Intel reportedly gears up to patch 8 Spectre Next Generation CPU flaws

A report by C’T Magazine claims that eight new security flaws found in modern processors will be disclosed by Intel in the near future. Intel hasn’t directly addressed the vulnerabilities claimed in the report, but has confirmed the reservation of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) numbers, which is part of the investigation and mitigation of possible issues. 

“Protecting our customers’ data and ensuring the security of our products are critical priorities for us,” Intel’s Leslie Culbertson said in a statement on Thursday, May 3. “We routinely work closely with customers, partners, other chipmakers and researchers to understand and mitigate any issues that are identified, and part of this process involves reserving blocks of CVE numbers. We believe strongly in the value of coordinated disclosure and will share additional details on any potential issues as we finalize mitigations. As a best practice, we continue to encourage everyone to keep their systems up to date.” 

According to the report, Meltdown and Spectre weren’t the last of the flaws discovered in modern processor designs. Several research teams have reportedly already disclosed eight new security flaws to Intel, all of which stem from the same design problem. The details regarding these eight flaws are unknown, but they are currently dubbed as Spectre Next Generation. 

Don’t let the Star Trek-like name fool you, each flaw will have its own CVE number just like Meltdown and Spectre. Thus, Intel will be required to provide eight different patches.

The Spectre Next Generation patches will supposedly be provided in two waves: The first in May and the second in August. Intel classifies four as “high risk,” so we should expect to see those mitigations this month, while the “medium” vulnerabilities may be fixed this summer.

The flaws are reportedly similar to the original Spectre exploits, save for one that poses a higher risk than Spectre Variant 1 and Variant 2. It could allow a hacker to launch malicious code in a virtual machine, which is a software emulation of a fully functional PC. They are typically used in corporate environments to reduce hardware costs, and run on high-powered data center servers.

Still, the exploit could allow the hacker to attack the host server through a virtual machine, giving the individual access to all the information stored in the server’s memory. That is a problem when servers are running multiple virtual machines simultaneously. 

“Passwords and secret keys for secure data transmission are highly sought-after targets on cloud systems and are acutely endangered by this gap,” the report states. “Intel’s Software Guard Extensions (SGX), which are designed to protect sensitive data on cloud servers, are also not Spectre-safe.” 

Intel isn’t the only CPU maker facing additional patches. The report says some ARM-based processors are also vulnerable to the Spectre Next Generation flaws, while researchers are currently investigating AMD’s processor family for similar vulnerabilities. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel decides not to patch Spectre vulnerability for older processors
• Intel starts rolling out new Spectre firmware fixes, Skylake goes first
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• First Spectre, now BranchScope — another vulnerability in Intel processors

Latest IDC report shows decrease in global tablet shipments in 2018

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), numbers for global tablet shipments have decreased. With an 11.7 percent year-over-year decline, the shipments reached 31.7 million whereas 35.8 million units were shipped during the same quarter in 2017.

In the report, IDC’s results measure the total tablet market which includes slate tablets as well as detachable tablets. Traditional slate tablet specifically shipped 26.8 million units, bringing its shipments down by 13.9 percent from 2017.

While the overall number of global tablet shipments saw a decrease, preliminary data shows that the Microsoft Surface and iPad Pro experienced more than 2.9 percent year-over-year growth. With Apple snagging the top spot for the most tablets shipped in the first quarter, Samsung took second place with Huawei in third.

IDC estimates that Apple shipped 9.1 million iPads — of those shipments, 1.8 million were iPad Pro tablets. This makes Apple the current leader in the detachable market. But its high numbers could be in part to the new 9.7-inch iPad the company released as part of its educational initiative, which launched right as the quarter was ending.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s shipments declined by 11.4 percent in comparison to last year. While it’s one of the only brands that offers premium Android tablets — such as its Tab S series — it could be tough for the company to keep its spot while running against companies like Apple and Microsoft.

Huawei, on the other hand, saw a 13 percent increase from last year which placed it back into the top three. While a majority of its shipments were from the Asia/Pacific region, it also saw substantial growth in Europe.

Within IDC’s list of the top five tablet companies, Lenovo and Amazon took fourth and fifth place, respectively. While Lenovo grew 1.8 percent since last year, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot as one of the top three companies.

As for Amazon, coming in last place is most likely tied to the fact that their tablets are more seasonal. During the first quarter, the company was instead focused on adding more features to its Alexa platform such as voice assistant for its Fire 7 and Fire HD 8 tablets.

But while the numbers of shipments are down, IDC points to Google’s entrance into the tablet world as a way to bring those numbers back up.

“Peak education buying season is approaching, and Chrome OS has resonated with administrators for its manageability where deployment is strong. Schools looking for that same environment but in tablet form — generally, students aren’t provisioned a device with a keyboard until older — could find favor with these new devices,” Linn Huang, IDC research director, said in a statement.

The company launched its first Chrome OS tablet — Acer Chromebook Tab 10 — back in March. While it doesn’t have a keyboard, it comes packaged with a Wacom-branded stylus.

Editors’ Recommendations

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• Apple leads tablet market as detachable devices continue their rise
• Digital coin miners purchased more than 3 million graphics cards in 2017
• Slow Chinese sales signal slump in global smartphone shipments
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Lifeproof wants to protect all your gadgets with its new backpack line

LifeProof, the company best known for making a line of rugged cases to protect your smartphone from unexpected disasters, has jumped into the backpack market. The company has announced the release of four new packs designed to not only carry all of our gear while hiking, traveling, and commuting, but to keep our precious devices well protected, too.

The new backpacks come in four different styles and range in price from $100 to $180. Each of the models includes a few similar features, including durable, water-resistant fabrics, fleece-lined tech pockets, and pass-through ports for earphones and charging cables. They also come equipped with side stash pockets for keeping important items – such as a passport or smartphone – close at hand, as well as dedicated 3-liter hydration reservoir pockets to make it easier to stay hydrated while on the trail.

The smallest of the four packs is the Quito, which is priced at $100 and offers 18 liters of storage capacity. This bag is built for short day hikes and commuting around town, and as such it is the only pack that doesn’t include a laptop sleeve. It does however come with a cinch-top with a hood flap and several interior pockets for keeping all of your gear well organized.

The three larger versions of the new LifeProof packs include the Squamish ($140), the Goa ($160), and the Squamish XL ($180), which offer carrying capacities of 20, 22, and 32 liters respectively. Each of these models comes equipped with a sealed, weather-resistant pocked designed just for laptops, with the Squamish accommodating a 13-inch model, while the other two packs offer room for 15-inch notebooks.

These bags also offer expandable front cinch pockets that provide additional carrying capacity, organizational interior-gear pockets, and dual water bottle pockets as well. The Goa also sports a total of four weather-resistant tech pocket for those who bring plenty of gadgets with them, while the Squamish XL includes load-lifter shoulder straps that should make it quite popular with serious hikers.

The bags are all available now and they come in three different colors – Stealth (black), Urban Coast (gray), and Rush (red). You can find out more on the LifeProof website.

Editors’ Recommendations

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• The best sleeping pads

Twitter urges its users to change their passwords due to a bug

vdovichenko/123RF

Twitter is urging its users to change their passwords following a bug that was identified on the social media platform. While the bug has since been fixed, the company assures users there were no signs of breach or misuse of the passwords by anyone.

In an effort to establish complete transparency, Twitter Chief Technical Officer Parag Agrawal took to Twitter’s blog to explain exactly what happened. When setting a password on your Twitter account, the platform uses technology that masks it so that no one else at the company can see it.

Twitter’s passwords are masked through a process called hashtag that uses a function known as bcrypt. This means that the passwords are replaced with a random set of numbers and letters stored within Twitter’s system. That way, the company can validate your account without giving away your password.

But due to the bug, passwords were written to an internal log before the hashtag process was completed — leaving them exposed. Twitter found the bug, removed the passwords from the log, and are planning ways to prevent this from occurring in the future.

While the company hasn’t found evidence the password information left Twitter’s systems, or was taken by anyone, it still recommends users to take the necessary precautions. Knowing its system can be accessed by its employees, it’s definitely best to change your password just in case.

When we opened our Twitter app, we were greeted by a notification briefly explaining news of the bug. We then had the option to either skip or go to our settings instead. This then allowed us to easily change and update our password — but you have to remember your old one, too.

If you choose to change your password later, swipe to the right on your app, tap Settings and privacy > Account > Change password, and type in your new password. Once you tap done, your password will automatically update.

For those that use the same password on a variety of services, Twitter recommends changing your password on those platforms as well. Other tips include using a password manager to make sure it’s unique and strong.

For an extra layer of protection, you can also enable login verification — also known as two-factor authentication. To toggle it on, go to Settings and privacy > Account > Security. Every time you log into your Twitter account, you will also be prompted to enter a code that will be sent to your phone.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Apple working on depth-sensing technology that could show up in a future iPhone

Depth-mapping appears to be one of the next major points of development for technology like virtual reality and immersion, and it looks like Apple won’t be left behind. The company has been awarded a patent for a so-called “scanning depth engine,” which includes the use of a transmitter that emits beams of light and a scanner that scans those beams to determine depth.

The patent is a continuation of a few different patents that date back to 2012, so it’s clear that Apple has been thinking about technology like this for a while. While the technology looks to be something that could be built into a Mac based on the images, it’s also easy to imagine it showing up in an iPhone — where it could potentially be much more useful.

Depth maps could prove helpful in a number of situations. Not only could they make for more immersive images on a phone, but they could also help in capturing virtual reality content, as well as immersive gaming. Along with the transmitter and scanner, the technology also uses a processor that helps generate the depth map using the information received.

Apple isn’t the only company working on depth maps. Qualcomm has a Spectra camera module that can capture a massive 10,000 points of depth and was included on the new Snapdragon 845 processor. Facebook is also working with Red to build a super high-end 360-degree camera that will support things like depth-sensing and six degrees of freedom. Rumors have also been gaining steam that Apple plans to launch new augmented reality devices, or at least include more augmented reality tech in future iterations of the iPhone, so the ability to sense depth could prove invaluable to the company.

Of course, it’s also possible that Apple won’t end up using the new tech at all. Large tech companies like Apple routinely file for patents that they ultimately don’t use, and it’s possible that this particular depth-sensing technology could fall into that category. Apple, however, has already been experimenting with depth-sensing tech in Face ID on the iPhone X, and we can expect that experimentation to continue.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 8 Amazing accessories that could make virtual reality even more immersive
• Oculus wants to stretch your skin to see what it feels like to be human
• Apple’s wireless, mixed-reality glasses could launch in 2020
• Apple AR glasses: News and rumors about ‘Project Mirrorshades’
• Do you want to live forever? 6 ways tech could extend your life

Apple working on depth-sensing technology that could show up in a future iPhone

Depth-mapping appears to be one of the next major points of development for technology like virtual reality and immersion, and it looks like Apple won’t be left behind. The company has been awarded a patent for a so-called “scanning depth engine,” which includes the use of a transmitter that emits beams of light and a scanner that scans those beams to determine depth.

The patent is a continuation of a few different patents that date back to 2012, so it’s clear that Apple has been thinking about technology like this for a while. While the technology looks to be something that could be built into a Mac based on the images, it’s also easy to imagine it showing up in an iPhone — where it could potentially be much more useful.

Depth maps could prove helpful in a number of situations. Not only could they make for more immersive images on a phone, but they could also help in capturing virtual reality content, as well as immersive gaming. Along with the transmitter and scanner, the technology also uses a processor that helps generate the depth map using the information received.

Apple isn’t the only company working on depth maps. Qualcomm has a Spectra camera module that can capture a massive 10,000 points of depth and was included on the new Snapdragon 845 processor. Facebook is also working with Red to build a super high-end 360-degree camera that will support things like depth-sensing and six degrees of freedom. Rumors have also been gaining steam that Apple plans to launch new augmented reality devices, or at least include more augmented reality tech in future iterations of the iPhone, so the ability to sense depth could prove invaluable to the company.

Of course, it’s also possible that Apple won’t end up using the new tech at all. Large tech companies like Apple routinely file for patents that they ultimately don’t use, and it’s possible that this particular depth-sensing technology could fall into that category. Apple, however, has already been experimenting with depth-sensing tech in Face ID on the iPhone X, and we can expect that experimentation to continue.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 8 Amazing accessories that could make virtual reality even more immersive
• Oculus wants to stretch your skin to see what it feels like to be human
• Apple’s wireless, mixed-reality glasses could launch in 2020
• Apple AR glasses: News and rumors about ‘Project Mirrorshades’
• Do you want to live forever? 6 ways tech could extend your life

Instagram begins trialing in-app payments feature for faster shopping

With more than a million advertisers and 25 million businesses now on Instagram, the latest feature to be trialed by the social media company will surprise few.

As per TechCrunch, a new feature for faster shopping is showing for select users. It lets you enter payment details into the app, along with a PIN for extra security. If you have the new tool, you’ll find it in your profile settings under “payment settings.”

Once set-up is complete, there are opportunities — very few at this stage, it appears — to use the feature to make advance payments for bookings at places like salons.

Instagram has confirmed the trial and says in future it could be used for a range of services, such as booking movie tickets.

While the popular photo- and video-sharing app already offers shopping opportunities via tagged items shown in an image, making a purchase currently involves navigating a pop-out page and completing various steps, including entering payment details for each new merchant.

But the new in-app feature is more integrated and keeps users within the app instead of losing them while they make payments via the merchant’s system. For users, staying in the app to complete a transaction will bring added convenience, and with payment details already stored, it’ll mean fewer purchasing steps with each business, paving the way for a more seamless shopping experience. Shoppers can also view a record of their purchases from multiple merchants in just a few taps.

Instagram signaled its intention in March last year to allow bookings for services directly from profiles, but at the time said nothing about native payments. And going by the company’s comments at the time, it seems that the testing of in-app payments has come a little later than expected.

But now that the trial is up and running, it might not be too long before it’s rolled out to the entire Instagram community, brands and businesses included.

Weaving commerce more deeply into social media apps offers potentially huge rewards for companies behind the apps, as well as those with products to sell.

Rival social media platform Snapchat recently started offering businesses the opportunity to sell products directly from a Snapchat filter.

Instagram says that more than 80 percent of its 800M-plus users follow a business on the social network. With numbers like that, the Facebook-owned company will be keen to build out its shopping services to draw in more advertisers and boost revenue even further.

Instagram hasn’t said when it plans to roll the service out more widely, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated with any developments.

Editors’ Recommendations

• For deals or just the latest designs, these are the best shopping apps out there
• The best ARCore apps to try out on your Android smartphone
• Snap, then shop — Snapchat rolls out Shoppable AR filters
• Buy a shirt, get a share. Bumped turns your purchases into investments
• The best iPhone apps available right now (April 2018)

How to set up your Oculus Go

Do it right the first time, and you’ll be much happier with your Oculus Go experience!

From the moment you take an Oculus Go out of the box, it invites you to immediately put it on your head and start having fun. And in theory, you could do exactly that. If you want the best possible experience from the headset, however, you’ll take a few and configure it the right way.

Here’s a quick look at how that works.

Don’t have an Oculus Go? Check out your options!

Out of the box

The first thing you need to do with your Oculus Go is take everything out of the box. Lifting the lid reveals the headset and controller right away, but there are a few things you need to do before powering this system up.

Remove the stickers

Your lenses are covered by a protective plastic coating, which needs to be removed or else everything will look blurry in the headset. Peel these stickers off and you’re good to go.

After this point, your lenses are exposed. Keep the lenses from direct sunlight in order to keep your display safe, and keep the lenses away from anything that could scratch the glass. You may consider keeping a microfiber cloth nearby in case you ever need to wipe a smudge from the headset in the future. Amazon has a few for $ if you don’t have one handy.

See at Amazon

Battery in the controller

Your Oculus Go controller runs on a single AA battery, which is included in the box.

Pull down on the bottom half of the controller to remove the casing
Insert the AA battery so the flat part is pointed toward the trigger on the controller
Push the plastic casing back into place on the controller

This controller has no lights to confirm it has power, so the only way you know for sure is through the Oculus Go headset once you put it on. This battery is expected to last through at least six months of constant use, so it should not need to be replaced frequently.

Fit Oculus Go to your head

Your VR headset has three adjustment straps to ensure a comfortable fit on your head. The two side straps connect across the back of your head, while the top strap slides into the back strap and can be adjusted separately. To get the best fit on this headset:

Pull the velcro on all three straps until they are fully open
Place the Oculus Go headset up to your eyes and pull the strap over your head
Pull on both side velcro straps at the same time until snug, then press the straps against the side of the headset to secure them
Pull on the top strap near the headset until you feel the bottom of the headset lift from your head just slightly, then press the velcro side down to secure
Grab the headset with both hands and slowly move it until the image on the screen is clear

An ideal fit for this headset had the two parts of the back strap wrapped around the knot in the back of your head (it’s called the occipital bone) while the top strap is tight between the front and back of the headset.

Setting up the software

To fully set up your Oculus Go, you need the Oculus app installed on your phone. It is available in the Google Play Store here if you haven’t installed it already. Once you have the app installed, you will be walked through the process of setting up your Oculus Go.

Inside the app

Once you are in the app, Oculus will ask you to log in. There’s a big Facebook button so you can log in with your Facebook account, but if you do not have a Facebook account or would prefer to use your existing Oculus account, you can find those options in much smaller text at the bottom of the login screen.

If you have chosen to log in with Facebook, or if your Oculus account has a Facebook account attached, you’ll be asked to confirm your privacy settings inside of Oculus. This is a multi-step process, but it looks like there’s only one button to say yes and move on. Actually, each one of the four sections above that blue button are separate privacy settings for you Oculus account.

This includes a Real Name Policy, how you can be discovered to add as a friend in Oculus, whether your friends can see what you are doing with your headset, and who can see your friends list. It is very important you take a look at each of these options and confirm they are set up the way you want before you press the blue Continue button.

Once your privacy settings have been confirmed, you’ll be asked to turn on Bluetooth so your phone can find the headset. Make sure your headset is close to the phone, especially if there is more than one Oculus Go in the room at the time. Once the Oculus Go has been found, you need to plug the Oculus Go headset in and turn it on using the oval power button on the front of the headset.

Once you have confirmed whether you are left or right handed, you’ll be shown a brief safety video on your phone and then invited to put the Oculus Go headset on for the first time.

Adding a payment method

If you’re going to install apps, chances are you need to pay for them. Oculus lets you add a payment method from within the Oculus Go app, and then create a pin number for rapid checkout when making purchases. To add a card:

Tap the Settings tab on the bottom of the Oculus Go app
Swipe down and tap on Payment Methods when you find it
Tap Add Payment Method

Once you have added a payment method, you will be asked to create a four digit pin. This pin can be entered on the app or in the headset for making purchases, instead of entering in your credit card information.

Installing apps on Oculus Go

Your Oculus Go has access to basically ever app the Gear VR had access to, which is well over 1,000 apps. The Oculus Store is how you access those apps. You can access those apps from the store in the headset, or you can use the Oculus App on your phone. The purchase process for both is the same:

Tap on the app you want to install
Tap the blue purchase button to buy
Confirm your purchase with your Oculus Pin
Tap the blue Install button to send the app to your headset

If you have used Oculus apps before, either from a different Oculus Go on your account or a Samsung Gear VR, you can install your previous purchased only from inside the Oculus Go headset to find and install these games:

Click on the Library tab from the bottom navigation
Click on Not Installed from the Store navigation on the left
Click the app you want from this list to start the download

And that’s it! Your Oculus Go is now fully set up and ready for you to explore. Enjoy!

Oculus Go: Everything you need to know!

After a long wait, you can finally pick up this amazing VR headset.

At Oculus Connect 4, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Oculus is working a new headset that sits in a “sweet spot” somewhere between Gear VR and Rift.

Officially called Oculus Go, this headset requires no phone and no cables running to the PC. It will be able to play movies, run games, and help you meet up with friends in VR. We’ve got the details for you here!

May 1, 2018 Update: Ordering goes live on Amazon and news from F8 Conference!

Last night the Oculus Go pre-order page on Amazon was created. There were no confirmed cases of people actually being able to pre-order the headset overnight. Furthermore, the release date mentioned on the page was originally a staggering “December of 2018.” Don’t get discouraged, however. Whenever a new page is created on Amazon but hasn’t gone live yet the date will always read “December of 2018.” This is something I can understand gets confusing quickly.

Onto the real deal, what happened during the Key Note of F8? First, devs were greeted at the door this morning with a sign stating there would be updates for Oculus Go during the conference. Then, finally. The most anticipated news of the VR community has been released. Oculus Go will be shipping today. Getting an official date instead of “sometime before summer of 2018”. Get ready, VR nerds, it’s time to take VR to a mobile headset. Tell us in the comment section below what you plan on doing as soon as you get your headset! Keep an eye out on Amazon for the buying option to go live!

After checking out the available ways of buying the headset it turns out there are two different memory options! You can get the 32GB headset for $199 and the 64GB headset for $249.

See on Amazon

Click here to read more on which headset you should buy, 32GB or 64GB?

“The graphics were crisp across my view
without any distortion at the corners
with the games I played.”

Lori Gil, who is newer to the VR community, go to try out the Oculus Go during GDC 2018. Check out what she has to say about it here.

“Oculus Go, in my opinion, is positioned to be the first true consumer-focused VR system to bring new people into the fold. No, it’s not a top-quality device with all the bells and whistles, but it is completely self-contained so the initial investment is minimal. For $200, you can get started with VR. You don’t need a special phone, you don’t even need a phone at all! You don’t need a special computer or graphics card or game console. It’s the perfect starter VR device. Once new users get into VR through Oculus Go, they can then decide whether to move on to something more powerful if they’re ready to go all-in, or stick with the entry-level device if they discover they’re not heavy VR players. I can’t wait to get one.”

So, there you have it. Whether you’re new to VR or an avid user I can’t see anyone being disappointed with this device. Even when it comes to comfort Lori mentions “- just a little top-heavy (by comparison with the Rift, the Go has a bit of extra weight). I could feel some pressure on my cheeks, but the headset was definitely designed to counter the extra battery weight.”

The Oculus company truly put a lot of thought and planning into making a VR device that can be enjoyed by all. So, even if you’re a new VR player, this is still the device for you.

Click the link below to your own Oculus Go headset!

See on Amazon

What is Oculus Go?

Oculus Go is the third headset from Oculus, and it’s meant to sit between Gear VR and Oculus Rift. A cordless headset, you’ll no longer have to strap in with your PC or have enough juice on your phone in order to play in VR.

It is built to be lightweight, has a new mesh foam interface, and it supposedly has the best visual clarity so far seen in VR, thanks to new lenses and a WQHD LCD fast-switch display with a higher fill-factor than OLED. We learned at CES 2018 that Oculus Go is going to be made by Xiaomi, and it will be run by a Snapdragon 821 processor making it more than capable of playing the awesome games that are going to be available.

Oculus says this headset lives somewhere in between the Gear VR and Oculus Rift, but it leans much closer to the Gear VR than you might expect. This is a standalone headset, meaning the computer is inside the headset with the display, but it’s still an Android-powered headset. The good news is this means it will run many of the apps currently available for the Gear VR. That means the headset will not let you walk around and do much. Functionally, this will be very similar to the Gear VR.

Read more: Lenovo Mirage vs Oculus Go

Whats the difference between Oculus Go and Gear VR?

To begin with, Oculus Go is a stand-alone headset. This means no need to be wired into your computer like Oculus Rift, or the need for a top of the line phone like with Gear VR. It’s a middle of the road option that is priced affordably in an effort to draw in new users to help Oculus reach their goal of one billion VR users.

Instead of including headphones with the headset, a spatial audio experience is built right into the headset. That is spatial speakers that are built on the rails of the headset to let you hear what’s going on clearly without headphones. Of course, if you’d rather go with classic headphones, you can plug a set of your own into a 3.5mm jack. Oculus Go will have a controller similar to that of Gear VR, meaning devs can create apps that work on both platforms.

Indeed, a lot of the Gear VR’s best apps will be available for the Oculus Go from day one. The controller employs three degrees of freedom (DoF), which is the same as the Gear VR controller. It’s interesting to note that the Go headset will also use three DoF. To put that into perspective, the Oculus Rift uses six DoF.

Oculus Go will also have access to its own catalog of games and apps to dive into on launch day. While ports of Gear VR games are sure to show up, you’ll be getting access to new content with Oculus Go. From the photos we’ve seen of Oculus Go, there is also a fairly pared down look compared to Gear VR. No touchpad on the side of the headset, and only two buttons on the top; volume controls, and a power button.

Games and Experiences

Since we have been notified that Gear VR apps and games will be compatible with Oculus Go we know we’ll have plenty to keep us occupied! Not every Gear VR game will be available to the Oculus Go, but there are still 1,000+ titles available that I don’t see you getting bored in the next foreseeable future.

When is it launching?

Today during the F8 conference they finally announced the Oculus Oculus Go will be shipping May 1, 2018 (today!). Click the link below to get yours!

See at Amazon

How much does it cost?

You can pick up this standalone headset now for a tidy sum of $199 for the 32GB model and $249 for the 64GB model. Considering a Samsung Gear VR alone costs $129.99 and requires a top of the line smartphone, this is pretty exciting news!

I just got my headset. Now what?

Before you go tearing open the box, there are a few things about setting this headset up you should know. This VR headset is a little different from the others, and while it doesn’t need a phone to power the inside there’s an app for Android an iPhone owners alike to make the experience worthwhile.

How to set up your Oculus Go: Android Edition
How to set up your Oculus Go: iPhone Edition

Updated May 3, 2018: Oculus Go is now shipping!

Robotic woks are the chefs in this Boston restaurant

Four MIT students who once built a soccer ball-kicking robot got together with a Michelin-starred chef to build a restaurant that’s not quite what you’re used to. How? Well, it’s staffed by robots, obviously. Spyce, a fast casual restaurant that has just opened its doors in Boston, has a mecha-kitchen with seven autonomous woks preparing its healthy offerings. A customer simply has to choose one of the bowl-based meals in its menu through a touchscreen kiosk, and the sprouts, kale, beans, grains and other components of the meal will automatically drop into one of the drum-like machines to start cooking.

Spyce’s mecha-woks use magnetic induction to heat the food and automatically rinse themselves after preparing every order. As cool as they sound, though, they aren’t quite capable of doing actual food prep and making bowls look presentable. The restaurant still employs human workers at a commissary kitchen where ingredients are chopped and prepared; on site, there are two garnish employees to add the finishing touch. So, although robots could eventually take all our jobs, Spyce’s founders didn’t conjure up a machine that can put all restaurant employees out of work right now.

Its Yelp reviews are pretty good, if you’re wondering how’s the food itself. To note, Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud serves as Spyce’s culinary director. But if you’re not quite the kale and beans kind of person, seeing the restaurant’s whirring, spinning robotic woks in action might be worth the visit. Spyce runs an open kitchen, and the show is definitely part of the experience. “It’s fun to see what’s going on behind the scenes,” co-founder Brady Knight said, “We didn’t want to hide anything because we think what we made is pretty cool.”

Source: AP News, Spyce