Keep your devices protected with two Anker waterproof bags for $7
No more bags of rice.
Amazon has a two-pack of these Anker Universal Dry Bag Waterproof Cases on sale for $6.99 right now. Usually, these sell for between $9 and $10. Today’s discount matches the best we’ve ever seen on this bundle.
These bags come in handy for outdoor activities like camping, hiking, or tubing, but they can also make a big difference on beach days or trips to the waterpark. I firmly believe that everyone should have at least one.
These dry bags have an IPX8 rating, meaning your device will be protected from water, rain, snow, mud, and whatever else you’re throwing at it. You won’t lose functionality either. Your camera and touchscreen will still be perfectly usable while your device is in the case. The simple snap and lock mechanism is easy to use but it securely seals your device inside, and there’s a neck strap so you can look ~~super cool~~ too.
These are compatible with phones up to 6 inches. For a better fit, you may have to remove your phone case, which shouldn’t be an issue since your device will be protected anyway. Your purchase is backed by an 18-month warranty and lots of positive customer feedback.
See at Amazon
A new Google Assistant command in the U.S. helps you find good news
There’s a lot going on with the Google Assistant — let’s break down the important stuff.
In May 2016, we got our very first taste of the Google Assistant with the debut of Allo. The Assistant was a big draw to Allo at the time, with Google marketing it as a helpful bot that could make restaurant reservations, search the web, and more within your conversations.
Since then, the Assistant has gained heaps of new features and expanded to smartphones, tablets, speakers, and more. Google’s shown no interest in slowing down development for the Assistant, meaning that it’s likely here for the long-haul.
Whether this is your first encounter with it or you just need a quick refresher, here’s everything you need to know about the Google Assistant.
The latest Google Assistant news
August 21, 2018 — “Hey Google, tell me something good” now dishes out “good news”
Staying up to date on all of the current news is important no matter who you are, but with everything going on in our world, sometimes it’s easy to feel like nothing good is happening. In an effort to bring “good news” to light, Google’s launching a new Assistant command in the U.S.
When talking to the Assistant on your phone, Google Home, or Smart Display, you can now say “Hey Google, tell me something good” to hear about how people are solving real issues all around us.
Google partnered with Solutions Journalism Network for this feature, and per Google, solutions journalism, “highlights how problems are solvable and that doing better is possible.”
If you’re in the U.S., you can try out this command starting today.
August 14, 2018 — Pandora Premium now supported by Google Home and Smart Displays
Users have been able to stream Pandora through Google Home speakers for quite some time now, but starting today, you’ll be able to link your Pandora Premium account so you can listen to specific, on-demand songs/playlists in addition to the service’s popular radio stations.
Pandora Premium costs $9.99/month like the majority of its competitors, but if you own a Google Home, you can get a free 90-day trial to test out the service before handing over any of your hard-earned cash.
You can start listening to Pandora Premium on the Google Home, Home Mini, Home Max, Lenovo Smart Display, and other Google Assistant speakers right now.
August 9, 2018 — Deeper, more specific news coverage is now rolling out
Pretty much since the Assistant’s inception, you’ve been able to say “Hey, Google, what’s the news?” to get a quick overview of all the big headlines for any given day.
Starting today and rolling out to users across the U.S., you can now ask the Assistant about news for specific topics, such as “What’s the latest on NASA?” or “What’s the news on the women’s national soccer team?”. Asking these questions on a Smart Display will pull up related YouTube videos while audio-only speakers such as Google Home will read out excerpts from news articles.
Additionally, this command will also be available for Android Auto, Android phones, and Assistant-powered headphones like the Bose QC35 II.
August 3, 2018 — Google Home can now understand what room it’s in for contextual light controls
That title might make this not sound all that exciting, but this is actually pretty cool.
Up until now, asking your Google Home to “turn on the lights” or “tune off the lights” without specifying a certain room would result in every single connected light being turned on/off. However, a new update now allows the Google Home to only control the lights in the same room as it when this command is issued.
For example, if you have a Google Home assigned to the same room as the smart lights in your living room, asking that Google Home to turn on the lights will only activate the bulbs in the living room. You can still specify rooms with your voice, but this update should make these interactions a lot more natural.
Following numerous Redditors discovering this feature, Google confirmed to Android Police that this is indeed rolling out to users and will be making its way to everyone over the coming days.
July 27, 2018 — You can now schedule custom routines for specific times/days
Building upon Custom Routines that were added to Google Assistant earlier this year, users can now schedule these routines to go off at a certain time/day. Previously, custom routines you made could only be used after saying a specific command.
While creating a routine, you’ll now see a new “Set a time and day” option under the “When” section. Here, you can choose the time you want it to play and what day(s) it should repeat.
There are a lot of ways to take advantage of this, with one example being to have your coffee pot turn on, crank up the AC, and hear about the weather as you’re waking up without having to ever speak to your Google Home. Neat!
July 26, 2018 — Dutch is now an officially supported language
Good news, Dutch speakers! As of July 26, 2018, Google’s confirmed that the Google Assistant now speaks Dutch as one of its official languages.
Assuming you’ve got an Android phone running Marshmallow or later, you can now access the Assistant to ask it questions about the weather, create calendar appointments, control smart home devices, and more.
In addition to your phone, you’ll also be able to use Dutch on the Google Home later in the year once the smart speaker goes on sale in the Netherlands.
July 17, 2018 — New Google Assistant page shows commute times, packages, upcoming flights, and more
Starting today, the Assistant on your phone is getting a big visual overhaul. After prompting the Assistant, tap the icon near the top right that previously opened up the Explore page for finding new Assistant actions and it’ll now show a visual overview of your day.
Similar to old Google Now cards, this page shows things like your commute to work, the current weather, upcoming flights, packages that are on their way from recent online orders, calendar appointments, and much more.
In the near future, Google says it’ll let you see a quick overview of notes/lists from Google Keep, Todoist, Bring!, and more, a discovery page that’ll help you find nearby events/activities, reminders of where you last parked your car, and recommendations for songs and podcasts the Assistant thinks you’ll like.
This new interface is rolling out today and is available on Android and iOS for all languages the Assistant supports.
July 10, 2018 — Google updates the UX for selecting the Assistant’s voice
During Google I/O this past May, four new voices were added to the Assistant’s existing male and female voices to help give it some more personality. Starting today, English users in the United States will see a new user interface when changing the voice.
With the new UX, users will now see a horizontal row of colors that denotes each voice rather than a vertical list of Voice 1, Voice 2, etc. The colors are entirely random and consist of Red, Orange, Amber, Green, Cyan, Blue, Purple, and Pink.
Google says the new look should be live for everyone by the end of the week!
July 10, 2018 — Deezer Premium is now supported on Google Homes in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Italy
Deezer may not be as popular as rivals like Spotify and Pandora, but for subscribers of the paid Deezer Premium service, you’ll be happy to know that you can now listen to all of your Deezer songs and playlists through your Google Home.
Deezer Premium streaming has been available through Google Home since August 2017, but it was initially only live in France and Germany. This was later expanded to the United Kingdom in April of this year, and with this latest rollout, Deezer Premium now works on Google Homes that are in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Italy.
To link Deezer Premium to your Google Home, open the Home app, go to Music, and link your Deezer account.
The service regularly costs $9.99/month, but if you’re a new member, Google’s offering three months for just $0.99. If you want to take advantage of this offer, it’s good until September 20.
June 26, 2018 — All Google Home speakers now support Spanish
While users have been able to talk to Assistant in Spanish on their phones, we’re just now getting the ability to do the same on Google Home speakers.
Now, users in the United States, Spain, Mexico and other countries can choose to speak to Google Assistant in Spanish. If you want to change what language Google Home uses, open the Home app on your phone. The tap Settings -> Preferences -> Español.
All Google Home Speakers now support Spanish
June 12, 2018 — Google Home can now handle up to three commands at once
It can get old trying to ask multiple questions to our smart speakers — “What’s the weather” and “How’s my schedule” — but nowGoogle Home can understand up to three commands. Now, you can get your calendar, find out the weather and start playing music by only saying “Okay Google” once.
Another new feature is support for Multiple Actions. So now, instead of asking, “What’s the weather in New York and the weather in San Francisco?”, you can ask, “What’s the weather in New York and San Francisco?” This is a subtle change, but it makes conversing with Google Assistant much more like conversing with a human.
Google Home can now handle up to three commands at once
May 9, 2018 — Google announced a heap of new features at I/O
To little surprise, the Google Assistant was the star of the show for a good chunk of I/O’s opening keynote this year.
A lot of new features were announced for the Assistant, including new voices, the ability to ask follow-up questions without having to say “Hey, Google” each time, and an option for making your own custom Routines.
However, the most exciting thing was a system called Google Duplex. With this, the Assistant can call businesses and make appointments/reservations on your behalf. It’s wickedly cool and definitely one of the wildest things to come out of this year’s conference.
What’s new in Google Home and Assistant at Google I/O 2018
All the important details
Google Now paved the way for Google Assistant
The Google Now page compared to the new Google Feed.
Before there was the Google Assistant, we had Google Now. Google Now was introduced to the world all the way back in 2012, offering contextual info through the Google Now page and helpful answers to random questions with an “OK Google” voice command.
A lot of what made Google Now so great can still be found in the Google Assistant today, with the exception of the Google Now page. The Google Now page used to be home to cards showcasing the weather, information on packages that had shipped from online orders, boarding passes, and more. It’s since been replaced by the Google Feed – a collection of news stories Google thinks you’ll be interested in – and it’s definitely the biggest departure between the two services.
The Google Assistant as a whole is still more powerful than Google Now ever was, but long-time Android users like myself are still mourning the loss of that Now page. RIP, old friend.
Read more: Google Now is being left to wither and die as Google Assistant takes the focus
It’s available on just about everything
In just a few short years, the Google Assistant’s gone from being exclusive to a now-failed chat app to being integrated into just about anything you can think of.
You’ll find Google Assistant built right into most Android phones, it’s the star of the show for the Google Home lineup, and it’s even making its way into sound bars.
Here’s the full list of devices with Google Assistant
Setting up the Google Assistant is as easy or complex as you want
When you set up a device for the first time that has the Assistant, getting started is pretty simple. Accessing it is just a voice command or tap away depending on what gadget you’re using, but if you want to really fine-tune your experience, Google’s got you covered.
Take a quick dive into your Assistant settings and you’ll find options for just about everything – including your weather preferences, changing the Assistant’s voice, retraining your voice model, picking out preferred news sources, and much more.
How to set up and customize Google Assistant
Google Assistant is available in multiple regions and languages
Of course, a smart voice assistant isn’t any good if you can’t actually use it. Fortunately, Google Assistant will be available in 52 countries —adding 38 countries this year — and 17 languages by the end of 2018.
More: Google Assistant will expand to 38 countries and 17 languages in 2018
Google Home’s the premier way to get the Assistant in your house (at least for now)
It’s great to have the Google Assistant on your phone, but if you want to truly experience just how helpful it can be, you’ll want to consider picking up a Google Home.
Google Home is Google’s line of smart speakers that put the Assistant on full-display, allowing you to control smart devices, ask random questions, set timers, play music, and more by just using your voice.
You can spend as little as $49 for the Google Home Mini, $129 for the original Google Home, or a whopping $399 for the Google Home Max.
However, as great as the Home series is, don’t forget that Smart Displays are just on the horizon.
Announced at CES 2018, Smart Displays are essentially smart speakers with the Google Assistant and a touch screen display that can show you helpful visuals when talking to them. It’s basically Google’s answer to the Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot, and we can’t wait to see more from them.
Everything you need to know about Google’s Home speakers
Then again, is an always-listening speaker the right fit for your home?
However, the convenience of a Google Home (or any smart speaker for that matter) does come at the cost of privacy. Speakers like the Google Home are “always listening”, meaning they’re constantly on the lookout for a hot word to know when you’re talking to it (such as “Ok, Google” and “Hey, Google”).
This means the microphone on a Google Home is always active, but it’s not necessarily storing all the audio it hears when it doesn’t detect its hot word.
Most all speakers allow you to restore some privacy by being able to mute the microphone, but if you want to start asking the Assistant questions, you’ll need to unmute it first.
To learn more about these “always listening” speakers, I’ll pass the mic over to Jerry
Big upgrades are coming to the Assistant on Wear OS
Switching gears for a second, the Google Assistant on Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) is about to get a big upgrade.
In the near future, the Assistant on Wear OS will support Assistant Actions (basically apps for the Assistant) and give you the option to hear its responses through your watch’s speaker or a pair of connected Bluetooth headphones.
Along with this, Google will be adding something called “smart suggestions.” After asking the Assistant for the weather, for example, you’ll see little bubbles for “weather tonight”, “use celsius”, and more so you can continue the conversation with just the tap of your finger. Google Assistant on Android offers something similar, and it’s a great tool to have.
IFTTT supercharges the Assistant’s usefulness
IFTTT (If This Then That) is a powerful online tool that allows you trigger something (that) if a certain event (this) happens. You can connect IFTTT to the Google Assistant to create your own recipes using this formula, and it can allow for some incredibly helpful combinations.
Some of our favorite uses for IFTTT and the Assistant include adding contacts to your Google account, setting your Google Calendar status to Busy for a certain period of time, and much, much more.
Getting started with IFTTT can take some time and patience if you’re new to it, but once you’re all set up and ready to go, it can prove to be a lifesaver.
How to connect Google Home and IFTTT to do amazing things with your connected tech
You’ll get the same experience no matter what devices you use
With so many devices capable of running the Assistant, it’d be easy to think that the experience you get on one gadget would be different from another. This is something that Google struggled with for a while at first, but we’re finally in a position where the Assistant experience you get on a smart speaker, for example, is the same you’ll get on your phone.
There are a handful of features here and there that still create for some discrepency, but for the most part, the Assistant you use on your Pixel 2 is the same one found on Google Home.
Google Home and Google Assistant finally offer the same experience
Google Duplex is actually going to be a thing
Google showed off Duplex — Google Assistant making natural-sounding phone calls on your behalf — at I/O 2018, but quickly noted that it was just an experiment. Flash forward a couple months, and Google announced that certain users have started testing Duplex, and a public release will be here in the next few months. Before you know it, Google Assistant will be able to book hotels, dinner reservations, hair appointments and more without you lifting a finger.
More: What is Google Duplex?
Updated July 2018: Added the Google Duplex and language support sections, as well as links to recent Assistant news.
Google Fit Updates With Apple Watch-Like Rings That Track ‘Move Minutes’ and ‘Heart Points’
Google today updated its Wear OS iPhone app [Direct Link] and Google Fit Android app with a new redesign that emphasizes closing a set of rings, similar to Apple’s Activity app. Every day, Google Fit will task users to close one ring based on “move minutes” and another ring based on “heart points” (via The Verge).
“Move minutes” is a metric that is intended to be better than measuring daily steps because it can capture multiple activities, and walking “might not be a great option” for some users, Google Fit senior product manager Margaret Hollendoner explains. “Heart points” differs from “move minutes” by requiring users to engage in activities that will get their heart rate up but not require heavy physical activity (although it will reward more points for intense workouts).
Hollendoner says that it can be “as simple as picking up the pace when you’re walking.” Both of these metrics are measured when wearing one of Google’s Wear OS watches, but there are other options available as well. You can import health data from other devices compatible with Google Fit, although the company points out that the metrics might not be as accurate.
Similar to the Apple Watch, once personal data is input in Wear OS and Google Fit, the apps can offer up goals that it believes are appropriate for each individual user. The apps can also suggest that you might need another 20 minutes of exercise to hit a weekly goal, even if you slacked off earlier in the week.
Google collaborated with the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization to build the new rings and activity tracking. In the apps, users will be able to read more details about heart points, which AHA senior vice president Patrick Wayte sees as an “opportunity to get people oriented around the science,” and eventually “align them to the guidelines” the AHA recommends for daily physical activity.
As a comparison, Apple Watch’s Activity rings measure Move, Exercise, and Stand metrics, related to calories burned, high-intensity workout time, and time spent standing throughout a single day. For Google Fit, the company notes that it will still measure all of the basic stats as well, including daily steps and miles completed, and calories burned.
Tag: Google
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Netflix Tests Disabling In-App Subscriptions on iOS in Some Countries
Netflix is already one of the highest grossing apps on the App Store, as many iPhone and iPad users pay for their subscriptions via iTunes/Apple ID billing, but the streaming video platform wants an even bigger piece of the pie.
TechCrunch today reported that, until September 30, new or lapsed subscribers in some 33 countries will be unable to pay using iTunes.
The countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UK.
A customer service representative for Netflix confirmed the test with TechCrunch:
During this time, customers in these countries may experience any of the following when launching the Netflix app on an iOS (mobile or tablet) device:
1. Ability to sign up in app with only iTunes Mode Of Payment.
2. Ability to log into Netflix but not sign up (sign up only via mobile browser).We are constantly innovating and testing new signup approaches on different platforms to better understand what our members like. Based on what we learn, we work to improve the Netflix experience for members everywhere.
This means that some iPhone and iPad users who open the Netflix app will only be able to sign into an existing, active account, with no option to create a new account. By the sound of it, Netflix is hoping that these users will close the app, and sign up through its mobile website or elsewhere with a credit card.
Apple collects a 30 percent commission—15 percent after the first year—from users who subscribe via its in-app purchase mechanism, so it’s pretty clear that Netflix is trying to avoid padding the pockets of one of its biggest competitors, which just so happens to be working on a Netflix-like service itself.
Of note, Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines state that developers are not permitted to “directly or indirectly target iOS users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase,” but it appears that Netflix has worked around this rule by simply not offering new users the option to sign up in-app whatsoever.
We’ve reached out to Apple for comment.
Tag: Netflix
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Fortnite Code Suggests Popular Game Could Launch on Apple TV in the Future
Fortnite could launch on Apple TV at one point in the future, according to a new discovery by the @StormLeaks Twitter account late yesterday. As reported by esports and gaming website Dexerto, @StormLeaks found a single line within Fortnite’s code that references “tvOS,” suggesting that Epic Games may be planning to launch the popular game on Apple’s fourth- and fifth-generation set-top boxes down the line.
Still, this is just a single mention of tvOS in Fortnite’s code and shouldn’t be taken as a guarantee that the game will be available to play on Apple TV soon. If it does, the game would likely require a compatible wireless gaming controller, two of which Apple sells for $49.95 on its website.
#fortnite Fortnite is coming to Apple tvs. tvOS a Apple tv operating system has been found in the files. pic.twitter.com/QBBojQI0SX
— Storm – Fortnite Leaks (@StormLeaks) August 21, 2018
As it stands, Fortnite is currently available on iOS, macOS, Android, PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Fortnite initially launched as a beta on iOS in March and then expanded wide in April. The smartphone apps are focused entirely on Fortnite’s PvP Battle Royale mode, but the console and desktop versions of the game also include a PvE mode called Save the World.
Fortnite Battle Royale on iOS is free-to-play (like it is on all platforms), but due to in-game content purchases the app in June reached $100 million in revenue 90 days after launch. Fortnite initially launched wide in summer 2017 on consoles, macOS, and PC, focusing only on the Save the World mode, with Battle Royale releasing a few months later in September 2017.
We’ve reached out to Epic Games for a comment and will update this post if we hear back.
Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12Tag: FortniteBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple’s Revamped India Strategy Includes 5-6 ‘Flagship Premium Reseller’ Outlets in Major Cities
In an ongoing effort to boost sales in India, Apple is reportedly planning to upgrade its authorized reseller locations in five to six
“extremely prominent locations” in India’s metropolitan cities. The stores are being referred to as “Flagship Apple Premium Reseller” outlets.
While not official Apple stores, the locations will each be “at least three times larger” than the current reseller stores, which average about 1,000-1,500 square feet (via The Economic Times).
According to three senior industry executives, Apple may go up to as much as 5,000 square feet for the improved reseller locations in an effort to build them as “anchor shops” in malls and high-traffic outdoor shopping areas.
Apple will reportedly start construction on the flagship outlets first in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai. Sometime after those locations, the company will then open outlets in Hyderabad and Pune. A specific grand opening window for these outlets was not given.
“With company-owned Apple Stores yet to take shape in the country, Apple wants some of the franchisee run outlets to up the experience game through this new format. This is part of Apple’s new India strategy to focus on selling on experience rather than discount,” he said.
Apple is even open to the idea of a couple of these flagship stores being as large as 5,000 square feet if a suitable location is available. “The key is getting the right location, which is not easy. A team from the company is identifying locations,” an executive said.
The outlets are part of Apple’s revamped India strategy, which includes overhauling its relationship with independent retailers, long-lasting retail deals, and opening official Apple retail stores in the country. These official stores are said to open beginning in 2019 and eventually include locations in New Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai.
Apple’s new strategy began when Michel Coulomb was hired to oversee the company’s India growth at the end of 2017. Apple routinely struggles in the Indian market due to the higher prices of its smartphones in comparison to other manufacturers like Xiaomi, and other factors.
The other major aspect of the revamped strategy is Apple’s services, which will be “aimed more closely at Indians” thanks to certain apps that will get major updates in the country, like a new Apple Maps coming by 2020. Earlier this year, Indian iPhone users discussed Apple’s poor performance in this area and one user specifically called Apple Maps “a joke” in India.
While some services like Apple Music were favorably received, others like Siri were identified as low points for Indian customers, as the assistant “often struggles” with local accents and does not understand “many words of Indian origination” — all pain points that Apple is hoping to address.
Tag: India
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End of the Voyage: Amazon stops selling its $200 Kindle
Amazon has ended the Voyage.
We’re talking about the Kindle ebook reader that it launched in 2014. Multiple reports in recent days have noted how the online shopping giant has quietly removed the device from its online store, as well as from the comparison table that showed it alongside the other Kindles.
That means consumers looking for an Amazon-made ebook reader now have a slightly narrower choice, with the offerings including the basic Kindle starting at $80, the Kindle Paperwhite starting at $120, and the top-of-the-range Kindle Oasis starting at $250. The Kindle Voyage retailed for $200.
When it launched four years ago, the Voyage offered several extras over the basic Kindle and Paperwhite, including a slimmer, lighter build, and improved screen resolution.
In its 2014 review, Digital Trends described the Voyage as Amazon’s “finest ebook reader yet,” if not “the best devoted e-reader you can buy.”
Anyone looking for a high-end reader among Amazon’s range of devices will now look to the Oasis, launched by the Seattle-based company in 2016. Last year Amazon revamped the Oasis, making it the first waterproof Kindle in the line-up.
The new Oasis is also slimmer than its predecessor and comes with an improved battery life of up to six weeks. If it’s too pricey, the original Kindle is still out there and offers a solid setup for ebook fans. You might also be able to pick up a refurbished Voyage from Amazon’s online store — at the time of writing, there’s one listed for $140.
And, of course, there are a number of decent alternative designs from Amazon’s competitors.
These include the Kobo Aura One. The $230 device features an impressive 7.8-inch E Ink high-definition touchscreen with a night setting to eliminate blue light for bedtime readers. It also supports a wider range of ebook formats than its rivals.
At the other end of the price scale is the Kobo Clara HD, which comes with a $130 price tag. This comes with a front-lit display, a clear 300 PPI display, and, like the Aura One, support for multiple formats. And its 8GB of storage means you’ll have enough space for more than 5,000 books, which, let’s be honest, is more than enough for your next vacation. Or indeed, all of your vacations put together.
Editors’ Recommendations
- Kobo Clara HD review
- The new Kobo Clara HD is a worthy (and affordable) Kindle competitor
- The Amazon Father’s Day Sale discounts Echo, Fire, Kindle, and Cloud products
- How to convert a Kindle book to PDF
- Amazon slashes prices on Echo, Fire TV, and Kindle for Prime Day
The world’s biggest plane now has some rockets to launch
Stratolaunch
Commercial space company Stratolaunch turned a lot of heads last year when it pulled the wraps off the world’s largest airplane, which it says will one day help to launch satellites into space.
Competing with the likes of Elon Musk’s SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (a Boeing and Lockheed Martin partnership), Stratolaunch is aiming to become the go-to mobile launch platform for private firms wanting to put satellites into orbit.
In a major step toward achieving its goal, the Seattle, Washington-based company, which was founded by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen seven years ago, this week unveiled a family of rocket-powered launch vehicles that it wants to put into service from 2020.
They include the Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) for payloads of up to 3,400 kg. The MLV is now in development, with testing slated for 2022.
There’s also the MLV Heavy, a three-core MLV variant capable of delivering payloads of up to 6,000 kg into orbit. This one is described as being in the early stages of development.
Completing the trio of MLVs is the MLV Reusable, described by Stratolaunch as a “fully reusable space plane that enables advanced in-orbit capabilities and cargo return.” Currently in the design stage, the initial version will focus on cargo launches, with a later version modified for transporting crew.
Finally, there’s the diminutive Pegasus, which has already achieved more than 30 successful launches with another carrier and can deliver payloads of up to a modest 370 kg. Stratolaunch wants to put Pegasus into service using its own system in 2020.
World’s largest airplane
Similar in some ways to Virgin Galactic’s launch system that uses an aircraft to get its secondary rocket-powered vehicle to a higher altitude rather than launching it from the ground, Stratolaunch’s gargantuan plane — with its 385-foot wingspan — will fly the launch vehicles to the stratosphere before releasing them to complete their satellite-deployment mission.
Commenting on Monday’s unveiling, Stratolaunch CEO Jean Floyd said, “We are excited to share for the first time some details about the development of our own, proprietary Stratolaunch launch vehicles … which will offer a flexible launch capability unlike any other.”
Floyd added: “Whatever the payload, whatever the orbit, getting your satellite into space will soon be as easy as booking an airline flight.”
The launch services market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, so Stratolaunch will be keen to stay on track with its 2022 target to have any chance of securing a meaningful chunk of the market. Besides building the MLVs, it also needs to fully test its enormous carrier plane, which is yet to take its maiden flight.
Stratolaunch says that using its huge airplane and collection of launch vehicles will make space “accessible, affordable, and routine.”
Editors’ Recommendations
- SpaceX wins confidence-boosting Falcon Heavy contract with U.S. Air Force
- Virgin Galactic ‘neck and neck’ with Blue Origin in space tourism race
- Get your Sagan on with 60 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier
- These astronauts will whiz around Earth 34 times before reaching space station
- Virgin Galactic wants to launch space tourism flights from an Italian spaceport
How to Chromecast footage from your Lenovo Mirage Solo
A Chromecast is on of the best accessories for your Mirage Solo.
Gaming in virtual reality has a giant draw: total isolation. With the headset covering your eyes and some big headphones cutting off any outside noise, you can be completely immersed in your game. This also means that no one else can watch you play your game, since you’re not going to squeeze another person into the headset while you’re wearing it. Fortunately, it’s really easy to share your game footage.
Here’s how to Chromecast footage from your Lenovo Mirage Solo!
- Choosing the right Chromecast
- Casting your footage
Choosing the right Chromecast
Not all Chromecasts are created equal, with the main difference being that the more expensive model has the internal guts to handle 4K HDR movies. That requires more processing power than 1080p footage, which is why two different models exist in the first place. What does this have to do with your Mirage Solo? Well, the Chromecast Ultra’s extra power also comes in handy when transmitting footage from your headset to the TV. If you’re going to frequently have friends over for VR game parties, the extra money for the Chromecast Ultra will be well worth it.
More: Chromecast Ultra delivers the best casting experience with Daydream
Casting your footage
Once you have your Chromecast set up, getting your VR world onto the big screen is pretty easy.
Power on your Mirage Solo and place it on your head.
Press the indented button on the remote to wake the remote up.
Press the indented button on the remote again to go to the home screen.
Press the indented button on the remote one more time to bring up the menu.
Select the Google Cast icon at the top of the screen.
Select Cast audio to TV.
Select your Chromecast.
That’s it! Now your footage is on the big screen for all to see!
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Apple Adds Two Chinese Manufacturers to MacBook Chassis Supply Chain
Apple has added two China-based manufacturers to its list of MacBook chassis suppliers in an effort to push down prices quoted by Taiwan-based makers, according to a new report today by DigiTimes.
China-based Shenzhen Everwin Precision Technology and AAC Technologies are said to have obtained Apple certification in 2017, and this year they began small-volume shipments of the metal-alloy chassis for Apple’s notebook line-up.
Previous years saw Taiwan-based Catcher Technology, Foxconn Technology and Casetek Holdings dominate the supply of MacBook chassis, and Apple reportedly intends to continue relying on them because of their excellent manufacturing capabilities, but not before it has capitalized on the Chinese makers’ lower production costs.
DigiTimes’ sources indicate that for Taiwan makers, competition from China rivals will have more impact on their gross margins than on order volumes. To offset the impact, Taiwan companies have increasingly sought orders from Chinese brand vendors of high-end devices like laptops. Responding to the rumored potential of Chinese competition for Apple’s business, for example, Catcher said its outlook for 2018 remained unchanged.
Apple is expected to release a new low-cost MacBook Air later this year that will be similar in design to the current MacBook Air, but with slimmer bezels around the display. Based on the latest rumor, the new machine will be a straight MacBook Air upgrade aimed at students and schools, with a lower price tag than MacBooks in the MacBook family.
It remains unclear how a new 13-inch Retina MacBook Air fits in with Apple’s existing 12-inch Retina MacBook lineup, so the company’s plans for its upcoming notebook range could still throw up a surprise or two.
Related Roundups: MacBook Air, MacBook ProTag: digitimes.comBuyer’s Guide: MacBook Air (Don’t Buy), MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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