2018 April | AIVAnet

9

Apr

WWF Free Rivers app puts a virtual landscape on any flat surface

App Attack is a weekly series where we search the App Store and Google Play Store for the best apps of the week. Check out App Attack every Sunday for the latest.

The launch of Apple’s latest 9.7-inch iPad has spawned a variety of new educational apps. This week we have an app that allows you to learn more about the environment straight through your smartphone using augmented reality.

Presented at Apple’s Education event in Chicago, WWF Free Rivers Augmented Reality — available for iOS — places an entire landscape at your kitchen table (or wherever else you prefer). By simply pointing your camera at a flat surface, you’re able to explore an entire world of wildlife, people, and rivers.

After downloading the app, getting started is super simple. All you have to do is find a flat surface that’s well-lit in order for the program to recognize where you’re placing the landscape. The entire scene then appears on the table and you’re able to zoom in, move around, and learn all about nature.

As you discover all the elements, you can tap on each one to get more information. This includes anything from the actual bodies of water to the different animals and people. You’re able to follow along the “water’s journey” as you follow the story through your smartphone.

The interface is easy to navigate by swiping around and tapping on whatever you’d like. Whenever you want to learn about a specific element, a small bubble will appear that provides you with a brief description. By zooming in and moving your smartphone, you can explore all sides of the landscape.

With each scene, you’ll have a various amount of things to see — for instance, I had eight different parts that I could go through before completing the entire run. At the bottom of the app, there’s a counter that that keeps track of how many you’ve found throughout your time on the app. Once you’re done learning about a specific part, simply tap the check mark and the counter will go up.

As I tapped through each sight, I was able to gain insight on actual people — such as “Rice Farmer/Mother,” whose home in the delta becomes increasingly vulnerable when climate changes and sea rise. There’s also another “Farmer” who, in the dry season, plants along the river in the soil that the floods leave behind.

Aside from human figures, I was also able to learn about the historical importance of the rivers for people. For example, one part of the app brings you to the “Chief,” who explains how his ancestors have lived alongside the river for years, relying on the water for not only food, but also for its beauty.

When you continue on through the app, you get to learn more as you go. Other habitats include tropical jungles, the African Savannah, the South Asian deltas, and more. Within each one, you’ll also be able to learn about the river that flows through and how it affects each person and the wildlife around it.

Not only was the experience educational and interesting, but the graphics were great to look at as well. Regardless of whether you pointed it at the floor or a table, the landscapes looked bright and vivid on the display. While I tried it with a smartphone, the larger display on the iPad will only make it look more beautiful and immersive.

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9

Apr

Four generations of iPhone go head-to-head in our app-launching drag race

Are the most recent iPhone models actually quicker than their last-gen counterparts? It’s a good question to ask, especially given just how important speed often is to consumers who are looking to pick up a new smartphone. We know the iPhone X and 8 Plus both pack faster CPUs, yes, but how do updated processor components translate into real-world performance? To answer these questions, we decided to run a speed test using the iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X.

Basically, we opened a selection of apps and timed how long it took to launch said apps on each iPhone, allowing us to see which phone opens and renders apps the quickest. We also ran a similar test using a selection of graphically-intensive games, which require more processing power than your standard app.

The first apps we decided to launch were Twitter and Facebook. Surprisingly, the iPhone 7 Plus beat the iPhone X when it came to Twitter, followed by the 6S Plus and 8 Plus. The iPhone X beat the 8 Plus when launching Facebook, though, the 7 Plus and 6S Plus weren’t far behind.

Next, we took a look at YouTube. The 6S Plus was, oddly enough, the quickest to launch the app, followed by the 7 Plus and 8 Plus — which tied — and the iPhone X. When launching Google Maps, all four headsets showcased nearly identical performance, with the 7 Plus barely coming out on top. The 7 Plus was the slowest at opening Pokémon Go, however, and was easily bested by the 8 Plus, 6S Plus, and the X.

The results were also somewhat surprising when it came to Sonic Dash, which saw the 8 Plus on top, followed the 6S Plus, 7 Plus, and the X. The latter phone was the quickest when launching Super Mario Run, however, which makes far more sense given the device hit the market right before the holidays. The 8 Plus, 7 Plus, and the 6S Plus followed in suite.

Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Google Maps
Pokémon Go
Sonic Dash
Super Mario Run

iPhone X
05:05
02:35
05:25
03:35
11:50
11:20
12:25

iPhone 8 Plus
06:10
03:10
04:50
03:40
09:25
08:00
12:30

iPhone 7 Plus
04:55
03:55
04:50
03:30
23:11
10:30
15:45

iPhone 6S Plus
05:40
04:00
04:45
03:35
11:35
09:25
15:55

Now, what do these results mean when it comes to the overall performance of these devices? Well, honestly, not much. It appears as though, despite the updated hardware that goes into each device, the latest iPhones are about as quick as the previous models. The differences in speed are negligible, at least when it comes to opening apps. This could change, however, if we were to run more taxing apps or games that put more strain on the processor.

Regardless, users shouldn’t expect much of a difference when it comes to firing up Facebook.

David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him on Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.

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9

Apr

Snapchat brings back its popular reverse chronological order for Stories

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Snapchat’s redesign has been controversial, to say the least. A few months ago, the popular social media app made headlines after throwing users for a loop with its decision to show Stories in an algorithmically sorted feed, rather than chronological order. It appears that Snapchat is now listening to its users’ grievances, and is rolling back the redesign (at least for some users) and instead showing Snapchat Stories in reverse chronological order once again.

When Snapchat first offered up its new look, its CEO Evan Spiegel wrote in, “We are separating the social from the media, and taking an important step forward towards strengthening our relationships with our friends and our relationships with the media.” The idea was that Snapchat would offer its user base more personalized content. That idea, while well conceived, was not particularly well received by everyone.

Snapchat is now taking things back a bit. As originally reported by Techcrunch, some folks are now seeing the reverse chronological ordering of Stories both in the version of the app where there are separate Stories and Chat tabs, as well as the design where there is only Stories and All tabs.

The issue with reverse chronological ordering is that it automatically gives the advantage to users who are frequent Snapchat users. And the benefit to algorithmic sorting is that it has historically helped with social media platforms’ growth. For example, both Instagram and Twitter implemented this sorting technique, and Instagram has been touting that it has eclipsed Snapchat in terms of popularity among users. Indeed, after Snapchat implemented algorithmic sorting, the social media platform saw growth numbers increase.

Still, keeping the people satisfied is doubtless the priority when it comes to any platform’s strategy, and as Techcrunch noted, this most recent update seems to be extremely popular among users. But as most popular social media apps know, satisfying everyone for an extended period of time is nigh impossible, so soon, Snapchat may have to reconsider once again the way that it displays its stories. Until then, enjoy your reverse chronological feed – you never know how long you may have it.

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9

Apr

Kindle or print? What readers choose depends on what they read

File this one under “What companies learn from my online behavior.”

A recent analysis of book-buying behavior turned up interesting differences in the books people choose based on the format in which they read them. Kindle readers don’t buy the same types of books as people who buy traditional print books, according to Thinknum.

Thinknum analyzed Amazon‘s top-selling Kindle and print books in March 2018. The results revealed that if you bought books in the Kindle ebook format, odds are you love thriller novels. If you were a print book buyer, however, you were more likely buying self-help books.

Thinknum’s Joshua Fruhlinger notes that some print book novels and self-help Kindle titles sold, but most book sales aligned with the predominant formats.

Top sellers in March for each category included Jordan B. Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos for print books and Say You’re Sorry, a legal thriller by Melinda Leigh for Kindle titles.

Breaking down Amazon’s top ten best-sellers among Kindle ebooks in March, nine were novels. The single non-fiction exception on the Kindle best-selling list was Harold Schechter’s Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men. Based on the book’s description, even though it’s not thriller fiction, the book is about as close to that genre as you can get:”The chilling true account of one of the twentieth century’s most prolific female serial killers.”

Amazon’s best-selling physical or print books in March, as reported by Thinknum, had greater diversity than the ebooks. The ten print-book best-sellers included four self-help titles, three works of fiction, two children’s books, and one reference work.

Explaining the variety of print book sales types, Fruhlinger suggested that parents buy print books with colorful pictures to show when they read to children. The single reference book, Player’s Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons), a role-playing game (RPG) player’s guide, is filled with full-color illustrations.

The reason self-help book buyers preferred print editions was not clear, particularly since they were all available in Kindle versions. Fruhlinger noted several of the top print self-help titles were recent releases that might have had discounted pre-order prices.

The bottom line from Fruhlinger’s study of the Thinknum data: “Kindle readers love fiction.”

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9

Apr

Elon Musk teases plan for a record-breaking Hyperloop speed test

Elon Musk is eyeing a speed test for the Hyperloop that, if successful, would push a prototype passenger vehicle to its fastest speed yet.

But the man who dreamed up the idea for whisking people between cities at speeds of around 700 mph admits the test could go horribly wrong and result in the vehicle becoming “shredded metal.” It’s a good job that the trial run will be unmanned, then.

Musk revealed the plan in a tweet on Sunday, April 8, telling his followers of an “upgraded SpaceX/Tesla Hyperloop speed test” that’s coming “soon.”

He said the attempt will involve pushing the pod “to reach half the speed of sound (and brake) within 1.2 km,” equal to three quarters of a mile. That means taking the pod to speeds of up to 383 mph.

A short while later, having apparently had a chance to reflect on his idea, Musk admitted that “this is kinda nutty for such a short distance, so could easily end up being shredded metal,” but said it was “exciting either way.”

This is kinda nutty for such a short distance, so could easily end up being shredded metal, but exciting either way

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2018

If Musk can reach his 383 mph target speed without the pod disintegrating midway through, it will set a new Hyperloop speed record as engineers move steadily toward the 700 mph goal. Virgin’s Hyperloop One holds the current speed record for the system, set in December when its pod hit 240 mph on the world’s first full-scale Hyperloop test site in the Nevada desert.

Ryan Kelly, director of marketing for Hyperloop One, told Digital Trends shortly after the record-breaking effort that its test pod “performed as designed, handling high speeds and levitating in a vacuum tube depressurized to the equivalent of flying at 200,000 feet above sea level.”

Elon Musk first revealed his vision for a high-speed transportation system back in 2013. With his Tesla and SpaceX projects already taking up much of his time, the billionaire entrepreneur decided to step back from developing the system, instead encouraging other companies to lead the way. He has, however, been taking an active role in the development of the passenger pods, organizing events for student groups around the world to design and test their own vehicles.

The machine that’s set to embark on Musk’s proposed speed test is a “pusher” vehicle that helped to drive student pods without motors to high speeds during a contest last summer. In a test by itself, Musk said the vehicle reached 220 mph, adding at the time that with a few design changes it should be able to go much faster. Hopefully, we’ll soon see.

No date was set for the upcoming speed test, but we’ll be sure to update once we know more.

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9

Apr

Airbus’s odd-looking BelugaXL aircraft is one step closer to its maiden flight

If you’ve ever seen one of Airbus’s “bloated” Beluga aircraft, you certainly won’t have forgotten about it.

Named after the Arctic whale for its similar appearance, the huge and rather odd-looking airplane has been in service for the last 20 years, flying large aircraft components — think fuselage sections, wings, and tails — from European suppliers to Airbus’s assembly plants in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany.

Now the company is prepping the maiden flight of a new version of the Beluga, one even bigger than the five currently in service.

Called, appropriately enough, the BelugaXL, Airbus revealed in a recent tweet that it has now affixed the engines to the new plane as it gears up for its first-ever flight over Toulouse this summer.

And the engines are on ! Fully on track for a first flight this summer. #BelugaXL pic.twitter.com/fVg7A710jv

— Airbus (@Airbus) April 6, 2018

Airbus says the 184-foot-long plane combines outsized cargo-carrying capability with the speed and efficiency of its A300-600 airliner. The front of the Beluga opens up, allowing cargo to be loaded into the cavernous “bubble” space. The cockpit is placed lower than you’ll find it on an A300-600 to avoid having to disconnect electrical, hydraulic, and flight control systems each time cargo is loaded and unloaded.

The latest version of Airbus’s super-transporter can take 6 tons of extra cargo compared to the current BelugaXT, increasing the limit to 53 tons. It’s also 20 feet longer and 3 feet wider than its predecessor, allowing the company to make further efficiency improvements when it comes to moving large airplane parts. For example, the new design will be able to carry two Airbus A350 wings (instead of just one as with the current Beluga), as well as sections of the double-decker A380, currently the world’s largest passenger plane.

Up to now, many of the assembled sections used for the construction of the A380 are too large even for the current Beluga to carry. This forces upon Airbus a complex logistical operation involving road and sea transportation to ensure safe delivery of the components to Airbus’s facility in Toulouse for final assembly. This extraordinary video on the Smithsonian Channel shows the A380’s wings and fuselage being squeezed through the narrow streets of a French village on their way to the facility. The BelugaXL will change all that, and, of course, help to get the parts to the assembly site in a more timely fashion.

Boeing has an equivalent aircraft called the Dreamlifter that it uses to transport the wings of its 787 Dreamliner plane.

Following test flights that are set to start in the coming months, Airbus plans to build a total of five BelugaXL planes with the aim of putting them into service in mid-2019. The current fleet will be gradually retired through 2025, the company said.

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9

Apr

Apple expected to announce red iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus Monday

Apple iPhone fans will be seeing red today, as Apple has announced special edition Product RED models for both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus that will be available to buy on April 13, with prices starting at $699.

Named iPhone 8 Product RED Special Edition and iPhone 8 Plus Product RED Special Edition, both models will have an attractive red back-glass panel with matching red aluminum banding, and a black frontage.

If you’re an iPhone X owner feeling left out by the sudden new additions to other parts of the iPhone range, you don’t have to be. Also announced alongside the new models was a Product RED iPhone X Leather Folio –created with specially tanned and finished European leather for a luxurious look and feel, Apple tells us — and available to keep your iPhone X safe as of April 10.

Founded in 2016 by U2’s Bono and Bobby Shriver from ONE Campaign, Product RED raises money to fight HIV/AIDS in eight African countries by licensing the group’s name to Apple and other companies. The eight countries in which Product RED proceeds are put to work are Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia. Thanks to its long partnership with RED, Apple is the organization’s largest corporate donor, having raised $160 millions since joining forces back in 2006.

“Today’s announcement is further evidence of Apple’s leadership in and commitment to the AIDS fight since the beginning of (RED) in 2006,” said RED’s CEO, Deborah Dugan. “The more than $160 million Apple has donated in the last 11 years today equates to more than 800 million days of lifesaving ARV medication that prevents the transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies.”

The existence of this announcement was leaked not long before being made official, by a memo distributed to Virgin Mobile employees. The memo said Product RED edition iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus stock would be added to the company inventory at the time of the Apple announcement, with a promise of an April 13 launch date. The memo also mentioned that customers would be able to pre-order the phones from Virgin from April 9 — but this has not yet been confirmed.

Last year Apple issued limited edition, ruby red iPhone 7 (RED) and iPhone 7 Plus (RED) smartphones in March as part of the company’s ongoing partnership with the Product RED nonprofit organization. When we checked out the iPhone 7 (RED) and iPhone 7 Plus (RED) units, the only misfire was the standard white bezel on the phone’s front — an element thankfully missing from this year’s black front panel.

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9

Apr

I wore Levi’s smart jacket for three months, and it changed how I use my phone

When we first saw Google unveil Levi’s new connected jacket, back in 2015, we immediately thought of the Burton Amp. The Amp, announced in 2003, was a winter jacket developed by Burton and Apple that allowed snowboarders or skiers to control their iPods using a control panel on the sleeve. With a wire connecting the control panel and iPod, Apple called it “the world’s first and only wearable electronic jacket with an integrated iPod control system.”

Fifteen years have passed, and while the iPod had an amazing run, the jacket didn’t. There have been other attempts at making “smart clothing,” but the concept never took off with consumers. Was the idea just way too ahead of its time?

There have been other attempts at making “smart clothing,” but the concept never took off with consumers.

Google thinks now is the right moment to revisit the concept, apparently, with the Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google, a collaboration between the iconic denim maker and tech giant. The name is a mouthful, but it refers to a research project, Jacquard (named after a fabric made on a loom), that was born out of of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects division. Unlike what we can now consider a glorified iPod remote that Burton and Apple made, the Levi’s jacket connects wirelessly with an iOS or Android phone and uses gesture-based controls and haptic feedback to perform a variety of smartphone functions, from navigation to, yes, controlling your music.

Is this the connected jacket the world’s been waiting for? Well, we may need to wait a bit longer, as the capabilities may seem a little limited at the moment. But, Jacquard technology and the Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket are more of a technical showcase of what’s possible when you weave technology with clothing — and the result is undeniably exciting.

The tech

The cuff on the left arm is woven with a conductive fiber, as well as a special-grade polyester that allows it to act as a touch sensor; the rest of the jacket is traditional Levi’s cotton-based denim. You can feel a slight difference in material when you touch the denim part of the jacket, and then touch the cuff. It’s not easily noticeable, though, which is important to maintaining a traditional look.

The touch sensor physically connects with the Jacquard tag, which you snap into place. The tag is quite large because it houses a lot of necessary components, such as a haptic motor, the LED, a motion sensor, Bluetooth, as well as the battery to keep it all alive. Once it’s all connected and paired to your smartphone via the Jacquard app — a quick and easy setup process — you can use a handful of touch gestures on the cuff to control actions on your smartphone (more about the gestures below).

The tag has a battery, so yes, that means you technically have to charge your jacket. It’s an easy process, as all you have to do is take the Jacquard Tag off the jacket and plug it into a USB-A port, like the one in your laptop or desktop computer, or most power adapters. Charging it up to full doesn’t take more than an hour, and the jacket is able to stay powered for up to two weeks — more if you don’t wear it daily. The motion sensor detects when it’s not being worn, and it puts the tag in a low-power state to save battery.

A genuinely helpful jacket

The jacket isn’t meant to replace your smartphone, Ivan Poupyrev, director of engineering at Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division, told Digital Trends. Instead, Poupyrev thinks it’s the “next frontier in connectivity,” which will take place in the physical world with the things we wear.

It’s the ‘next frontier in connectivity’

Think of it like a smartwatch. We wear watches so it’s easy to tell the time, and as a fashion statement. Any additional smarts, such as notification alerts, are largely present to accent our connected experience. With the Jacquard Commuter Jacket, you can do things like control music playback, ask for the next direction (and the ETA) while using a navigation app, find your phone, and more — helpful functions that are seamlessly embedded into our clothing so we don’t need to disrupt our attention by pulling out a smartphone.

These functions are controlled by three gestures using the cuff on the jacket: Brush in (swiping on the tag toward you), double tap, and brush out (swiping on the tag away from you). You can assign one ability to each gesture, which means you’ll have to choose carefully — or you can open the app and change your configurations each time to tailor the experience to your outing.

Having used the jacket for several months, I’ve predominantly used it to control music playback (with earbuds plugged into my smartphone). A double tap on the cuff tells me what song is playing, a brush in pauses the music, and a brush out plays the next track. The gestures work perfectly, and it doesn’t feel awkward or strange to use them. The only downside is that I often have to open the music app (or make sure it’s open in the background) for these gestures to start playing anything. There are also a few times when the jacket’s cuff registered my accidental swipes, but I’ve only noticed this happening when taking off the jacket.

The other abilities are certainly handy, especially the navigation-specific ones when you’re commuting. Use a gesture to find the estimated time of arrival to your destination, or what the next direction is on your route. Imagine driving or biking and not having to at a screen and take your attention away from the road.

The biggest problem is that you can only set three abilities at once, as I wound up losing a desire to change my configurations each time I donned the jacket. Poupyrev said the Jacquard team originally thought of adding “sets” you could cycle through. So for example, you could cycle through to your commuting “set” of gestures on your way back from work, and then maybe swap to your music set to control playback. They ended up not going with this method, as they found people often forgot what set they were currently using. I ended up sticking with my music control configuration all the time, but I’d prefer cycling through sets to access various abilities on the go. I’m crossing my fingers for this feature to come in a future update. Or, Google could embed a tiny display or Indicator LEDs in the next version — if there’s a second version.

Controlling music and navigation with simple gestures may sound unimpressive, but it’s genuinely helpful.

Aside from the limited number of abilities you can set, the other issue is charging the tag. It’s easy to do, but I’ve occasionally run into the problem of realizing the tag is dead right as I’m about to head out. At that point, I just resign to wearing it as a traditional jacket, and charge the tag while I’m away. It’d be nice if we didn’t need to charge the jacket at all — say, if it charged itself through kinetic or solar energy — but that all might be a stretch. A simple solution is to stash a small USB portable battery in one of the pockets.

Controlling music and navigation with simple gestures may sound unimpressive, but it’s genuinely helpful. It allows you to not think as much about menial tasks, and helps you keep going without missing a beat. That’s the goal of wearable technology, at least according to Google. The Jacquard Commuter Jacket succeeds in that regard.

A close to perfect weave

How does the jacket look and fit? The Levi’s Commuter Trucker doesn’t look much different from other commuter jackets from the denim brand. Our review unit (size large) fits well, with ample room for pockets, as well as subtle reflective tags on the back to alert drivers in case you are biking.

The cuff is what gives the jacket away, specifically when the tag is attached. Google said it’s likely this will get miniaturized as the technology gets better, and we can’t wait for the tag to blend in more with future products. Why? Because the tag resembles the theft-prevention security tags that retail stores attach to clothing, people constantly asked me if I stole the jacket (luckily, it has not embarrassingly triggered any security sensors at shops).

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Fortunately, one comment I seem to always get is, “That looks good on you.” That’s a great compliment because it means it’s stylish, and it won’t make you look like a geek.

You can wash the Commuter Jacket, though Google warns that there’s a chance that the cuff may stop responding to touch after more than 10 washes. It’s a denim jacket, so you hardly ever need to throw it in the laundry — if you do, you only have to remember to take the tag off. I washed the jacket once already and didn’t find any problems with the cuff or fit afterwards. (Of course, denim purists would either never wash it, hand-wash it, or dry clean it once in a blue moon. Our sibling site, The Manual, has a guide on that.)

It’s the perfect lightweight jacket for the spring season. Though we did the bulk of our testing during the winter, and the jacket still managed to work as an extra layer under or over other clothing.

Price and availability

The Levi’s Commuter Jacket with Jacquard technology will set you back $350, and it’s available now for women and men. The dumb version of the jacket — without Jacquard — costs about $150.

It’s pricey, yes, but this is largely an early-adopter product. It’s the first version of the technology available, and we’ll likely see this Jacquard technology expand into other types of clothing at hopefully lower prices. If anything happens to the technology over time, at least you’ll still look fabulous.

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