Save $100 on the insanely powerful Razer Phone for a limited time

Right now you can save $100 on the Razer Phone when you use coupon code 120HZ during checkout. While it may not have a flashy edge-to-edge display or the latest and greatest in camera technology, the Razer Phone has a bunch of features that are quite appealing. It has a 120Hz UltraMotion display with HDR, dual front-firing speakers, a huge 4000mAh battery, and more.

We wrapped up a recent second opinion review saying:

The bottom line here is that the Razer is asking $700 for a phone that offers supreme performance in some areas while falling short in others. Depending on how you primarily use your phone will be key in determining whether a ridiculously smooth (but occasionally dim) display backed by top-end performance specs can outweigh a lackluster (but functional) camera setup. Whether fantastic, front-facing speakers offer more value to you than a seamless display with no bezels.

If you love gaming and play a lot of them on your phone, this is the phone for you. If you’re looking for something that looks a little more modern and don’t need the gaming enhancements, check out this great deal on an Essential Phone.

See at Razor

The end of Konami’s Champions League partnership isn’t great for PES

The battle between the Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) and FIFA franchises has raged on for years over which gave the superior soccer/football experience. But Konami’s deal with the UEFA for a virtual Champions League mode in its games gave PES an edge over its rival. So today’s announcement that the soccer organization is ending its 10-year partnership with Konami might be dire news for future PES titles.

Access to UEFA’s teams has been a big feather in PES’ cap, especially to compete with FIFA’s bounty of licenses, including the ever-popular English Premier League. While the UEFA’s announcement didn’t state when its partnership with Konami will end — in other words, whether its teams will show up in PES 2019 — the news leaves the door open for who will get Europe’s teams next. Combined with FIFA’s improved ‘The Journey’ story mode becoming a standout feature for the franchise, it’s unclear how Konami’s series will compare should EA pick up the UEFA Champions League, too.

Source: UEFA

Facebook is testing playable game ads so you can try before you buy

If you’ve played any free-to-play mobile games recently, you’ll be familiar with the playable ads that let you try a little bit of gameplay while waiting for the advertisement to time out. Google Play has been trying out its own “try before you buy” instant app concept with a handful of developers lately, too. Now Facebook is testing similar technology in playable ads on Facebook so that people can try out a game without installing it first.

The company is testing these new ads in the News Feed with a “couple dozen” game developers; and it plans to roll out playable ads to its Audience Network (Facebook’s off-platform ad network) next, then to all advertisers later this year. Facebook says that people pay more attention to interactive ads over non-interactive ones, spending 47 percent more time with the former ad type, making it a popular choice among advertisers that have tested it, including Gram Games and Miniclip.

‘GLOW’ season two elbow drops on Netflix June 29th

At last, Netflix’s comedic ode to women’s pro wrestling is getting its promised follow-up. The streaming service has revealed that the second season of GLOW will premiere on June 29th. The teaser clip is really a tribute to all thing ’80s (we hope you like Flashdance), but Netflix’s press description gives a better clue as to what’s coming next. The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling have to confront the “realities of their newfound fame,” while Ruth and Debbie tackle their problematic friendship and Sam gets used to having his teenage daughter at home.

As we noted back in June 2017, the first season of GLOW proved to be a hit both because of its stellar cast (and not just big names like Alison Brie or Marc Maron) and its ability to cover everything from the many, many tropes of pro wrestling to personal drama and social issues. We’d expect more of the same in the second season, especially now that the creators can spend less time setting up the premise and more time on the plots both inside and outside of the ring.

Source: Netflix (YouTube)

The EverCam promises a year of home security on a single charge

Eufy is Anker’s smart home line of products, which includes robot vacuums, smart scales and even an Echo Dot competitor called Genie. Now Eufy has its own wireless security system called EverCam, and it’s taken to Kickstarter to both fund and gauge interest in the item, which boasts a long battery life, easy installation and a 1080p camera.

EverCam can be mounted to any flat surface with a sticky base and attach the camera via a rounded magnet. The battery is supposed to be able to last up to one year if active and up to three years in standby mode. It’s also waterproof. The software includes facial recognition technology that’s powered by deep neural network algorithms, so you can figure out who stole you Amazon box off of the porch. It also uses a 3-step scanning and filtering process to eliminate excessive false alarms from animals or random moving objects. The camera itself offers a 140˚ wide-angle lens with a large f2.2 aperture to capture as much of the view as possible in high def.

Better yet, the EverCam system won’t charge you a monthly fee for storing your footage (though there is a paid option to store it remotely). Instead, it stores video on an microSD card; you’ll get a 16GB version with your purchase. Your data is secure, too, and secured with AES 128-bit encryption. You can only access it when you place the SD card into your own registered base station while you’re logged into your account. That means no one can just grab your SD card and see your video.

Via: PopSci

Source: Eufy/Kickstarter

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
Discuss this article in our forums