E3 was secretly terrible for the future of virtual reality
After years of being teased with prototypes, developer kits and tech demos, it’s finally happening: Virtual reality is on the cusp of going mainstream. Need evidence? Just look at the events of E3 2016. Over the past week, the first-ever VR headset for a home console got a release date, and we caught a glimpse of virtual reality games from popular franchises like Star Wars, Final Fantasy and Batman. Better still, pretty much every major player in the industry (save for Nintendo) promised to support VR in 2017. On the surface, things are looking amazing. Dig a little deeper, though, and the situation just might be terrible.
Don’t misunderstand me: The VR announcements at E3 are a good indicator that consumer virtual reality is about to go mainstream. In a broad sense, that’s fantastic — but the details are a little worrying. Take Sony, for instance. At E3, we learned that the PlayStation VR headset would be available in October, and that early adopters would have as many as 50 games to choose from by the end of the year. Unfortunately, we also learned that some of those games might make you sick.
Even players who’ve spent countless hours in virtual reality (like our own Jess Conditt) found themselves on the verge of puking while playing Resident Evil 7: Biohazard — and it wasn’t because of the horror game’s gory visuals either. No, it’s that the game is pushing the limits of PlayStation’s hardware, barely managing to run at the minimum 60 frames per second required for PSVR. The problem? Every other VR headset on the market recommends that games run at a minimum of 90 fps.
This wasn’t the game’s fault so much as the headset’s. By having such a low bar for entry, Sony is allowing PlayStation VR developers to create games that flirt with simulator sickness. Resident Evil 7 will probably improve its framerate before hitting the consumer market, but giving it the option not to be better sets a dangerous precedent: If the first console VR games to hit the market make players sick, that could severely damage public perception of virtual reality gaming in general.
Oculus VR’s Palmer Luckey warned about this exact scenario two years ago. “When [VR] arrives, it has to be good,” he told me in 2014. “I think really bad VR is the only thing that can kill off VR.” Maybe that’s why Microsoft is holding off on offering VR to Xbox users until the arrival of its forthcoming Project Scorpio — an upgraded version of its console designed specifically for virtual reality and 4K content. Sony’s own PlayStation Neo will probably help with low framerates too, but Sony has also promised that all future games will run on today’s PS4 hardware. That means it’s possible that consumers will be exposed to nausea-inducing framerates. That’s bad for everyone.
Palmer Luckey may be right about simulator sickness, but Oculus VR isn’t off the hook when it comes to poisoning the well. The company spent much of E3 under fire for supposedly buying out multi-platform virtual reality games in order to make them exclusive to the Oculus Rift. Games like Superhot and Killing Floor: Incursion won’t be available to HTC Vive owners for a limited period of time after release, while others, like Ripcoil and Wilson’s heart, are first-party Oculus titles that will never be available to Vive owners. Nobody blinks when Sony announces an exclusive PlayStation game, but for the Vive and Rift’s platform, this is completely unprecedented. Until now, there was no such thing as a hardware-exclusive PC game.
To be fair, the accusations against Oculus are only partially true: Oculus is buying timed exclusivity in exchange for helping to fund a game’s development. It’s not actually taking games away from Vive owners; it’s just delaying their delivery. Even so, that’s never been done on PC before. Yes, game releases sometimes only sell on Valve’s Steam platform, or EA’s Origin, but players have never been barred from playing them because their PC wasn’t outfitted with a specific brand of component. If a PC was capable of running a game, it was allowed to play a game. That’s not the case with software sold through the Oculus store; if you own any other PC VR headset besides a Rift, you’re out of luck. Even if that same VR title is available on Steam, without hardware restrictions.
This directly contradicts statements made by Oculus’ own founder: “The software we create through Oculus Studios are exclusive to the Oculus platform, not the Rift.” That sounds diplomatic and fair, but the fact of the matter is that everything on the Oculus store lists the either the Rift or GearVR as its “platform.” If you don’t have Oculus hardware, you’re not going to be able to play anything. The only way to play an Oculus game on the Vive is to use a hack that bypasses the hardware check — except that tool, named Revive, was shut down by Oculus for stripping games of their DRM. It was the right business move for Oculus VR, which has a responsibility to protect its assets, but the move clearly drew a line in the sand: play these games on Oculus hardware, or don’t play them at all.
From a business perspective, Oculus has every right to lock the software sold in its store to its own hardware — but the practice is still disappointing. It’s expected that console VR market will fall in line with the console wars that define their marketplace, but that’s not something that’s ever existed in the PC market. By locking all software on the Oculus store to a specific brand of VR headsets, Oculus is declaring a platform war in a space that has been at relative peace for decades. That’s not just bad for the burgeoning VR market; it’s bad for PC gaming in general.
In the broader sense, however, things are still looking bright for the future of consumer VR. A major player in the consumer gaming space is releasing a mainstream headset, and another is building a console just to serve the market. Oculus’ immersive Touch controllers are getting prepped for launch, and there are a ton of great looking games on the horizon — but a fractured PC market and a headset that makes people puke could stifle the growth VR needs to make it big.
Maybe Nintendo is right to sit out of VR’s first consumer generation. Sometimes, the only winning move is not to play.
Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!
The best binoculars for birds, nature, and the outdoors
By Daniel S. Cooper
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read the full article here.
To find the best binoculars, we had a professional ornithologist spend over 100 hours field-testing 17 pairs against his own $2,500 Leica Ultravids. After using our test pairs in the mountains and hills of Southern California, then on a research trip to the rainforests of southern Mexico, he found that the Athlon Optics Midas ED 8×42 pair was the best of the group, offering performance comparable to his Leicas for a fraction of the price and the widest field of view out of all the binoculars tested. This means you’ll see more, and it will look better.
Who these are for
No matter what you plan to gaze at, your binoculars need to do two things well: They need to make distant objects closer, and they need to make them clearer. Photo: Dan Koeppel
Anyone looking to make faraway objects appear a bit closer should consider a good pair of binoculars. But you might wonder why this story is so oriented toward bird watching. The answer is simple: Binoculars that are great for birders are great for anyone looking to make things appear closer—whether you’re hunting, watching sports, or otherwise. That’s because birding asks everything you need to ask of binoculars. So even if you never plan to seek a scissor-tailed flycatcher or a harpy eagle, birding binoculars will do what you ask.
How we tested
The author testing binoculars in Mexico. Photo: Dan Cooper
We took our initial 17 models to a few favorite local Southern California beaches, mountains, and deserts to get a feel for their handling characteristics, durability, and images’ quality. But we couldn’t get an accurate handle on what actually looked better in such a familiar setting. With familiar objects, you know what you’re going to see even before you lift the binoculars.
To really test the quality and effectiveness of the equipment, you need to start with the unfamiliar, such as, say, a set of birds that you don’t see too often. Seeing unfamiliar birds requires the assimilation of a large number of unfamiliar marks all at once, preferably under physically demanding—or at least very different—circumstances.
With that in mind, we selected my top five binoculars from the initial tests and took them with us to unfamiliar territory in southern Mexico for 10 days of advanced testing. Working in the field is the ultimate test for any pair of binoculars. The optics need to do some very heavy lifting while your brain sorts through several near-identical species.
Our pick
The Athlon Optics Midas ED binoculars are an incredible bargain, with spectacular optics, light weight, and durable construction. Photo: Dan Koeppel
The Athlon Optics Midas ED 8×42—along with nearly all of the other binoculars we tested—are the beneficiaries of a revolution in optical quality caused by the falling costs of precision manufacturing and optical treatments. For under $300 you can get a pair of binoculars that matches products that cost hundreds, or even thousands, more.
The Athlon pair has an admirable brightness, bringing in color under harsh conditions. For example, several other models tested would not allow our tester to differentiate throat coloration of warblers in treetops early in the morning. With the Athlons, it was almost as if the glaring, whitish background of sky wasn’t there—the colors popped to life.
The Athlon Midas ED pair’s optics aren’t its only strong suit: These are exceptionally durable binoculars that easily withstood the humid, dusty, and hostile environment of the Mexican rain forest and harsh sun of the Californian desert. And their focus dial adjusts reliably and smoothly across a wide range of depths, making it easy to focus on what you’re trying to see, no matter where it is.
Almost as good
Celestron’s TrailSeeker binoculars are rugged and have an expansive field of view. Photo: Dan Koeppel
Our runner-up, the Celestron TrailSeeker 8×42s, have rugged, armored construction and were among the lightest binoculars we tested (23 ounces). Optically, the TrailSeekers offered exceptional light-gathering abilities. Our tester recalled watching a northern harrier soaring against the sky and the colors of the streaks below were as sharp as can be. Another bonus is this pair’s ability to focus close—as near as 6.5 feet, with a field of view of 426 feet at 1,000 yards. The outer edges of that expansive field of view did have some distortion, though.
One caveat: The Celestrons we received had an odd catch in the focus dial; a second pair we checked out in store didn’t have that flaw. Be sure to check the pair you end up with to make sure everything moves smoothly.
Splendid views at a great price
The Carson VP is about as inexpensive as a really good pair of binoculars can be. Photo: Dan Koeppel
We can’t really recommend any binoculars that cost under $100; those tend to have very poor optics and aren’t durable enough to survive hard knocks without coming out of alignment. But for just a bit more, the very functional Carson VP pair offers excellent optics, a minimum focus distance of 6.6 feet, and rugged waterproof and fogproof construction.
Very bright with a great case
The Alpen Wings ED are as good as binoculars get, and they come with a very rugged, versatile carrying-case system. Photo: Dan Koeppel
Another model that performed very well, Alpen Wings ED, came in over our $350 price limit. This is as good a pair of binoculars as we’ve ever tried and is further proof that the overall market for binoculars has been turned upside down in terms of quality and price. The Alpens are brighter, a bit sleeker, and were a little easier to carry than the Athlons. When looking through both models side by side, you might notice a slightly superior image quality with the Alpens over the Athlons, but viewed apart, both are excellent.
Though all of the binoculars we tested come with cases, the Alpen Wings ED went above and beyond with its case system. Video: Dan Koeppel
The real reason the Alpens are worth you paying more for is their excellent storage system: They offer an adjustable, wide-band neoprene strap, and a hard, form-fitting holster that attaches to your belt or can hang around your neck via your binocular strap. If that’s not enough, the holster fits inside an included hard-shell nylon zippered case.
This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
Dish drops NFL channels after deal expires
Tribune stations went dark on Dish Network earlier this week, making it difficult for some customers to watch the NBA and NHL championship matchups. The TV provider is dealing with another sports-related dispute too, and this time it’s with the NFL. Dish subscribers won’t be privy to the league-owned NFL Network and NFL RedZone for the time being as contract negotiations stalled before the previous deal expired last night. The NFL pointed out that this is the first time a television provider has blacked out its channels and set up a website to let eager football fans in on other options for watching its content.
It will be interesting to see if the NFL pushing fans to other cable and satellite operators gets a deal done. As the league points out, the football faithful stand to miss out on training camp and preseason coverage in the immediate future, with the full regular season on the line as well. Dish and the NFL have worked out agreements in the past, but only time will tell if they can come to terms this time around.
“As the only network 100% dedicated to coverage of America’s most popular sports league, NFL Network is committed to serving the millions of NFL fans by reaching fair distribution agreements with the pay-TV industry,” the league said in a statement.
“Our contract with NFL Network has expired,” Dish explained in a statement to Engadget. “We remain open to a fair offer that allows us to carry this content at an appropriate value to our customers.”
Via: Reuters, Daily Dot
Source: NFL
NASA and American Airlines team up to improve cockpit displays
In order to improve flight training, cockpit displays and other necessary flight deck operations, NASA is drawing on the experiences of some 15,000 test pilots who are already in the air with American Airlines. The two groups announced this week a five-year partnership that will allow the space agency to observe, “how flight crews interact with technology in real time, in real life,” NASA Langley researcher Steve Young explained. “It gives us a better idea not only about how current technology works, but how designs for future flight deck systems can provide the most impact.”
Through the partnership, American Airlines will get more realistic simulator and flight training systems that both teams hope will ultimately lead to a better flight experience for all the regular folks back in the main cabin. Increased realism in a flight simulator doesn’t just mean higher definition visuals though — it also means building in challenging new scenarios like “loss-of-control events” or other situations where planes ended up in unsafe conditions.
NASA has a long history of collaborating with the airline industry and others in the private sector to develop new technologies for everyone’s benefit. In 2001, the agency actually partnered with American to develop synthetic vision, which allows pilots to have clear skies no matter what kind of weather happens to be outside the cockpit windows.
A one-button wearable defeats the purpose of Pokémon Go
Whenever you ask Pokémon players what they enjoy about playing the games, it usually involves the actual Pokémon in some way. Some enjoy training up their creatures to create the ultimate battle team; others really get into the breeding aspects of the game. In some titles you can even enter your Pokémon in beauty pageants where you dress them up in gaudy accessories. And of course, there’s the thrill of finding as many species as possible in order to achieve the ultimate goal: a complete Pokédex containing every single known Pokémon. These characters lie at the heart of most of Pokémon gameplay.
Which is what makes the new wearable, the Pokémon Go Plus, somewhat puzzling. It’s an optional add-on for the new mobile AR game Pokémon Go that reduces the action of capturing a Pokémon to a series of blinking lights. The device lights up and vibrates when a Pokémon is nearby. You push the button to attempt a capture, and the device will respond with a blue light to indicate success, or a red light for failure.
The idea is that by making it so that Pokémon trainers can participate in the game without having to pull out their phones, they’ll stay focused on the real world. If they’re on their way somewhere they can keep walking, and if they’re in the middle of a conversation they can keep on talking. However, Pokémon can be a bit of an obsession, and it’s unlikely that someone’s going to push the button and not going to want to pull out their phone. That’s because a lot of the joy of the game lies in the thrill of “What did you get?”
The button is also meant to save time, as Pokémon capture can be a bit of tricky business and often requires a bit of consideration: Which Poké Ball do you use? Would an item help? That thought process has been replaced by a strategy of “spray and pray,” which means that when you eventually pull out your phone you’ll probably still spend a bit of time pruning your roster of creatures. There are also bound to be occasional disappointments. What happens when the player encounters a rare Pokémon? Does the Go Plus automatically pick the best capture strategy? Or will players open up the app to find out their Go Plus tried to capture a Mew with a standard Poké Ball and failed? (Pro tip: You’re gonna want a Master Ball for that.)
There’s nothing wrong with trying to extend the Pokémon experience into the real world with some extra hardware. This isn’t the first time that a Pokémon game has flirted with add-ons, nor is the Go Plus the first device to encourage Pokémon trainers to be more active: The Pokémon Pikachu was a digital pet that also served as a pedometer, rewarding the user for walking by unlocking more in-game activities. Its successor, the Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS, could transfer data with Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, essentially trading steps taken for in-game items. Years later the PokéWalker was bundled (for free) with copies of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and served up a lot of the same functions. All of these pedometers are nice add-ons to the Pokémon experience, but they’re also gaming devices that can be actually used on their own. Your interaction with the Go Plus is limited to pushing a button and hoping it turns blue.
Perhaps this wouldn’t be a big deal if the Pokémon Go Plus were cheap and disposable; something you could try once and then forget about. But Nintendo doesn’t do cheap and disposable — though the game will be free at launch and doesn’t require the Go Plus to work, the device is sold separately for $35. That’s more than many people will ever spend on a mobile game. Heck, it’s about what you’d spend on the average 3DS game, Pokémon titles included. Casual users are likely to opt out, even though they’re the ones most likely to benefit from a wearable that makes it easier to get further in Pokémon Go without having to sink hours of effort into it.
You’d have to really like Pokémon to drop that much cash on such thing, never mind wear it openly. And there are plenty of people who will do just that. Hardcore trainers are always looking for new ways to improve their Pokémon experience, and may not mind the extra work the whole “throw a Poké Ball at everything” approach entails in terms of team management. But it’s also not what drew players to the franchise in the first place. If you really like Pokémon, wouldn’t you want more than just a blinking light?
Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!
Ford GT: Ford Performance heritage from 1966 to Le Mans 2016
Sitting in an innocuous shed on the outskirts of Ford’s Dagenham estate lies the Ford Heritage Centre.
To look at, the building is perhaps as much a heritage piece as the cars that sit within. We pull up outside the new Ford Mustang GT, and with a parking area that seems to be at capacity with five cars, we decide to take the liberty of parking it on the pavement.
Our casual approach to parking reflects the easy-going nature of those who inhabit the Ford Heritage Centre. This is less motor museum and more garden workshop, as we push through the folding metal doors that look old enough to have been installed by Edsel Ford himself.
There’s a magic in that however, as you step carefully along the lines of some of Ford’s most famous cars. The smell of oil is rich, as this is a practical building where things actually happen, and the Ford Escort on the ramps is a testament to that.
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It’s the home of the Ford Heritage Collection, cars that are cared for, celebrated, and in many ways loved. They are preserved in a roadworthy condition, maintained to be used.
But today isn’t about the RS Cosworth, Supervan or that fairly ordinary Ka nestled at the back, it’s about the Ford GT.
The Ford GT race car returns to Le Mans
In 2016, the Ford GT returns to Le Mans. That news was revealed a year ago, following the unveiling of the new Ford GT road car at the North American Auto Show in early 2015. Fast forward a year and we’re eyeing-up a new Ford GT race car, competing in the Le Mans GTE Pro.
There are four Ford GTs competing in the class, alongside the likes of the Aston Martin Vantage, Porsche 911 RSR, Corvette C7.R, and of course Ferrari. The story goes that the original Ford GT was built an “up yours” to Ferrari, a rivalry that’s will be as alive in the 2016 Le Mans race as it was in the 1960s.
Enzo Ferrari had been looking to sell and Ford was looking to buy. The story goes that Ferrari snubbed Ford’s advances and didn’t sign on the line. Ford’s reaction was to challenge Ferrari and the GT was born. After a couple of mediocre race performances, Ford’s took a 1-2-3 victory at Le Mans in 1966 with the Ford GT40 MkII. It’s fitting then that the Ford GT’s new push into performance comes on the 50th anniversary of that famous victory.
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This new Ford GT race car presents the wonderfully dramatic bodywork of the new Ford GT, but carrying with it hallmarks from its predecessors, like those gaping holes in the bonnet.
It switches out the 7-litre engine of that old Le Mans winner for a 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost engine. With EcoBoost sitting at the heart of not only Ford’s regular road cars, but now its racing thoroughbred too, it’s a strong push for both Ford and the EcoBoost brand.
Working from the black 1966 car, painted here as the race-winning car of 66 you can see this heritage evolution of the GT, sticking to that wide, flattened body and holey bonnet, channeling air over the shoulders before it gobbles it all up again to the rear. Click here to see more glorious photos.
Those air inlets sit behind the doors across all these GT models, but what’s perhaps surprising is that those quirky bridges, or flying buttresses, that span from roof to rear wheel on the new GT, are also on the GT40 MkIII from some 50 years ago, albeit much smaller, sucking more air into the engine bay.
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The Ford GT40 MkIII was an oddball. Sporting more flamboyant curves and more exotic design, this was a race car tamed. Designed as a road version of the GT, it was detuned and given a modicum of creature comfort, like a luggage box sitting on top of the engine compartment. If you want to arrive with super-heated clothes, it’s the car for you.
If you’re a fan of GTs, you’ll likely have seen DWC 8G before, here in red. It’s a rare car, but ultimately, it was rare because (the story goes) at the time, no one really wanted this softer GT. With only seven made, DWC 8G has flaunted its curves in many different liveries as the Heritage Collection restores and remodels this rare beast. If you want to see more, head into the gallery for more photos.
The 2005 Clarkson displeaser
Much of the curvy flamboyance is lost in the 2005 Ford GT, which in many ways is closer to the rough muscley looks of the original racing GT40, with that flat back. Common across all three of these older models we have here are those doors that cut deep into the roof. It’s one of the GT’s most distinctive features of the past.
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On the early cars, the interior is understandably barebones. By 2005 things were very different and in this road-going GT, there are plenty of comforts, with that metal finish to the interior. But there’s a brutality to the exterior design, and the GT remains a flat slab of car, here powered with supercharged 5.4-litre V8.
For those in the UK, it’s perhaps best remembered for the praise that turned to criticism from Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson, who owned one and ultimately returned it. For a closer look at the 2005 Ford GT, check out our photo gallery.
But from the 2005 model and you can draw a line directly into the design of the next-gen Ford GT. Things are bolder and wider, but with the birth of the 2016 model, there’s a wonderful drama that you wouldn’t normally associate with Ford. In many ways, the new Ford GT exhibits the flamboyance you might associate with Ferrari, and that’s beautifully ironic.
The rebirth of Ford Performance, and a dab of charm
This rebirth of the Ford GT is all part of a reinvigoration of Ford Performance. The Ford GT race car will set out its stall at Le Mans, leading the charge for the new and refreshed road GT models, for that new Ford Mustang GT we pulled up in, the excellent Ford Focus RS and those beloved Focus and Fiesta STs, tearing up the streets wherever you look.
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Judging by the popularity of the ST, the praise heaped on the Focus RS, and our own experience of the Mustang GT, Ford Performance is as exciting now as it has been in the past. In many ways, success at Le Mans in 2016 will be the cake onto which this icing is spread, with an EcoBoost cherry on top.
Much of Blue Oval history is played out in the Ford Heritage Centre, a real lifeline to Ford’s past. That might be a past that starts with the Model T (which they have), but to so many cars in-between. Ford’s new performance push puts a fresh range of models within the grasp of many people, something that was true of many of the classics that now live in the Heritage Centre.
The fact that this priceless collection is not just housed, but cared for and loved, in a rather ramshackle hut, is rather charming and in some way fitting.
Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch leaks, codenamed Solaris running Tizen OS
The Samsung Gear S3 has leaked in the lead up to its unveil as its codename, Solis, has been outed along with model numbers and OS details.
According to sources of Sam Mobile the next Samsung watch is being developed under the codename Solis, meaning Sun in Spanish. Since the last Gear S2 used the codename Orbis, also on that round theme, this seems like its successor.
The source says that the new Solaris watch will come running the Tizen operating system, as opposed to Android. This will come with an updated interface that will likely take advantage of the same rotating bezel control system the Gear S2 offers.
No other specs are revealed aside from the model numbers: SM-R760, SM-R765, SM-R770, SM-R765V, and SM-R765S. It’s stipulated that the 1.2-inch display of the Gear S2 may get a size upgrade to help make touch interactions, where the bezel control isn’t used, a little more easy.
Another area we’d like to see improvement in is battery life. For many a smartwatch is yet another device to charge and extending life for less plug-in moments is always a good move.
Luxury jewellers de Grisogono has revealed that it is working with Samsung to co-create a high-end version of the Gear S3. This is likely an attempt to take some of Apple’s market share in the luxury wearables sector.
Expect to hear more on the Samsung Gear S3 as leaks increase ahead of an expected reveal at Samsung Unpacked on 2 August when the Galaxy Note 7 is expected to appear. Failing that an IFA appearance in early September is likely.
READ: Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch plans leaked, luxury de Grisogono version confirmed
Mercedes Benz S 500 hybrid to charge wirelessly, and quickly too
Mercedes Benz has announced that in 2017 it will be introducing wireless charging for its S 500 e hybrid electric cars.
This means that anyone driving the S 500 e model will be able to align the car over a charging plate and it will begin recharging, without any cables needed. The driver wouldn’t even have to leave the car.
One possible perceived problem with this is the rate of charge, since wireless can be less efficient than wired. However Mercedes says that this system will be 90 per cent efficient, meaning a decent 3.6kWh energy transmission rate.
Since wireless charging will come as an optimal extra on these models, presumably these plates will be installed in the garages of owners for use.
The 2017 Mercedes Benz S 500 e will feature a turbocharged petrol engine and electric motor. The range on pure electric should be a good 20 miles.
It’s been tipped by insiders that the cars will have an autonomous driving ability that allows them to align over the plates automatically. Mercedes has already shown off cars that drive in and out of garages and parking spaces controlled by the driver’s app. So this assumption seems reasonable.
Mercedes is expected to begin rolling out the inductive wireless charging in the S 500 e but should make it an option for all its electric and hybrid models in the future.
READ: Mini’s future vision is an urban go-kart, made for sharing
Disney app will narrate ‘Finding Dory’ for blind theatergoers
Disney’s Movies Anywhere app caters mostly to viewers at home, but it has now become especially useful to visually impaired Nemo fans who want to enjoy its sequel in the theaters. The House of Mouse has updated the iOS app to listen to Finding Dory in the cinema, so it can narrate what’s happening on screen and provide detailed descriptions of each scene in between dialogues. All users need to do is to pop in a pair of earbuds and fire up the application.
The company introduced audio descriptions for viewers at home a few months ago — this is the first time it’s making it to theaters, and we sure hope it won’t be the last. However, the feature’s only available in the US, and based on Disney’s info, only for iOS users. Folks in the US who have an iDevice running iOS 7, though, can access the capability in any theater nationwide.
Android apps are now available on Chrome OS
The ASUS Chromebook Flip is the first Chrome OS device to get Android Apps after Google announced the feature at its I/O conference in May. If you own that device and are willing to download an early alpha version of Chrome OS 53, the Google Play store icon will appear on the desktop. According to Google’s François Beaufort, the build should also bring Android apps to the 2015 Chromebook Pixel and Acer Chromebook R11. However, some Reddit user say that the Play Store isn’t yet working on those devices.
Google first revealed that Chrome OS would get Android apps back in 2014, so the feature has obviously taken a long time to implement. The company recently showed a demo (above) to give you an idea as to how it would work. The takeaway is that it’s probably best to have a touchscreen and reasonably powerful machine. Android apps will benefit Chrome OS users enormously, letting them easily swap files and work offline.
For now, the laptop acts like Android 6.01 and only works with tablet apps. Reddit users say there are minor bugs with the accelerometer and racing games, but generally report that it’s working well considering it’s still a developer build. However, users who rely on their Chromebooks should wait until at least the beta software comes in about a month. Other devices will get Android apps “later in 2016,” according to Google — for a complete list, check here.
Source: François Beaufort (G+)
