‘Reality’ of Magic Leap could be further away than we thought

Over the last couple of years, we’ve repeatedly heard a lot about Magic Leap’s supposedly advanced augmented reality tech, but have seen very little. In 2014, a half-billion dollar round of investment that included Google ratcheted up the hype and it has not slowed down since. Now, The Information is reporting, based on sources and a hands-on demonstration, that the reality hasn’t lived up to all of the promises yet.

First up is Magic Leap’s jaw-dropping demo video from last year, which appeared with a caption indicating it was “just another day in the office” and an example of a game the company could play. According to The Information, however, there was no such game at that time, and the mockup video was created entirely with special effects. That said, the video prominently features a WETA Workshop logo and, unlike more recent, fuzzier videos, does not claim to be recorded using Magic Leap’s actual technology.

What is worrying, however, is that apparently the company’s patented fiber-optic technology isn’t working well enough for use in a wearable mixed-reality device and has been shelved for now. Because of this, The Information says it’s using different, otherwise unspecified technology to get its experience from the current helmet-sized prototype to something that will fit on a pair of glasses. While CEO Rony Abovitz reportedly showed a prototype compact “PEQ” device, it wasn’t turned on and he did not share details of the technology.

Since we still haven’t seen it, and there’s no window for a release, it’s hard to say what the technology will or could look like when we see it. Still, it could be a tall order to surpass actually-shipping mixed-reality tech like Microsoft’s HoloLens, no matter how expensive and rare it is. A Magic Leap demo video from April arrived alongside an in-depth profile of the company specifically noting “Shot directly through Magic Leap technology on April 8, 2016 without use of special effects or compositing,” and we’re sure everyone will be watching to see if future releases live up to what has been shown.

Source: The Information

Samsung may finally be disabling the Note 7 for good

Say goodnight, Gracie.

Apparently, the Verge received an image from a Galaxy Note 7 user on US Cellular today about the fate of the now-deceased Note 7 line. In the photo, a message saying it was from US Cellular states: AS OF DEC. 15, SAMSUNG WILL MODIFY THE SOFTWARE TO PREVENT THE GALAXY NOTE7 FROM CHARGING. THE PHONE WILL NO LONGER WORK.” The message, in all caps so you know they meant business, spells out what many have said would happen — the end of the Note 7.

Having Note 7 phones still in the wild is a liability issue for Samsung and carriers in the US.

While there is no way to determine the validity of the information provided to the Verge, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Samsung take more drastic measures to get the last remaining phones out of the hands of the knuckleheads diehards still clinging to it. New Zealand and Canada have said that they were killing functions up to and including disabling the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios and banning the use on cellular networks. Samsung has also sent out updates across the world to limit battery capacity. These companies are serious and want people to stop using the phone.

We all know how the saga went down. Some note 7 batteries ruptured and exploded and caused fires. The phone was recalled in September of 2016, and replacements had just started filtering out — and subsequently doing the same thing and burning more stuff — in October. Samsung finally pulled the plug and ate the loss. Most phones have been returned, but Samsung and the people who actually sold them are determined to get them all back or in a landfill somewhere in New Jersey. They know people intransigent enough to keep using a Note 7 would also be the same people who would hold others liable when things take a turn for the worse.

if you’re still holding onto a Note 7, for God’s sake just turn the damn thing in already.

Everything you need to know about the Galaxy Note 7 recall

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 fires, recall and cancellation: Everything you need to know
• Survey results: Samsung users stay loyal after Note 7 recall
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

Pokemon Go: Now you can get Starbucks and still catch ’em all

From now on, when you’re on the way to work in the morning and make a Starbucks stop to get a cup of joe, make sure to have your phone in hand, because you may have the chance to catch eggs or even battle.

Confused? Allow us to explain.

Niantic labs, the developer behind Pokemon Go, has announced Starbucks is now an official partner of the game. Starting at 11 am PST on 8 December, 7,800 company-operated Starbucks stores in the US will become PokeStops and Gyms, giving you even more places to play the game. Starbucks has even created a special-edition Pokemon Go Frappuccino drink to celebrate the partnership.

Niantic Labs/Starbucks

This news comes just a few days after Niantic Labs revealed new Pokemon would come to Pokemon Go on 12 December, thanks to a partnership with Sprint in the US. Pokemon Go has made a number of changes in recent weeks and months since its heyday in the summer of 2016.

We’ve recently seen the nearby feature launch, Ditto added, and we’ve seen changes to a whole range of game mechanics too.

• How to use the Pokemon Go Nearby feature
• Pokemon Go: How to raise your XP level, power up and evolve your Pokemon
• Pokemon Go: Best Pokemon with highest CP
• Pokemon Go review, or The Trials and Tribulations of a Pokemon Go addict

Hulu now lets you create profiles, including for kids – here’s how

Taking a page from Netflix’s playbook, Hulu is finally letting its users create multiple profiles.

Each Hulu account can maintain up to six individual profiles that will serve up tailored recommendations and remember viewing history. Every profile also has its own Watchlist, which makes it easy to keep track of all the shows and movies you’re watching on the video-streaming service, as you can manually add any show, episode, clip, movie, or trailer to save for later.

As part of these new profiles, there’s also a profile option for kids, so parents can restrict their access to inappropriate content. Here’s everything you need to know about Hulu’s Profiles feature, including how to set them up.

• Hulu now offers 4K, starting with original shows and 20 Bond films

What is Hulu?

Hulu is a video-streaming service in the US that offers premium content such as hit television shows and feature-length movies. For $7.99 a month, you get access to Hulu’s content library, but for an extra $4.00 a month, you can enjoy a commercial-free experience. However, Hulu only allows one stream per account. While you can use your subscription on many different devices, you can only stream to one device at a time.

What are Hulu profiles?

Individual profiles enable you to keep track of all of your shows and movies regardless of what other viewers in your household – who use the same Hulu account – watch. Each profile created within the same Hulu account will have its own personalised Watchlist, recommendations, and viewing history. You can also create profiles for your kids, so they can watch kid-friendly content.

How do ‘Kids profiles’ work?

Profiles for kids aren’t meant to be parental controls, Hulu said. It simply creates a place for children to browse Hulu without accidentally running into recommendations for mature content. Kids also won’t be able to access Watchlist, search, recommendations, and auto-resume functions.

How do you create Hulu profiles?

Profiles are currently only available on Hulu.com, but Hulu plans to add support for more devices in the next couple of months. So, if you create different profiles on Hulu.com and then sign in to your account on your TV or mobile device, you will only be able to view and manage your primary profile. You will not be able to see or access other profiles and their respective preferences and history.

You can create a new profile from the Profiles menu on your Account page (or by hovering over the profile name and selecting Add Profile from the drop-down menu). The first profile is generated automatically using the name and other information on your account, but you will see options to create up to six additional profiles. To edit a profile, simply visit your Account page, then select the Profiles tab, and choose the profile.

How do you switch between Hulu profiles?

From Hulu.com, click or hover over the account name to display the different profiles, and then select the profile you want.

This nostalgic toy magnifies your phone vids onto a mini retro TV

Remember that cardboard smartphone projector that was all the rage a few Christmases ago? We’ve found something similar, only it’s super nostalgic.

On Firebox right now you can buy a toy that blows up your smartphone videos on a TV-like display. That TV has a faux-wood exterior and a warped 8-inch screen and no remote control. It’s supposed to recreate the look of old school box televisions. Even the side hatch, which is where you slip your phone into the magnifier, is designed to resemble old VHS tapes.

• Want Cardboard? Here’s how to make (or buy) Google’s headset

The idea is that you can bring up your favourite Netflix episode on your phone, then slot it into the magnifier via the side hatch, and sit back and watch as your TV show is “transformed into blown-up vintage masterpieces” – warped display quality and all. But aside from reminiscing, you will be watching videos at nearly twice the size because of the 8-inch screen.

It’s the lo-fi, handsfree way to watch magnify films on your smartphone. We can imagine this coming in handy in the tub, when you want to watch a video on your phone, but need to keep it away from the water. Just put it in the Smartphone Magnifier, and you’re good to go.

German Intel chief: Russia is trying to ‘destabilize’ the country

America’s recent elections weren’t the only event that Russia has been accused of meddling in. On Thursday, President Dr Hans-Georg Maaßen of the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), Germany’s internal intelligence service, issued a brutally frank press release laying out the BfV’s accusations against Russia.

This is big: unprecedented, stark warning by Germany’s BfV against aggressive Russian influence ops, false flags, APT28, goals—full text: pic.twitter.com/2H8RCKYZbW

— Thomas Rid (@RidT) December 8, 2016

In recent months, Germany has seen an “aggressive and increased cyber spying and cyber operations that could potentially endanger German government officials, members of parliament and employees of democratic parties,” Maaßen said in his statement. This has been accompanied by an “enormous use of financial resources” to spread “disinformation” and sow discord both within the country and the wider EU

The BfV also reports that it has observed a significant jump in the activities of ATP 28, a Russian hacker group better known as Strontrium (“Fancy Bear”), which has been linked to the intrusion into the American Democratic National Convention earlier this year. What’s more, the intelligence agency notes that so-called “false flag” operations conducted by this group have consistently pinned the blame on domestic activist organizations.

Taken together, the BfV has all but yelled “J’accuse!” (but, you know, in German) at Russia’s intelligence apparatus. The BfV claims that the cyber-campaign aims to rile up extremist groups and weaken voter trust in the German government, just like it did in America. All, reportedly, performed in an effort to reduce the degree of economic sanctions currently being levied against Russia and “to influence the federal election next year,” Maaßen wrote.

Source: Al Jazeera, Reuters