Slip an unlocked Essential Phone into your pocket for $350

One of the best prices we’ve seen.

Update: The black version is currently down to just $349.99 at Amazon, so grab one now.

We’ve seen deals on the Essential Phone in the past, but since the launch of the new colors we haven’t seen it drop this low. Right now you can get the phone in Black Moon and Pure White for just $399.99. That’s $50 better than the last deal we shared in March.

It comes with 128GB of internal storage, a dual camera system on the back, and it’s powered by the Snapdragon 835 processor. You can also add the Essential 360 camera for $68.

See on Amazon

The Moto G6 should’ve been an Android One device

Motorola doesn’t have a great track record with timely software updates. Android One could have fixed that.

The Moto G6 and G6 Play will be available in the U.S. in late May, and from our brief hands-on time, they’re already shaping up to be the new phones to beat in the budget space. Motorola has always delivered excellent price-to-performance with its Moto G series, but now that same price will also land you a premium rounded glass and metal design, akin to the Moto X4.

While neither phone seemed to have any trouble keeping up with the software interface in my limited testing, one thing that gives me pause is whether or not that software will receive regular updates throughout the next few years. Motorola hasn’t been particularly known for its timely update cycle, so I’m not exactly holding my breath for the Moto G6 to get updated to Android P later this year. But Motorola’s spotty update record is precisely why I can’t help but think that the Moto G6 absolutely should have run on Android One.

To be clear, this is solely about longterm support, and not a matter of stock Android superiority. In fact, Motorola’s in-house software is still fantastic, leaving most of Android 8.0 Oreo alone while bringing some useful additional functionality like Moto Voice and Moto Gestures. Frankly, I’d love for Google to adopt Motorola’s double-twist gesture to quickly launch the camera, or the double-chop to activate the flashlight. But none of that has to go away with Android One.

Take a look at the Nokia 7 Plus, for example. Despite running Android One with almost completely stock software, that didn’t stop Nokia from including its long-beloved pro camera app from back in the days of Windows Phone. So what’s to stop Motorola from doing the same? In theory, the Moto G6 could run Android One and still benefit from Motorola’s quick launch gestures, voice commands, and the excellent Moto Display. With software so close to stock Android, the only real difference would be having the promise of at least two years of support and software upgrades to the latest versions of Android as they come.

The Moto G6 could have kept its unique features and still gotten timely updates with Android One.

Ultimately, many of the potential buyers of the Moto G6 won’t care about getting software updates; this phone is targeted more towards value shoppers than tech enthusiasts, after all, and it already offers plenty of value to the buyer with its excellent performance and build quality. But a year or more down the line, it’s likely that the Moto G6 will start to fall behind on software features as new versions of Android pass it by.

Will the lack of Android One cause the Moto G6 to flop in sales? Of course not — the Moto G has long been Motorola’s best-selling lineup, and with or without Android One, the G6 will sell like hotcakes because it’s a fantastic value that will be widely available in both unlocked and carrier variants. Still, I would love for Motorola to dabble in Android One as more and more budget options move to the software standard.

Would you have preferred the Moto G6 to run on Android One? And does its exclusion make you reconsider buying one? Let us know in the comments below!

See at Motorola

Grab Dyson’s Wi-Fi air purifier for $350 new or $280 refurbished

Just in time for allergy season and warm weather!

Update: Amazon currently has refurbished versions on sale for $279.50, and they come with a 6-month warranty.

The Dyson Pure Cool Link Wi-Fi Air Purifier is down to $349 on Amazon. This deal on the White version is conveniently timed to compete with Best Buy’s one-day deal on the Blue version, so I’m willing to bet this price won’t be here tomorrow. It normally sells for around $500.

Dyson’s air purifier does the purifying thing all year round with a HEPA filter that removes allergens and pollutants. It can also keep you cool like a fan during the summer. It works with Alexa devices, like the Echo Dot, and includes a smartphone app that lets you monitor your air quality and control the machine. It has several speed settings and modes including a night-time mode and sleep timer. It can be cleaned easily and has no exposed spinning blades that might accidentally catch a wandering finger or two.

See on Amazon

ZTE vows to fight government’s Denial Order, may take legal action

ZTE says the order is “unacceptable” and “unfair.”

Earlier this week, the United States Department of Commerce announced that the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) had issued a Suspended Denial Order against ZTE – effectively banning the company from using any exported hardware or software from the U.S. in its products for the next seven years.

The move came as a result of ZTE not staying true to promises it made to the Department following a violation of export control in 2016, but according to ZTE, this simply isn’t true.

ZTE has been working diligently on Export Control Compliance program and has invested tremendous resources in export compliance and has made significant progress since 2016. It is unacceptable that BIS insists on unfairly imposing the most severe penalty on ZTE even before the completion of investigation of facts, ignoring the continuous diligent work of ZTE and the progress we have made on export compliance…

ZTE highlights four moves it’s made to work with the Department since 2016, including:

ZTE self-identified the issues in the correspondence and self-reported by ZTE immediately
The Company has taken measures against the employees who might have been responsible for this incident
Corrective measures have been taken immediately
A prestigious U.S. law firm has been engaged to conduct independent investigation

ZTE goes on to say that the Denial Order will not only hurt it, but “also cause damages to all partners of ZTE including a large number of U.S. companies.” Even so –

ZTE will not give up its efforts to resolve the issue through communication, and we are also determined, if necessary, to take judicial measures to protect the legal rights and interests of our Company, our employees and our shareholders, and to fulfill obligations and take responsibilities to our global customers, end-users, partners and suppliers.

Shortly after the BIS announced the Denial Order, it was later revealed that Alphabet was considering revoking ZTE’s Android license. Should that happen, ZTE would no longer be able to use Android on its smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.

I’m not sure how this will all turn out, but I can’t imagine ZTE will take this lying down. We’re likely going to be looking at a few months of legal back-and-forth, so be sure to grab your popcorn and get comfy.

Huawei will stop focusing on the U.S. following security setbacks

LG G7 ThinQ: Rumors, Specs, Release Date, and More!

The LG G6 was a solid phone that got overshadowed by the competition. With the G7 ThinQ, LG isn’t going to let that happen again.

When talking about underrated phones from 2017, it’s almost impossible to not mention the LG G6. LG made a huge comeback following the disaster that was the G5, but devices like the Samsung Galaxy S8 simply ate the G6 for breakfast and didn’t leave it with much of a fighting chance to stand out from the crowd.

LG needs a winner this year with the G6’s successor, and this is everything we know so far about its upcoming flagship.

April 18, 2018 — There will be a dedicated Google Assistant button

We’ve given Samsung grief countless times for its infamous Bixby button, and according to a report from CNET, LG will feature something similar on the G7 ThinQ. It’s said that the phone will come with a button dedicated to launching a virtual assistant, but instead of creating its own AI, LG’s having the button act as a shortcut for the Google Assistant.

The button is said to sit on the left side of the G7 while the power button is moved to the right, and as someone that uses Active Edge on the Pixel 2 every single day to trigger the Assistant, I’m excited to see more OEMs making it as easy as possible to access it.

April 16, 2018 — Official render leaks

We had our first great look at the LG G7 ThinQ courtesy of @evleaks. Not only does it help corroborate some earlier leaks of its general size and shape, it also gives more information on the display notch. By brightening up the image a bit, you can see that the notch is about one-third the width of the top of the display, and contains a typical-looking set of sensors, a camera and an earpiece speaker.

LG’s adopting the notch, because why not?

Amidst all the announcements coming out of MWC 2018, LG gave certain attendees an early look at its upcoming flagship phone for 2018. The photos captured of the device were pretty blurry and not all that detailed, but thankfully TechnoBuffalo teamed up with designer Ben Geskin to give us a clear look at what we can expect from LG later this year.

First off, let’s get the elephant out of the room – LG’s next flagship will, unfortunately, have a notch. This is a trend a lot of Android OEMs are rushing to adopt, and it’s one I’m not a fan of seeing. LG will likely use a software trick to hide the notch with a black status bar, but even with that in place, a notch is still a notch.

The phone will have hardly any bezels surrounding said notch (save for a small chin at the bottom), and the back will be made out of glass and feature a fingerprint sensor and dual-camera setup.

While it’s not the worst-looking phone I’ve ever seen, I’m not sure playing copycat is the right move for a company whose mobile division has been losing money quarter after quarter. An original design would have played in LG’s favor considering how many other companies are also trying to mimic the iPhone X, but that doesn’t appear to be what we’re getting.

Mr. Phone also gave us an early glimpse as to what the G7 will look like thanks to a collaboration with @OnLeaks, and as you can see from the video below, it confirms most everything we’re already expecting.

We’ll get an MLCD+ display instead of an OLED one

Most all flagship phones are shipping with AMOLED or OLED displays, but after sub-par reviews of the V30 and Pixel 2 XL’s screens, LG will be changing gears and trying its hand at a new type of panel – MLCD+.

MLCD+ is fairly new in the mobile space, but it sounds promising. Compared to traditional IPS LCD screens, MLCD+ uses 35% less power, uses the RGBW matrix, and has a max brightness of 800-nits.

The V30’s OLED panel wasn’t necessarily bad, but it also paled in comparison to Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Note 8. A new type of screen could help LG differentiate itself from the rest of the market, but a lot of this will hinge on the company’s execution of it.

The phone should be powered by the Snapdragon 845

As great as the G6 was, one of the main reasons you might have been inclined to choose the Galaxy S8 over it was because of the processor it shipped with. The G6 launched with the Snapdragon 821, and while the 821 was a perfectly fast CPU, the S8 launched just a few weeks later with the much newer 835.

This year, however, we aren’t expecting LG to make the same mistake. A report from The Investor last May said that LG would be partnering with Qualcomm to release the G7 with its Snapdragon 845 processor, and towards the end of December, a list was found showing that the G7 would launch with the 845 in February.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 is a big improvement compared to the 835, offering speed improvements, better camera performance, faster cellular speed, and a lot more. If LG can get this inside the G7, that’ll put it on a much more level playing field than what we saw with the G6 and S8 last year.

Based on the information we have and historical trends, we think this will be a close match to the G7’s final specifications:

Operating System	Android 8.1
Display	6-inch MLCD+ with notch 2880 x 1440 resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
RAM	4GB
Storage	64/128GB, micro SD expansion (assumed)
Battery	3300mAhNon-removableQuick charging (either USB-PD or Qualcomm Quick Charge Qi wireless charging (assumed)
Audio	3.5mm headphone jack 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC
Rear cameras	Dual cameras, one standard lens and one wide-angle
Water resistance	Yes, IP68
Colors	Black, silver

LG G6

• LG G6 review!
• LG G6 specs
• LG G6 vs. Google Pixel: The two best cameras right now
• Everything you need to know about the G6’s cameras
• LG forums

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Updated April 18, 2018: Updated with all the latest news about the G7 ThinQ!

The Room: Old Sins is available for Android and it’s AMAZING [Game of the Week]

Update, April 20, 2018: The Room: Old Sins is an amazing new entry for one of the best puzzle series on mobile, and it’s now out on Android.

The Room: Old Sins

Usually, I like to highlight a couple new games for Android that are worth checking out over the weekend — this week, I’ve decided to focus on just one because it’s that good.

The Room: Old Sins is the latest epic puzzle game from Fireproof Games and the fourth in the award-winning ‘The Room’ puzzle game series. You are exploring the home of an ambitious engineer who has gone missing when you find a rather peculiar dollhouse in the attic.

Using a sophisticated eyepiece you’re able to explore different rooms in the dollhouse that are filled with incredibly sophisticated puzzle boxes and contraptions. There’s something really weird going on here, so maybe if you can solve all the puzzles you’ll figure out what happened to the missing engineer and his wife.

If you’ve never played a game from “The Room” series before, just get ready for one of the more engrossing games you’ll ever play on a mobile phone. The graphics and audio come together to create a wonderfully creepy vibe as you carefully inspect intricate objects and unlock secrets to help you on your journey.

The details here are just outstanding — if you’ve played the previous games you probably know what to expect, and yet you’ll still be blown away by the sheer level of depth here. The controls are easy to pick up, and you’re able to manage three profiles with cloud saves so you can share your progress between multiple devices and share the experience with friends or family.

If you want to catch up with the other games, you can snag The Room, The Room Two, and The Room 3 at discounted prices.

Download The Room: Old Sins ($4.99)

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These are the best PlayStation VR games!

Your PlayStation VR collection should include these titles!

Sony and their partners did a great job making sure there are plenty of great games for you to play in PlayStation VR. It doesn’t matter if you’re into shooting, flying, music, adventure, or silly games that involve putting bacon in a blender, there really is something for everyone to enjoy.

That also means it’s not entirely clear which games you should go for first, but we’ve been playing through all of them and have some suggestions for you! If you’re starting a PlayStation VR collection, make sure these games are on your list!

• Eve: Valkyrie
• Job Simulator
• The Brookhaven Experiment
• Farpoint
• Star Trek: Bridge Crew
• Arizona Sunshine
• Starblood Arena
• Statik
• Resident Evil 7
• Rez Infinite
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
• Sparc
• Skyrim VR
• Rec Room
• The Inpatient
• Moss
• DOOM VFR
• SUPERHOT VR

Eve: Valkyrie

If you’re a fan of flying through space and shooting things, either by yourself or with others, you need Eve: Valkyrie in your life. CCP Games expanded their Eve universe to put you in the cockpit of some incredible interplanetary fighters so you and your friends can really jump in and feel the action.

The VR view looks and feels amazing as you track your enemies by looking around you, and the environments you fight in are just plain beautiful. This is a must-have for every PlayStation VR owner.

See at Amazon

Job Simulator

Not a fan of running around and shooting or chopping things? Couldn’t be bothered with horror games filled with jump scares? Owlchemy Labs invites you to play with mostly friendly robots instead! Job Simulator puts you in the future where there aren’t many humans left, and the robots that have taken over are graciously giving you simple jobs to perform so you’re not bored to death.

The game is silly, complex, and easily one of the best PlayStation VR experiences you can have with friends. Invite a bunch of people over so everyone can take turns, and you are guaranteed a night of laughs.

See on PlayStation Store

The Brookhaven Experiment

While other horror games are relying on cheap jump scares and loud noises to send you pulling the headset off in a cold sweat, The Brookhaven Experiment is legitimately terrifying. It’s a stationary shooter that leans heavily on zombies and realistic-ish guns to get you hooked, but what really fills your nightmares is how well the spatial audio tells your brain there’s something behind you.

This game will scare you in the middle of the day, but with Move controllers in hand you can really jump into the action and have some fun. Just be careful not to accidentally punch someone in the real world while pistol-whipping a zombie.

See on PlayStation Store

Farpoint

Chances are if you have a PlayStation VR and haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Farpoint. Farpoint is what so many fans have been looking for from VR: a first-person shooter where you can wave a gun and shoot a bunch of baddies. It is likely to herald a new era of VR shooters as it is proof that you can do a first-person shooter in VR and not leave your players nauseated and uncomfortable.

You’ll be playing on a desolate planet lightyears away from everything familiar while searching for the pair of scientists you were tasked with returning to Earth. In between you and them are a lot of arachnids, and they want you dead. You’ll have to use your rifle, shotgun, and more to blast your way through them and find out where those scientists have gotten off to. With an intriguing storyline, the ability to play with a friend, and plenty of bugs to shoot through this is a game that shouldn’t be missed!

See on PlayStation Store

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

If you are a Star Trek fan, Bridge Crew is most likely the game you’ve been hoping for ever since you learned Star Trek video games existed. It’s the closest thing to a Holodeck simulation of a starship that we’re likely to see any time soon, and it is extremely well done. Choose from the roles of Captain, Tactical, Helm, and Engineering, and work your station aboard the Bridge of the USS Aegis. Either play alone or with a crew of your closest friends as you explore uncharted territory, try not to get blown out of the sky by Klingons, and find a homeworld for the remaining Vulcan population.

Another popular feature: see how you fare on the famed Kobayashi Maru. In it, you will have to make compromises because you can’t save everyone all the time, and not everyone can Kirk there way out of it.

See on PlayStation Store

Arizona Sunshine

There is something about zombie games that just translates extremely well to VR. Arizona Sunshine is a shining example of this. Using either the PlayStation Aim or PlayStation Move controllers to battle zombies for survival. The game is designed to have a longer campaign that can be played in short bursts, which is nice for people who have busy schedules, or who can’t tolerate VR for long. This is definitely survival-focused, as you’ll have limited resources to contend with, and though your friends can join you, that just means there are more tempting brains for your undead foes.

The game takes place in Southwestern America and features a variety of different environments to explore, including canyons and mines. You’ll need to keep your ears and eyes opened for other survivors, who will make contact over the radio. And of course, few things compare to the joy of looting a bunch of zombies who just tried– and failed– to take you out.

See on PlayStation Store

Starblood Arena

If you’re looking for fastpaced, zany arena combat, look no further than Starblood arena. Choose your pilot and vessel, and play by yourself or with up to three friends in Deathmatch or co-op modes. If you’re an old-school gamer and loved to play Descent back in the day, this game is its spiritual successor. Navigate twisted maps to shoot at foes coming from every direction in a lightning-quick battle that will test your reflexes.

It also helps that the game is beautiful and quite fun to play. The map designs are solid, avoiding the perils of being so big that they’re hard to learn, which allows you to better focus on the carnage at hand.

See on PlayStation Store

Statik

Statik is heralded as a “game about solving puzzles in a place you don’t know, with a person you don’t recognize, and hands that aren’t completely yours.” It features some truly inspired puzzle design that will leave you feeling challenged, but without falling into the pitfalls of some puzzle games where the solutions are so absurd that no reasonable person could solve them. The game’s sense of humor will remind you a lot of Portal, and the game is very immersive.

It’s clear that the developers spent a lot of time on the game, as it feels extremely polished. The graphics are great, but the true marvel is how well the game translates to the VR environment and uses it to make a truly unique puzzle-solving experience.

See on PlayStation Store

Resident Evil 7 VR

Google “Resident Evil 7” and you’ll most assuredly find numerous articles and videos detailing how scary the game is, particularly in VR mode. The latest entry in the Resident Evil franchise has changed the concept a bit: no longer a third person experience, it is now a first-person game and VR helps in some key ways. It is also less about trying to fight your enemies, and more about evading them, and being able to look around corners and doorways with a quick move of your head is extremely helpful.

It wouldn’t be a Resident Evil game without puzzles and secrets, and it’s the latest incarnation will not disappoint. Plus if the YouTube reaction videos are anything to go by, you’ll give your family hours of entertainment as you physically jump away from the virtual threats.

See on PlayStation Store

Rez Infinite

The original Rez received a lot of praise for its fun gameplay and it’s catchy soundtrack, and the VR remake is no different. In Rez Infinite, you are a hacker, seeking to travel through cyberspace in order to repair Eden, the core of the Project-K program. Project-K was designed to combat rising crime rates.

To reach Eden, you must shoot your way through vector worlds accompanied by an intense soundtrack while using evolution spheres found within the levels to evolve to stronger forms. Rez Infinite is immersive and addictive, and you’ll find yourself humming the soundtrack long after you stop playing.

See on PlayStation Store

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Looking for a great game to play with friends that will add fun and excitement to your next party? This is definitely the one for you! One player is tasked with defusing a bomb, the catch being that they have no access to information about the device. Instead, they are at the mercy of the other players to read the instructions to them from the TV screen, before they can try and execute them before the bomb explodes.

The tension of the game increases as the countdown ticks down, and it only gets more intense as you get to harder levels. It’s also a great way to get friends involved who aren’t gamers and might lack the manual dexterity and twitch reflexes to play other popular party games.

See on PlayStation Store

Sparc

Sparc aims to be a new competitive experience for VR, VSports. You’re able to play against friends or random strangers, and the aim of the game is to chuck your balls and score goals. With angles to ricochet off of and shields that can let you block your opponents throw, this is a fun, fast-paced experience.

Sparc can easily have you working up a sweat, with its intense gameplay. Add to that the different modes of play which deliver a variety of skill levels for you to compete at, and there is plenty here to love. With Single Player Challenge Modes, you can ever perfect your game when there isn’t anybody online to game with.

See on PlayStation Store

Skyrim

There are few games that are as massive, with so much to do, as what you find within Skyrim. While most of us have already become the Dragonborn we were destined to become, this fantastic game has arrived on PlayStation VR. It delivers everything you loved about the original game with some tweaks to make it playable in VR, and things are more immersive than ever.

You can access two different types of locomotion to ensure that you don’t suffer from motion sickness, and the ability to dual wield spells has also been added. There are some issues, which are to be expected given that this is a 6-year-old game, but overall it delivers a great new way to experience the world you may already love!

See at PlayStation Store

Rec Room

Rec Room is a different kind of experience from everything else on our list, and that’s because it’s more like a dozen games all in one. You’re transported to a Rec Center of old, where you can hang out with friends, meet new people, and play some table tennis. The big draw, however, is what is waiting on the other side of the doors that line the room.

Each door leads to a different mini-game. These range from charades, to paintball, to a gigantic soccer game. This means that you have tons of options of what to do, and you have the ability to get your friends together and dive in as a group!

See at PlayStation Store

The Inpatient

The Inpatient takes you into the Sanatorium where you go throughout to figure out who you truly. Discover why you ended up here, even though you have lost any memory you had of your past life.

Will you remember who you are in time to escape or is it too late for you? Try out the game for yourself and see if you will survive!

See at PlayStation Store

Moss

Moss introduced us to the cutest little companion we could’ve ever hoped for. Solve puzzles in order to get Quill to his uncle before it’s all too late, and make sure to protect your friend from any enemies that might come his way.

Solve all of the puzzles and save your people from the wrath of evil around you. This truly is a game anyone can enjoy, as long as their over 12 years of age.

See at PlayStation Store

DOOM VFR

Head back into the Hell dimension we know as DOOM, as you take on familiar demons and make your way through the space station.Save the UAC station from this hell dimension and don’t let it fall apart, as you are the last hope.

As the last known hope for the human kind on Mars, you truly are the only hope left on this hellish planet.

See at PlayStation Store

SUPERHOT VR

SUPERHOT, which was originally just a regular PlayStation game, takes all of the mechanics from the first game and adds a bit of difficulty to them. Standing in one concrete place, use your body to dodge bullets and take down enemies with various weapons.

If you’re looking for a VR game that won’t make you teleport, this is the game for you. Get that shooter feeling without having to also get that sick feeling.

See at PlayStation Store

What are your favorite games for the PSVR?

PlayStation VR is the first console-based VR system, and it delivers fantastic games in just about every genre. That means there is definitely a game out there for everyone. Is your favorite game on our list? Did we miss a gem that should be here? Tell us your about it in the comments below!

Updated April 2018: We’ve updated this post with awesome new games for PlayStation VR that shouldn’t be missed!

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

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Advanced microscope shows cells at work in incredible 3D detail

For the first time, scientists have peered into living cells and created videos showing how they function with unprecedented 3D detail. Using a special microscope and new lighting techniques, a team from Harvard and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute captured zebrafish immune cell interactions with unheard-of 3D detail and resolution. The tech has already yielded new insights on cell function and could transform our understanding of how organisms function at the smallest scales.

“Every time we’ve done an experiment with this microscope, we’ve observed something novel — and generated new ideas and hypotheses to test,” said study co-author and Harvard professor Tomas Kirchhausen. “It can be used to study almost any problem in a biological system or organism I can think of.”

Imaging on such small scales normally requires intense light levels that can kill the organism being studied. Instead, the team used a technique called “latice light-sheet microscopy,” which involves rapidly passing sheets of light across living tissue, leaving it undamaged.

At the same time, the team co-opted technology normally used to correct astronomical images called “adaptive optics.” A laser is beamed through the target tissue, and by comparing the beam’s appearance before and after it passes, the microscope can calculate the distortion and correct it. The technique also allowed the researchers to look at the cells layer-by-layer and see interactions on an extremely granular level.

The stunning result, as shown above, is a live window into immune cell function with ten times more detail than ever seen before. In one shot, an orange-tinted immune cell scoops up blue sugar particles, and in another, a cancer cell attempts to squeeze through a blood vessel wall. The researchers can even “explode” tissue cells to focus on any particular one.

“I work on understanding how cells ‘eat’ using machinery based on vesicular carriers, and all my life I’ve dreamed of seeing this in a live organism,” said study co-author and Harvard professor Tomas Kirchhausen. “This is the miracle of being able to see what we have never been able to see before. It’s simply incredible.”

Scientists are already conducting research with the tech, but it’s expensive and takes up a lot of space. The team will next build a more advanced version that can fit on a small desk and be cheap enough for individual labs. Until then, the existing instrument at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute facility will be made available to scientists around the world, and a second one will built and located at Harvard Medical School.

“It’s like Star Trek. It’s the age of exploration again,” enthused Harvard-based co-lead Gokul Upadhyayula. “We don’t even know what questions to ask yet because we’ve never even seen some of these biologies at this level of detail.”

Via: Nature

Source: Science (subscription)

The surprising beauty of nature reclaiming Toronto in VR

Post-apocalyptic stories are everywhere these days, so much so that it’s not even surprising to see them in narratives meant for kids. But Biidaaban First Light, which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival this week, isn’t that. Instead, it’s more like indigenous futurism — a vision of Toronto long after modern civilization has disappeared, where nature has overtaken every nook and cranny of the city. Humans are still around, but they co-exist with the environment similar to the way Native Americans used to. Most surprisingly, there’s no sense of loss in the film. Instead, it’s simply a neutral look at one possible direction for humanity.

Biidaaban is an Anishinaabemowin word that translates to “the first light before dawn,” which also points to the notion of the future and past converging on what’s happening now. Ultimately, the film is a love letter to the First Peoples in the Tkaranto area. There’s no English spoken in the film, instead you hear Mohawk, Wendat and Ojibway as you maneuver around the VR environment, which is later translated into text. There’s something fascinating about hearing those languages, which have existed for thousands of years, describing a far-flung future where modernity has simply faded away. There are still skyscrapers, sure, but they’re covered in verdant greens and filled with more wildlife than people.

“It’s inspired by the idea that indigenous languages are the original languages of all these places. And the thought systems in a way grew up here as much as plants grew up here,” said Lisa Jackson, the director of Biidaaban. “We don’t even have a term for a future where there’s more nature that isn’t post-apocalyptic, and I find that very interesting… I would call it a reclaimed Toronto where all the parts of life are living together, rather than humans living at the top of a pyramid.”

The film was produced by Jackson, the National Film Board of Canada, 3D artist Mathew Borrett, and the design agency Jam3. There’s no word on a wider release yet, but since it’s basically a room-scale VR experience with no extra hardware, it should be straightforward for the NFB to make it available on existing platforms.

Alienware may have created the ultimate gamer hotel suite

In the past, we’ve seen hotel rooms and even entire hotels specifically designed for those who prefer the orange glow of de_dust2 to a sandy beach. But Alienware’s new gaming suite in Hilton’s Panama City location might well be the easiest place yet to let a week of your life completely pass you by. Room 2425 offers guests the chance to avoid the rich culture of the Central American capital and enjoy the company of a monstrous Alienware gaming PC, Oculus Rift VR headset and Xbox One Elite. Move between the racing seat centerpiece and beanbags, foregoing the stunning view of the South Pacific Ocean to instead bask in the warm glow of the room’s 65-inch 4K TV.

The $349 per night room also features a surround sound system and immersive lighting that responds to in-game action. Oh, and an Alienware gaming laptop if you made the crucial mistake of inviting someone else to join you in the lair. So draw those curtains, order your weight in room service and settle into a session. Though you won’t actually need room service when you’re putting away all those chicken dinners, right? Poggers.

Via: Gizmodo, Homecrux

Source: Alienware (YouTube), Xataka