to return to the inaugural theme of space,” said Lego League’s Kim Wierman in a statement. “Our first class of participants can now watch their own children engage in the joy and discovery of STEM learning.”

Apple Releases Second Beta of macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 to Public Beta Testers

Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 update to public beta testers, two weeks after seeding the first beta and three weeks after releasing macOS High Sierra 10.13.4. Today’s public beta is identical to the second beta provided to developers earlier this week.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will be able to download the new macOS High Sierra beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

Those who want to be a part of Apple’s beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.

macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 once again introduces support for Messages on iCloud, a feature that was present in macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 betas but pulled ahead of the release of the updated software.

Messages on iCloud is designed to store your iMessages in iCloud for improved syncing. Right now, incoming iMessages will be sent to all devices where you’re signed into your Apple ID, but it’s not true cloud-based syncing because your old messages don’t show up on new devices nor does deleting a message remove it from all of your devices, both features enabled through Messages on iCloud.

The Messages on iCloud feature also allows your older iMessages to be stored in iCloud rather than on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, saving valuable storage space. Older attachments are also stored in iCloud.

No other major outward-facing changes were discovered in the first two developer betas, but the update likely includes bug fixes and improvements to address issues discovered since the release of macOS High Sierra 10.13.4. Because Apple does not provide detailed release notes for macOS High Sierra updates, we may not know exactly what’s included until the new software is provided to the public.

Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
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Most Useful 3D Touch Gestures on iPhone

3D Touch is a feature that’s been around since the 2015 release of the iPhone 6s, and it’s become an integral gesture system on all of Apple’s latest iPhones.

Though it’s been around for a while, there are several hidden and less obvious 3D Touch gestures that you may have forgotten or might not be aware of, especially if you don’t use the feature often. In our most recent YouTube video and in the guide below, we’ve highlighted some of the most useful and lesser known 3D Touch gestures.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

3D Touch Cursor

Whenever you’re typing something using the default iOS keyboard on the iPhone, if you 3D Touch, the keyboard turns blank and morphs into a trackpad that allows you to quickly move the cursor on the screen through the text you’ve written.

This is a useful gesture that allows you to make quick edits without having to reach up and tap the display.

If you hold the cursor over a word for a short length of time, you can also use it to select text for deleting multiple words, copying and pasting, formatting, and other purposes.

You can use this cursor gesture in Mail, Notes, Messages, and more on 3D Touch-enabled devices running iOS 11.

Control Center

In Control Center on devices running iOS 11, you can 3D Touch on almost all of the included icons to get additional control options and shortcut access.

Some of the available options are listed below:

• Wi-Fi – 3D Touch the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth box to get additional options for AirPlay and Personal Hotspot.
• Music – 3D Touch for additional Music control options both for the iPhone and for connected devices that include HomePod and Apple TV.
• Brightness – 3D Touch the brightness control to see a larger slider and to access options for Night Shift and True Tone.
• Volume – 3D Touch to see a larger slider.
• Flashlight – 3D Touch to change the brightness of the rear flash, aka the “Flashlight.” There are four brightness levels.
• Timer – 3D Touch to choose a timer length using a built-in slider bar.
• Calculator – 3D Touch to copy your last result.
• Camera – 3D Touch to access quick options for taking a selfie, recording a video, recording a Slo-mo video, or taking a portrait.
• Home – 3D Touch to access controls for your favorite scenes and accessories.
• Screen Recording – 3D Touch for options that include screen recording to camera roll or Facebook, turning the microphone on and off, and starting a recording.
• Wallet – 3D Touch for a shortcut to your default credit or debit card and an option to access your last transaction.
• Notes – 3D Touch to access shortcuts to create a new note, a new checklist, a new photo, or a new sketch.
• Remote – 3D Touch for a full Apple TV Remote interface.

Prioritizing App Downloads

When you’re downloading a bunch of updates from the App Store, if you 3D Touch on an app that’s pending, you can force it to download first. This is useful if you’re stuck with an app that’s loading but need to access it quickly.

You can also cancel downloads and pause downloads with this feature.

Bonus: In the App Store itself, if you 3D Touch on the icon, you can update all of your apps with a quick tap that doesn’t require actually opening up the App Store app and navigating to the Updates tab. There are also shortcuts for accessing your purchased apps, redeeming a gift card or promo code, and conducting a search. Note: The “Update All” icon doesn’t seem to appear reliably at all times, which may be due to a bug.

Previewing, Sharing, and Saving Photos

In the Photos app, if you 3D Touch on a thumbnail, you can see a preview of the image without needing to tap to open it, which is known as a Peek and Pop gesture. Swipe up after the initial 3D Touch to get access to options to copy a photo, share a photo, favorite a photo, or show additional photos from the same day.

You can use this same gesture in Safari and other apps that have images, such as Messages, Mail, and Apple News. For example, 3D Touch on an image in Safari, swipe upward, and you’ll see options to save the image to your camera roll or copy it. Make sure to 3D Touch and then immediately swipe, because if you continue to hold down it will initiate a full “pop” gesture which eliminates the quick save option.

Bonus: 3D Touch on the Photos app icon to get access some fun and useful shortcuts to your most recent photos, your favorite photos, photos from one year ago, or a search interface.

Third-Party App Shortcuts

Apple made 3D Touch available to third-party developers, and there are now hundreds of popular apps that have incorporated it, offering up new options on compatible iPhones.

3D Touch, for example, enables pressure sensitive drawing and writing in note taking and sketching apps, and it’s even been incorporated as a control method in some games. Blackbox, Asphalt 8: Airborne, and BADLAND 2 are all examples of games that incorporate 3D Touch in some way.

On a more basic level, most apps have Home screen shortcuts accessible using 3D Touch. Instagram, for example, lets you access the camera, create a new post, view activity, or switch accounts using 3D Touch options, while Facebook has shortcuts for things like scanning a QR code, searching, or writing a post.

Many apps also support 3D Touch gestures in app. For example, within Instagram or Facebook, 3D Touch on a thumbnail or a link for a preview of the content. These kind of Peek and Pop gestures have been built into quite a few third-party apps for a consistent usage experience on devices that support 3D Touch.

3D Touch-Compatible Devices

3D Touch continues to be a feature that’s limited to the iPhone, and it’s enabled through a built-in Taptic engine included in every generation since the iPhone 6s. 3D Touch is available on the following iPhones:

• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X

Conclusion

3D Touch can do a whole lot more than what’s included in this guide, and the best way to discover everything is liberal use of the feature. 3D Touch on third-party app icons to see what shortcuts are available, 3D Touch within apps to see if there are built-in 3D Touch gestures, and give it a try in all of Apple’s apps, most of which have been built with 3D Touch integration.

Use 3D Touch in apps Messages, Safari, and Mail on links and photos to preview content with Peek and Pop or to find new sharing options, and 3D Touch on notifications to get more information.

Have a favorite 3D Touch gesture that we didn’t cover in the guide? Let us know in the comments.

Tag: 3D Touch
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Red review – a minimalist, yet engaging puzzle game

Puzzle games, just like every other genre, are sharing in the mobile gaming boom. Touchscreen controls are perfect for the control of puzzle elements, and short, sharp mental challenges are splendid for gaming on the go.

From abstract games to physics puzzles to murder mysteries, gamers have plenty of options to choose from these days.

And in this article, we’re going to look at an intriguing new puzzle game called Red- which bets on minimalism and ingenuity to attract players on board.

Setup

To get started, download Red from the Play Store and install it on your Android device. Upon opening it, you’ll be greeted by a pretty simple main page with some creepy music playing in the background.

Due to the flickering letters and eerie sounds, you might be tempted to believe this is a horror game of some sort. Alas, it’s not. It’s a puzzle game which spans over a total of 50 levels.

Experience

The idea behind this game is pretty simple: all you have to do is make the screen red. The levels are all different, and since they come with no instructions, you will need to figure out the mechanics of each level.

For example, in one level, you need to tap and hold on the bottom of the thermometer for the mercury levels to go all the way up. Other levels feature a Snake-like game and another has you playing a game that reminds of heavily of Tetris.

Given that all 50 levels are different, there’s a little chance of getting bored. But sometimes, you will find yourself at a loss for what to do. Although, in the majority of cases, the visual clues are enough to guide you.

But if you do get stuck, you can simply tap on the light bulb button in the upper right corner to get a hint or two.

The annoying part is that you’ll have to play an ad or two to get the hints. Or you can simply unlock the Premium version (for $2.99) and get a clean ad-less experience.

No problem, if you don’t feel like paying. You can still play the game in full. The only big difference is that you will have to watch ads in order to unlock a clue.

Levels get harder as you progress, so you will indeed need a few clues. I know I did.

It’s worth mention, that Red is the followup of Yellow, a similar game developed by the same developer (Bart Bonte) which challenges you to make the screen Yellow in 50 levels.

Red is really fun to play. The only complaint I have is that the intense red color is quite tiresome on the eyes, so I had to make frequent breaks during gameplay.

Other than that, the game is challenging enough to keep you going through the whole 50 levels.

Wrap-Up

If you’re looking for a simple yet engaging puzzle game to play, then Red is for you. Although the frequent red screens might make the game playing experience a bit tedious. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to this problem: take breaks between levels.

Download Red in the Google Play Store

goTenna Mesh review: Private networks for going off the grid or during outages

If you’ve ever gone camping or hiking and found yourself “off of the grid” for a period of time, you likely know how refreshing it is. No phone, no Facebook, no Reddit, no text messages. On the other hand, it can be somewhat scary to be away from society for any length of time. What happens if you get lost or separated from your party?

Whether you’re in the bottom of a canyon or three miles deep into the woods, it might make some nervous to be un-tethered from society. At the very least you want to be connected to another person in case of an emergency, right?

Unfortunately, all service providers have pockets or large swaths where coverage is not available. So, forget about calling back home when you find yourself up a tree, staring down at wild coyotes. You can’t even text your buddy who’s only a few hundred feet away.

If you packed a goTenna Mesh as part of your camping gear, the situation could be much different. The goTenna Mesh is a stick-like device designed to create a mesh network which allows for 1-to-1 communication between phones. In short, it takes your phones and turns them into an almost walkie-talkie like experience that also allows for messaging and location data. But that’s selling it short.

Unlike traditional walkie talkies, goTenna Mesh lets you share GPS coordinates and use an offline map. Moreover, the mesh aspect means that the connection and network itself get better when more uses are added. And, thanks to automatic channel and interference management, you don’t have to worry about switching channels or picking up junk over the airwaves.

Each goTenna Mesh is about four inches tall and is comprised of anodized aluminum and a protective, weather-proof coating. An adjustable silicone strap (four color options) lets you attach it easily to a backpack or, say, to the top of a canopy. If you have multiple units, you can place one at a cabin, another in a tree stand, and carry one with you. The more of these you have in the area, the better your experience gets.

Battery life is rated at about 24 hours but that’s on consistent usage. If you only need to turn it on for a few hours each day, you’ll get multiple days worth of life. According to goTenna, the battery can hold its charge for nearly one year. Charging is done via a microUSB port located on the side.

The goTenna Mesh pairs to your phone via Bluetooth where all of your work is done via the mobile app. Upon setup you’ll enter your contact information and, optionally, download an offline map. After that you’re basically good to go.

There are a variety of types of communication that goTenna Mesh offers including 1-to-1, private group (up to 10), and a public broadcasting, called Shout. If you’re looking for another user, you’ll find them by phone number of goTenna ID (GID). Head to imeshyou.com and you’ll find a whole network of mesh nodes to connect to and users to chat up.

On the left side of the app, you’ll find options like Contacts, Location, and Settings. Under the Location, you can search and download hundreds of different maps for offline viewing.  In the Settings you’ll find options to adjust your profile information, notifications, chat settings, map settings, and security options.

According to goTenna you should be able to get line-of-sight range up to four miles (6.4km) in area like beachsides, plains, and deserts. Mix in buildings or mountains and trees and you’ll find that cut down. Reports we read varied from a few blocks in a big city to a couple of miles in a national park.

Generally speaking, we found no issues in using ours in the woods and countryside. We never really wandered more than a half mile away from the other users and our base was at the top of a hill. Indeed, we used three goTenna Mesh units; one on each of our backpacks, and one to triangulate.

The goTenna Mesh sells in a two-pack for about $180; a four-pack is $329, and an eight-pack is $579. Each bundle comes with charging cables and includes a 1-year warranty and 30-day trial to goTenna Plus. The premium service usually sells for $29.99 per year and includes topgraphical maps, trip stats, location tethering, and more.

Would we like to do more than send and receive messages? Yes and no. Going off the grid means just that. Sometimes we want to be inaccessible and away from the world. On the other hand, we might like to make a quick emergency phone call if the need arises. Picture messaging? Ehh, we’re okay without that.

If you find yourself camping, canoeing, hiking, or even taking a vacation every so often, the goTenna experience is worth checking out. In our research of the devices we found that users have taken these to Disneyland, on cruise ships, and hang-gliding. In other words, it’s not just for places that are off the grid but those which might be congested or suffering an outage.

Snapchat’s sponsored filters are now a lot more like ads

It’s been a weird year for Snapchat. The company needs to make money, but it hasn’t figured out how to do so without ticking off users. The latest addition to the app’s camera might not engender a lot of love from people, either. Next time you open the app and pick a sponsored face filter — an ad in and of itself — you should see a “call to action” button, according to Recode. Meaning, that below the (potentially racist) face filter, now there will be a button that takes you to a digital marketplace or company website. To check it out in action, hit the source link below.

The way the buttons are positioned (right above the filter options) will probably lead to at least a few accidental clicks too. It’s precisely what marketers and advertisers crave, and in turn could lead to more income for Snapchat. In and of itself, that’s fine; all businesses need cash to survive. But, this seems explicitly designed to game the system at the expense of user experience.

Source: Recode