The Morning After: Monday, November 21, 2016
Today begins with the proliferation of political Twitter bots, testing Sony’s pricey full-frame camera, tens of thousands of recipes from your Amazon Echo and LG’s new phone for audiophiles.
For a second, we forgot all about mirrorless shooters.24 hours with Sony’s A99 II full-frame camera
Sony’s A99 II is set to arrive later this month priced at $3,200, body-only. For that money, there’s a massive 42.2-megapixel sensor, max ISO of 102,400, 12-fps continuous shooting and, unlike the original A99, 5-axis image stabilization. Edgar Alvarez says high-end lenses help make the most of the camera, but it’s the autofocusing skills that are particularly impressive.
Great for audiophiles, but who else?Review: LG’s V20 smartphone
Don’t let its dull looks fool you, Senior Editor Chris Velazco says that beyond the V20’s flagship-level power and slightly tweaked version of Android Nougat is a device tailor-made for creatives. The V20 is an excellent media player (even with lossless files) and doubles as an impressive audio recorder. The dual-camera system still needs some work compared to LG’s rivals, but at least there’s manual shooting — which is a pleasure.
Pro-Trump bots were especially commonTwitter bots were rampant during the US election, surprising no-one
Researchers at the international Project on Computational Propaganda report that the use of politically minded Twitter bots reached an “all-time high” during the 2016 presidential campaign. Out of 18.9 million studied tweets using political hashtags, 17.9 percent of them came from “highly automated” accounts that post 50 or more tweets per day. That ratio only grew higher during the debates and conveniently tanked after the election. There are caveats, however: The team noted its data collection method is inherently limited. Not all of those prolific Twitter users are guaranteed to be bots, and the data doesn’t include the legions of tweets that didn’t include the hashtags or mention candidates by name. Automated political social networking is a thing now.
I don’t think you can call that karma.GoPro gives you a free Hero5 camera if you return your Karma drone
Returning tech products is a pain — even when they’re explosive Note 7s. GoPro is attempting to sweeten the deal (or apologize) by offering a free Hero5 Black camera if you return your Karma drone. Some of the camera maker’s debut quadcopters are experiencing sudden power loss, and so the company is offering free refunds to those that return the robot. Now you get a free camera on top of that.
But wait, there’s more…
- Kanye West says Facebook and Google ‘lied to you’
- The After Math: This week’s WTF numbers
- Amazon Echo now talks you through 60,000 recipes
- Alphabet’s autofocusing contact lens won’t be tested in 2016
‘Star Citizen’ team will share its schedule with the public
Of all the complaints about Star Citizen’s development, transparency is one of the biggest. Outside of basic goals, it’s hard to know how well the epic-scale space game is coming along at any given moment — there are concerns that Cloud Imperium Games is frittering away all that crowdfunding money. The company wants to put some of those fears to rest, though. As of Star Citizen’s 2.6 alpha, the studio will share its internal development schedule with the public on a weekly basis. Cloud Imperium will clean up the details to make them more accessible, but you’ll know whether or not there’s a change or setback.
You’ll see this publication continue if it’s “well received,” company founder Chris Roberts says.
Significantly, Cloud Imperium hasn’t offered a schedule for the single-player Squadron 42. There’s no mention of why, but Polygon notes that the title was originally supposed to arrive in fall 2015 and was a no-show at an event a year later. Star Citizen is the game that remains relatively on track — you’re more likely to benefit from weekly updates on its progress than something that’s on the backburner. That won’t be much consolation if you wanted more info on both projects, but at least one of them won’t seem like as much of a black box.
Via: Polygon
Source: Roberts Space Industries
Ben Heck’s reverse-engineered Game Boy Printer
It’s a bit late for Ben to break the warranty on this particular piece of hardware: The Game Boy Printer was released ages ago, which means it’s ripe for being reverse-engineered! First we need to know what we’re dealing with, so Ben performs a teardown to reveal the microcontroller and RAM, at which point he determines what pin-outs are needed to connect to an Arduino. That’s not all, though — we also need to know how to talk to the printer, and the easiest way to do that is with an oscilloscope and an original Game Boy Camera to snoop on the data stream. Not everything is so straightforward, however: Ben hits a snag and the printer stops partway through printing. What could he be missing?
What other hardware should Ben reverse-engineer? And what have you reverse-engineered? Let us know over on the element14 Community.
The Morning After: Weekend Edition
Letter from the Editor
Still reeling from the result of November 8th? This week, Jess Conditt spoke with professor Allen Lichtman, who saw it (and every other presidential winner since 1984) coming, thanks to insights gleaned from geophysics, not political science. The lesson the professor wants us all to learn? Voter polls are just fodder for the media, not predictors of actual outcomes.
Speaking of media fodder, Facebook finds itself embroiled in controversy about the role the social network played in the distribution of fake news — which many feel played a significant role in Trump’s victory. Nathan Ingraham looked at the scope of the challenge Facebook faces and what needs doing to fix it. In the meantime, those in search of truth should be reading news sources outside the social network’s bubble to stay (accurately) informed.
And, while its parent company struggles with an unwanted transition from pure platform into something resembling a media company, Instagram is making a shift of its own accord. Edgar Alvarez explains how the company is building a future that’s as much retail platform as it is social network. Should users be concerned about these business partners gaining undue influence on the Instagram experience? The company says that users will always come first, but time will tell whether its actions stay true to its words.
WYD?Instead of sliding in the DMs, Facebook’s CEO is up late talking fake news
In a very late Friday night news dump, Mark Zuckerberg waited until midnight to spill the details in Facebook’s ongoing fight against fake news. The CEO laid out several points (raising the bar for posts that pop up as “related,” making it easier to report fakes, and cutting off their access to advertising were a few) and said he’s listening for more suggestions. That’s a good thing, since it seems like everyone has one.
Be careful what you wish forReview: MacBook Pro (2016)
Now that we’ve had all week to think it over, what’s the feeling about the new MacBook Pro? It’s pricey, lacks MagSafe and needs dongles to plug almost anything in, and that OLED Touch Bar is just a little more annoying than amazing (so far). But TouchID is a welcome addition, and it’s still powerful, with a long-lasting battery wrapped in a thinner and lighter design. Decisions, decisions.
The Entire History of StreamingNetflix Vista combines binge watching and “Black Mirror”
A new short works Netflix into the world of “Black Mirror,” imagining the technology from “The Entire History of You” put to a slightly different use. We’re not sure if Netflix Vista is a much better upgrade than Windows Vista, but as usual, the two-minute video is enough to keep you thinking.
Next on Discovery: Big Data CatchAI is helping to track tuna fishing around the island nation of Palau
Overfishing threatens tuna populations in the Pacific, as well as other species that can get caught accidentally, like sharks and turtles. Now the Nature Conservancy is testing out the use of machine learning to process hours of video showing exactly what each boat is really catching.
Hot Coffee 2“Watch_Dogs 2” is more realistic than we thought
This week, a player found that Ubisoft had gone the extra mile in rendering certain areas of a female character, posted a screenshot to PSN and was quickly banned. The ban was eventually lifted, and the company says a patch is coming to make the “explicit” area consistent with others in the game. Welcome to 2016.
More pixels, more $$$Review: Chromecast Ultra
The Chromecast Ultra delivers everything promised: 4K, HDR video streaming. The only problems? Most of the video apps it works with are probably already built into your new TV, and its higher $69 price means it lacks the value proposition of earlier versions
No glassholes allowedHands-on with Snapchat’s Spectacles
The hardest part of using these Spectacles is probably finding a pair. But once you do, what is it like rocking the $130 camera-equipped shades? Being able to shoot video hands-free is a plus, and the circular format means it’s viewable in landscape or portrait. It’s still early, but Andrew Tarantola calls them a “a clever, relatively inexpensive wearable.”
Nobody tell Busta RhymesThe upside of Stephen Hawking’s “1,000 years left on Earth” prediction
You may have heard that, earlier this week, the well-known theoretical physicist put a time limit on humanity’s quest to find a new residence. Some are bummed out by the prediction, but we’re finding the silver lining in it: Hawking’s made this same prediction for years. That means that no matter how many celebrities kick the bucket in 2016 and how frequently the climate is ignored, our timeline is still looking the same. Small victories, right?
The ultimate Apple accessoryThe $300 photo book that chronicles 20 years of Apple design
Whether you love Apple, or love to hate Apple, this book should have some appeal to you. The $300 tome “Designed by Apple in California” features over 450 product shots by photographer Andrew Zuckerman, cast against white backgrounds. We checked, and no, there’s no headphone jack here either.
Because you can’t find an NES Classic EditionHoliday Gift Guide 2016: The Gamer
If you are a gamer or know one, this is the most important section of this year’s holiday gift guide. A VR headset or PS4 Pro is great if you can afford it, but we also have options for smaller budgets, like a high-end mouse or a new headset.
But wait, there’s more…
- Instagram sees shopping as the next step in its evolution
- Hyperloop One co-founders discuss whether it can deliver on its promises
- Vibrator, vape or VPN, this is for the naughtier side of Santa’s list
- Earthquake science explains why election polls were so wrong
The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.
‘Genital Jousting’ brings a new level of silliness to Steam
As Goat Simulator and Surgery Simulator prove, many folks don’t take their gaming too seriously. And what could possibly be less serious than dueling penises? That’s pretty much the premise of Genital Jousting, a game where you control a “wiggly anus” and (flaccid) penis, complete with testicles. First conceived at a game jam, the title has finally got a full release, as it were, to Steam Early Access.
It’s perhaps best to let the developer, Devolver Digital, describe it. “Players control a detached penis complete with testicles and an anus in a variety of game modes, each featuring a stimulating orgy of objectives: Penetrate and be penetrated as fast as possible or compete in absurd, silly and sexually suggestive games and challenges,” the PR actually says.
Suffice to say, the end goal, so to speak, is to get the dick into the butt. You can play online or in local multiplayer with up to eight competitors, in classic or party mode. Challenges include “Double Delight,” “Obstacle Intercourse” and “Weiner Round Up,” which, you’ll just have to check the video below to see what those are (NSFW, very obviously). If you’re up for some ridiculous fun, the game is now on Steam Early Access for $4.99 or £3.99 in the UK.
Source: Steam
A full ‘Pokemon’ game could come to Nintendo’s Switch
It sounds like a version of Pokemon Sun and Moon could be headed to Nintendo’s upcoming Switch console. It’d be akin to Red and Blue’s sibling Yellow or Pearl and Diamond’s Platinum, according to Eurogamer’s sources. Currently the codename is Stars. Now, for a bit of unpacking. Both Yellow and Pearl were similar to their generational predecessors, but offered new features like different legendary-class pocket monsters or starting with the adorable Pikachu at your side.
Eurogamer says that development paused on Stars while the team at Game Freak was wrapping Sun and Moon, but now that those are in stores work has resumed. This won’t be a simple port, from the sounds of it. The game will feature high-res graphics and new bits that aren’t in the new 3DS titles. What’s more, you’ll apparently be able to trade creatures back and forth between the console and handheld version using the Pokemon Bank mobile app. There’s also the chance for new Pokemon in Stars that aren’t available in Sun and Moon.
The main Pokemon games stick to handhelds because they’re made for battling and trading on the go with friends. As the sizzle reel from October made obvious, the Switch is in fact a portable console, so the design philosophies from the 3DS games shouldn’t be a roadblock here. If you’re hoping to play the game next March when the console is scheduled to release you’re going to be out of luck: Eurogamer’s sources say Stars won’t be out until sometime later in 2017.
Earlier this year when two of our editors faced the question of whether or not the series should move to consoles, Senior Editor Aaron Souppouris had this to say:
“Almost 30 years [since Red and Blue came out] and we have the ability to make Pokemon games that look, sound and feel better than the original animated series. And we’re not doing it.”
With this rumor, it looks like we’re one step closer to that happening.
Source: Eurogamer
The Engadget Podcast Ep 15: Everything But the Truth
Senior editor Devindra Hardawar and reviews editor Cherlynn Low join host Terrence O’Brien to dig through the week’s biggest news. First they’ll talk about two of the biggest new products on the market: the Macbook Pro and the Surface Studio. Then they’ll try to figure out what posses a Ubisoft employee to hide a rather graphic image of a vagina in Watch Dogs 2. Lastly the panel will talk about the growing problem of fake news on the internet and what giants like Facebook can do to combat it.
Wins
Loses
Winning %
Christopher Trout
5
1
.833
Mona Lalwani
3
1
.750
Dana Wollman
10
6
.625
Devindra Hardawar
12
10
.545
Chris Velazco
3
3
.500
Cherlynn Low
7
9
.437
Nathan Ingraham
4
6
.400
Michael Gorman
1
5
.167
Relevant links:
- MacBook Pro review (2016): A step forward and a step back
- Sony suspends player who found a sex organ in ‘Watch Dogs 2’
- Microsoft’s Surface Studio proves desktops can still be cool
- Google is restricting AdSense ads on fake-news sites
- Google search for ‘final election numbers’ offers up fake news
- Facebook will also cut off fake news sites from ad money
- Facebook didn’t stop fake news because it’s afraid of conservatives
- Mark Zuckerberg: over 99 percent of Facebook content is authentic
- Facebook employees are unofficially trying to defeat fake news
- False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and/or Satirical “News” Sources
You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on Facebook
Subscribe on Google Play Music
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe on Stitcher
Subscribe on Pocket Casts
PSVR shooter ‘RIGS’ gets a new mech and arena next month
PSVR multiplayer mech-em-up RIGS is one of the platform’s most stunning launch titles, delivering enjoyable and fast-paced action — if your stomach can handle it. In a bid to keep players blasting each other over the holidays, developer Guerilla Cambridge has announced that the title’s first major update will arrive next month.
Offering gamers an agile new APX rig to pilot and introducing RIGS’ first European stage, the Zurich Arena, this free update will add some much-needed variety to the game’s limited multiplayer. As well as these two major additions, players will be able to compete in weekly trials, earning credits, fame and exclusive customization items. Rounding up the update is a wealth of new items to purchase from the in-game store.
Along with the patch, Guerilla Cambridge stressed the importance of post-launch support. But with no clear schedule beyond this release, it seems this may be the last major update for a while.
Source: PlayStation Blog
The Morning After: Friday, November 18, 2016
Is a folding drone the next must-have accessory in your travel bag? We review the Passport, dig into Snapchat’s Spectacle strategy and investigate news for iPhones old and new. Plus: The old Top Gear crew is back today on Amazon with The Grand Tour — that’s one way to head into the weekend.
Desktops are cool againReview: Microsoft Surface Studio
There’s a new option for desktop all-in-ones, now that Microsoft has released the Surface Studio. The Surface Dial accessory brings a unique twist on interaction and touch control, while its slick design and powerful specs help meet the marks pros are actually looking for in a computer. On the other hand, mobile graphics and a stodgy hybrid storage system, plus its high price and the need for more software support, make it hard to recommend switching right away.
Big phone problemsApple’s repair program for the iPhone 6 Plus will fix touchscreen issues — for a price
We’ve been hearing from iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners about a so-called touch disease affecting their phones, and Apple’s response is here. Without copping to a problem with the phones, its repair program will fix your iPhone 6 Plus if it’s having problems with flickering or multitouch for $149, out of warranty. The only problem? That may not go far enough, as the CEO of iFixit disputes Apple’s claim that the problem comes from dropped phones, and many people have said it affects the smaller iPhone 6 too.
Bring a wind sock tooReview: Hover Camera Passport
Sure, everyone wants a drone, but most don’t have a drone like this. While it’s not as big as the top-flight units from the likes of DJI and GoPro, Zero Zero Robotics’ Hover Camera Passport combines a tiny form factor and foldable case. It’s small enough that you can bring it along easily, without needing FAA registration. Controlled by an app on your phone, it’s also smart enough to do face and body tracking for optimal selfie angles. Of course, small size means small battery, which means short flight time, plus the fact that a strong breeze could blow away your $600 machine in an instant.
Popping tagsInstagram tries to pull in advertisers with new shopping tags
Everyone has to make money, and Instagram’s next big idea is the integration of shopping tags for brands like Warby Parker and Kate Spade. Only on iOS in the US for now, it’s just one of Instagram’s business-focused features currently rolling out.
Comcast will ruin this somehowSpaceX wants FCC approval for its satellite-based internet provider
Focused on more things than reaching Mars, Elon Musk’s space company took the next step in its internet project this week. An FCC filing reveals it’s seeking to launch 800 satellites that will provide internet service in the US, then growing its network to 4,425 satellites capable of 1Gbps connections around the globe.
Experiences, not thingsAirbnb’s latest category rents more than just spare rooms
Airbnb has a new “comprehensive” travel venture that goes beyond just putting you up in a stranger’s house for the weekend. A new Experience category promises access to both short events and longer multi-day “Immersions,” as well as features that help guide travelers to interesting places near where they’re staying. The new features are live in 12 cities now, and will be available in more than 50 next year.
The Galaxy iPhoneIs 2017 the year OLED comes to the iPhone?
OLED tech just came to the MacBook Pro, and a rumor from Bloomberg suggests that next year Apple will release at least one version of the iPhone using this display technology. Samsung has relied on these screens for models of its Galaxy phones, but word on the street is that obtaining enough supply for the iPhone could be a problem.
They’re playing hard to getSnapchat is relying on fans to get the word out about Spectacles
The first hardware from Snap Inc. is unique not just because of its glasses-integrated camera, but also in how it’s launching. The slow rollout of Snapbots is driving up the hype about where its vending machines will arrive next, without the usual wave of media reviews.
But wait, there’s more…
- Sony’s cord-cutting service comes to Apple TV
- Obama: We have to get serious about facts
- The Prince estate is suing Jay Z’s Roc Nation, saying Tidal’s streaming rights have expired
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Bungie is banning Destiny’s biggest cheaters
As video game makers continue to incorporate more online and multiplayer elements into their games, they need to give special consideration to how they deal with cheaters. Consoles are locked down by default, meaning players have fewer tools to manipulate their experience, but Bungie has confirmed it’s (finally) ready to drop the banhammer in an attempt to stop people ruining Destiny’s competitive multiplayer modes.
In a tweet, Chris “Cozmo23” Shannon, community manager at Bungie, said that console bans are now being issued “for devices with a history of banned or restricted accounts.” Shannon links to a support page on the Bungie website, outlining the various phases of player bans.
If a gamer receives an “account restriction,” that’s it — they won’t be able to play anything until that suspension lifts. An “activity restriction,” however, is a lot more specific: a player will be banned from playing a game mode in Destiny, like Iron Banner or Trials of Osiris, and they may also lose all gear and emblems that are associated with it. Many players enter Iron Banner or Trials of Osiris to level their character with multiplayer-specific items, so Bungie is looking to impose the virtual equivalent of taking cheaters’ toys away from them.
Bungie says that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players will given one of these penalties if they play Destiny on a modded console or have altered the game software. Bans will also be handed out to gamers who use third-party apps to change the way Destiny operates, which includes the use of apps or services that impact other players’ connections (like a denial of service attack). This increasingly happens in Crucible playlists.
Over the past few months, players have taken to forums and the game’s subreddit to complain about DoS attacks, which involves slowing down their connection so the griefer can win a multiplayer battle without any skill involved. Bungie also warns that players on consistently unreliable connections may receive warnings, as it ruins the experience for other people playing the game.
To begin with, Bungie will impose limits on accounts, meaning that those who are caught will be allowed to return to the game once they’ve had time to think about what they’ve done. However, if they’re repeatedly caught, the game maker will ban their console indefinitely.
Via: Polygon
Source: Bungie
AIVAnet 