How a Nine-Year-Old Australian Landed a Coveted WWDC Apple Scholarship

During Apple’s opening keynote address at this week’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, CEO Tim Cook gave a shout-out to Anvitha Vijay, the youngest ever developer to attend WWDC.

Aged just nine, Vijay applied for and won one of 350 coveted Apple scholarships to attend the conference’s coding and programming sessions, which are typically dominated by high school and college students.

Anvitha Vijay, the 9-year-old developer at WWDC 2016 (Image: USA Today)

A resident of Melbourne, Australia, Vijay was selected for a scholarship after she created an iOS app called Smartkins Animals, which lets young users have fun exploring the sights and sounds of over 100 animals. Prior to WWDC, the app had been downloaded “a few hundred times”.

“It was like a dream to be here and meet so many people,” Vijay said, speaking to USA Today. “I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg in coding, there’s so much to learn.”

Vijay began teaching herself coding skills at the age of seven by watching YouTube instructional videos and using her mum’s iPhone (users have to be aged at least 13 to hold an iTunes account). She said she was motivated to make an app using Xcode to teach her younger sister how to identify the names of animals.

“I want to be an innovator, to build things that people will love and benefit from,” said Vijay as she handed WWDC attendees her business card, on which reads the motto: “I want to make a difference in people’s lives through technology.”

Vijay has now progressed to Apple’s more advanced Swift programming language to develop a new app she’s calling GoalsHi, which aims to give students more confidence in the classroom.

During Apple’s WWDC keynote, the company revealed a new educational app called “Swift Playgrounds”, which aims to introduce users to a new way to learn to code with Swift on an iPad.

The free app, due to be released with iOS 10 this fall, features custom “learn to code” lessons that focus on crafting visual cues around numeric coding data to slowly introduce kids into the world of coding.

All iPad Air and iPad Pro models will be compatible with the app, as well as iPad mini 2-and-later devices.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
Tag: Swift
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Battlefield 1 preview: Multiplayer madness doesn’t get better than this

War shouldn’t be fun. But Battlefield 1 is the most fun we’ve had in a first-person massive multiplayer online shooter. Its 64-player team versus co-op is an epic thing to behold. It almost makes us want to be in the trenches.

Which, given the prevalence of first-person shooters in today’s gaming world, is a bold statement indeed. Not all Battlefield titles have quite hit the mark of late (yes Battlefield 4, we’re looking at you), and 64-player isn’t new by any means, but Battlefield 1 feels fresh and exciting because the variety of vehicles and its World War One setting make it stand out.

As a WW1 shooter the weapons on offer don’t extend to futuristic lasers or armoured SWAT teams – which is refreshing in its own right. Instead you’ll need to make the most of pistols, rifles, bayonets, machine guns and the like. Yet a lot of Battlefield 1’s attack happens from within vehicles: from tanks, to biplanes, and motorcycles to epic airships, there’s no holding back from the explosive and destructive power available.

The 32-players per team in the multiplayer session we played in are able to self-assign a role deployment on the map. Whether that means controlling the guns on an armoured vehicle, piloting an airship, manning a tank, flying a biplane, or running amok on the ground as infantry. If you die in battle then you won’t respawn in the same deployment, you’ll have to fit into an available slot from the arsenal that’s in play in order to help out your team.

That means each game – unless you’re a super-sharp sniper who never dies (we doubt it given the mania that unfolds) – will see you manning different guns, vehicles and tactics in a bid to win.

The old French village environment we occupied was a capture-the-flag style of play, with five different map sections available to conquer by remaining within the zone for an ample period of time. The sections in this example were marked from A through E, but your opposing team can recapture or stalemate your occupation too – it’s all about numbers on the ground.

Battlefield 1 not only looks fantastic, its environments fully destructible too – a feature well known to Battlefield players. Topple defences, blow-up buildings, morph the map to your advantage even. Or, like us, get stuck in a six-gun armoured vehicle turned on its side and be forced to respawn. It’s not always perfect, then, but this kind of glitch only really adds to the entertainment factor.

EA / DICE

The vehicles are the most interesting aspect of play, given how different they feel in a typically infantry-led first-person shooter environment. Aboard a giant airship you feel indestructible. Well, at least until a mass of biplanes and ground fire take you down in a giant explosive fireball. Piloting one of those biplanes is the trickiest aspect of the game to control, we found, but mastering them may well be the key; taking them down with ground fire is equally satisfying as flying them.

What’s interesting about the map we played in rural France is its openness. Much like the files and trenches of WW1, cover isn’t as constructed or abundant as you’ll find in many shooters these days. Sometimes running wild and dodging gunfire (or just running away) is as effective as a forward march. This will differ depending on the levels, of course, as Battlefield 1 will also explore the Arabian desert and the Italian Alps.

First Impressions

The trailer shows off what Battlefield 1 does so well. Sure, it might be over-exaggerating the slow and monotonous warfare of WW1, but this is a game, so it’s got to elevate its offering to be engaging.

So whether you’re a hardened first-person shooter, or a gamer looking for an intense experience that puts other generic shooters to bed, Battlefield 1 ticks all the boxes. We’re pleasantly surprised by just how good this game is; it’s been one of the standout titles at the E3 gaming expo 2016.

Fingers crossed it’s a perfectly polished package when it comes to launch on 21 October this year.

Last SpaceX rocket landed hard enough to ‘accordion’ the engines

Don’t start thinking that landing a rocket’s first stage is routine just yet, as SpaceX has just posted video of its latest attempt. The Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered two satellites to orbit, however when it returned to Earth everything did not go exactly to plan. The live video feed cut out so we weren’t sure exactly what happened, but now Elon Musk has tweeted video from afar showing the landing process. According to Musk, one of the engines cut out before it hit the deck of the droneship, causing a landing hard enough to “destroy the primary airframe and accordion the engines.” We’re guessing there’s not enough left for this one to join the trophy case, but that’s just how it happens in 2016, which Musk is calling “the year of experimentation.”

Looks like early liquid oxygen depletion caused engine shutdown just above the deck pic.twitter.com/Sa6uCkpknY

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 17, 2016

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter), SpaceX

A driverless Rolls-Royce means you can fire your chauffeur

While other electric or autonomous vehicle companies might be content to build a sensible, everyday mode of transport, noted luxury automaker Rolls-Royce is rejecting that notion entirely with its first driverless vehicle concept. In a decidedly lavish announcement, Rolls-Royce says its new Vision Next 100 car has been designed for “the most discerning and powerful patrons in the world.”

“Our vision, in its purest form,” the company wrote, “is to create the automotive equivalent of haute couture. This is the future of luxury mobility.”

At more than 19 feet long (or, about 8 inches longer than a Chevrolet Suburban) luxury mobility definitely doesn’t include street parking or speed bumps, but that’s beside the point: “The very size of the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 announces the importance of its precious cargo,” Rolls-Royce explained. And it does so in appropriately over-the-top fashion. When the car arrives at its destination, driven by an unseen AI/chauffeur named Eleanor, the glass canopy pops up and the side door swings open as a red light illuminates, rolling out a virtual red carpet at the the passenger’s feet.

“Thus, as in Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’,” the company wrote without a hint of irony, “our guest is framed and ready to step gracefully into the limelight and greet their audience.”

The interiors are similarly elaborate: without that famous Rolls 12-cylinder engine, the massive body is cavernous enough to hold massive Grand Tourer suitcases. Because car owners will no longer have a need for a personal driver, the front seat is replaced with a “beautifully textured, ivory-coloured luxurious throne upon which our passengers are conveyed.” In other words: you’ll be sitting on a silk loveseat.

While the tech specs are scarce in Rolls’ announcement (it is, after all just a concept for now), the Guardian reports the Vision Next 100 will hit the streets in the appropriately futuristic date of “sometime in the 2040s.” Until then, you can experience the interiors for yourself in a sparkly, 360-degree YouTube video. The height of luxury.

Olli is an IBM Watson-powered driverless electric bus

You might see a cute, driverless bus roaming the streets of Washington DC starting today. It’s called Olli, and it’s an autonomous electric minibus designed by Local Motors, which you might remember as the company that’s planning to sell 3D-printed cars this year. While the automaker itself designed the 12-seater’s self-driving system, it teamed up with IBM to use Watson’s capabilities to power the EV’s other features. Thanks to Watson, you can tell Olli where you’re heading in natural language (“I’d like to go to [workplace.]”) and ask it questions about how the technology works. Best of all, it won’t kick you out even if you keep asking “Are we there yet?”

Olli will be exclusive to DC these next few months, but Miami and Las Vegas will get their own in late 2016. Local Motors is also in talks to test the bus in cities outside the US, including Berlin, Copenhagen and Canberra. It’s unclear if anyone can get the chance to ride one, since these are merely trial runs, but you can ask local authorities if the EV makes its way to your city.

If and when the time comes that driverless public vehicles can legally shuttle passengers, you’ll be able to summon an Olli through an app, just like Uber. And if Local Motors’ plans pan out, a lot of people around the globe will be using that app: Company co-founder John Rogers envisions building hundreds of micro-factories all over the world that can 3D print an Olli within 10 hours and assemble it one.

Source: IBM, PhysOrg, Local Motors

Politico Europe Uses Apple Wallet To Send ‘Brexit’ Notifications to Readers

Apple Wallet was designed to allow users to easily place payment options like credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards alongside tickets and passes from companies like Fandango and EventBrite. However, Politico Europe has decided to try to use the app to deliver news to its readers, reports NiemanLab (via AppleInsider).

As a part of its coverage of the EU Referendum,  Politico has started to test Apple Wallet as a news distribution channel via a new tool it calls EU Referendum Tracker. With the tool, which is available only on Apple devices, readers can opt in to receive live polling and results data, as well as breaking news alerts, which appear on the back of the pass.

Although the pass is largely used for the EU Referendum, a process sometimes referred to as “Brexit,” the news organization has been experimenting with breaking news alerts. Earlier today, it pushed a breaking news alert about the death of British politician Jo Cox.

Kate Day, Politico’s editorial director of growth, told NiemanLab that the news site turned to Apple Wallet in an effort to experiment with sending news notifications without developing and maintaining its own app. Currently, Apple only allows websites in Safari to send breaking news alerts on macOS. Politico chose the EU Referendum specifically because they believe users are more open to push notifications if they sign up for the specificity of a topic rather than general news.

Politico considered platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for its project, but thought WhatsApp had scaling issues for publishers while Facebook announced its bot program after Politico began work on the Apple Wallet project. The experiment is a joint effort with ad agency Digitas LBI, which used Apple Wallet to deliver news about the U.K. general election in 2015.

Day told NiemanLab that although Apple Wallet was an unusual choice for breaking news notifications, the limitations allowed Politico to focus and simplify what they wanted to do and get across with the notifications.

The Politico Europe EU Referendum Tracker can be signed up for at Politico’s website while on an iPhone.

Tag: Apple Wallet
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The best PlayStation VR games at E3 2016: Farpoint, Resident Evil 7, Star Trek, Battlezone and more

PlayStation VR is almost upon us, with its release date set for 13 October, priced £349. And at this year’s E3 gaming expo Sony has been pushing the product hard, with a variety of games that have blown our minds.

There’s even a new gun-shaped controller, called the PS Aim Controller, which will coincide with the release of Farpoint, a first-person shooter-slash-exploration game designed to make the most out of the peripheral.

READ: E3 2016: All the launches, games and consoles at the show

PS VR doesn’t rest on Sony’s development shoulders though, with lots of third-party support titles emerging from Capcom, Ubisoft, Rebellion and beyond. Scare yourself silly in Resident Evil 7, play Captain (Kirk) in Star Trek Bridge Crew, or float around and shoot the tanks to pieces in Battlezone.

That’s the exciting thing about virtual reality: it can be applied to so many genres and styles of games with different effect. And given that all you really need to get going with PS VR is a PlayStation 4 console (and camera), it’ll be the most accessible high-quality VR setup available – it’s a lot more affordable than HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.

It feels as though we’re on the cusp of a VR revolution, and having scoured the halls at the E3 gaming expo and played as many demos as possible, these are our favourite PS VR titles from the show floor, with running commentary about what we made of each experience.

VIEW: The best PS VR games of E3 2016 gallery

Best E3 2016 gaming headsets: Astro A50, Turtle Beach Stealth 350VR, LucidSound LS40, and more

For hardcore gamers, headsets are a big thing.

They often want surround sound, tuned drivers, different EQ modes, software so that they can customise their listening profiles, crisp microphones that can be muted, and a design that either matches their consoles or simply makes them look stylish while out and about. Luckily for them, there are a thousand different brands of gaming headphones on display at E3 2016, and Pocket-lint looked at the best ones available.

Astro

A50 (Astro website)

Pocket-lint

Astro has updated its A50 gaming headset. Aesthetically, the latest version looks very similar to the last. The main difference between the two is that the A50 comes with mod kits ($50 each), allowing you to switch out core pieces of the headset. Astro said it also took everything it learned from last year’s A40 TR launch and applied it to the new A50, meaning both now share the same digital platform.

The A50 works with Astro’s Command Center software, so you can adjust inputs, outputs, noise gate, side tone, microphone levels, chat audio, Aux channels, custom EQ profiles, and more. The headset comes with three preloaded EQ settings to boot. Also, not only does the A50 have a fully customisable audio experience, but it has a new wireless charging base. It acts as both a display stand and charging dock for the headset.

Pocket-lint

The dock has spots carved into that allow the headset to stand up, and in those divots you’ll see a set of power contacts. You can plug this base station into a PC, Xbox One, or PS4 – depending on which version of the A50 you own (the Xbox One edition has green aluminium accents, while the PS4 has blue). The headset connects wirelessly to the base over a 5GHz frequency, and Astro has promised a battery life of 15 hours.

Astro said its A50 wireless gaming headset will release later this summer for $300 apiece. Check out the gallery above to see more pics.

Turtle Beach

The Turtle Beach booth at E3 2016 featured a number of products, including the new Elite Pro line for eSports (starts at $199.95) and all-new Stealth 350VR headset ($79.95).

Elite Pro (Turtle Beach website)

Pocket-lint

The Elite Pro is the first gaming headset designed for eSports athletes. It has 50mm Nanoclear speakers, a Pro Gaming microphone with TruSpeak technology, Turtle Beach’s ComforTec Fit System (an “adjustment system for truly personalised comfort”), AeroFit Ear Cushions, and ProSpecs Glasses Relief System for gamers who wear glasses. The unique thing about this headset is its size adjustment system.

With this system, tournament goers can choose the proper size as well as desired tension for around their ears and head, and the grooves can be adjusted into the cushions to provide a more comfortable experience to anyone who wears glasses. Turtle Beach’s Elite Pro sells for $199.95 USD and is compatible with the Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC, and phones.

Stealth 350VR (Turtle Beach website)

Pocket-lint

Turtle Beach also came to E3 2016 with the 350VR. It’s an amplified gaming headset designed to give extra clearance for VR cables and headbands. It packs a 30+ hour rechargeable battery, variable bass boost, and two 50mm Neodymium speakers. There’s also a removable noise-canceling mic with a “Mic Monitoring” feature that allows you to hear your own voice. The headset’s audio cables are detachable too.

The Stealth 350VR will land this autumn with a $79.95 price tag.

LucidSound

LucidSound, which is comprised of a bunch of veterans and experts formerly from Mad Catz, is trying to break into the saturated market of gaming headsets with an interesting angle: gaming headsets don’t need to look like they’re aimed at 14 year olds. LucidSound said it wanted to introduce headsets that not only impress gamers, but also allow gamers to go and about with their headsets doubling as stylish headphones.

That means you won’t see any tacky green or blue accents or something that looks like it could be out of a Tron movie. The company showed us three headsets (the LS20, LS30, and LS40). While the LS30 is its signature wireless model reminiscent of Sennheiser or Audio-Technica headphones, we were really impressed with the two newest headsets, the LS20 and LS40.

LS20 (LucidSound website)

Pocket-lint

The LS20 retails for under $100, and LucidSound emphasised that it’s hard to find a quality gaming headset at that price point. This model, which is the smallest of the three, has on-ear cups and focuses on console and mobile gaming. Although it doesn’t have discrete chat volume and wireless functionality, gamers will love the detachable boom mic and volume controls located on the outer ring of the right ear cup.

The headset also works in a powered-down mode and provides 20 hours of sound. We liked all these features, but the design is what really caught our eye. It didn’t have unnecessary buttons all over the ear cups, and it sported a very soft pleather-like material in the colours white and gold. It looked and felt fancy. It was also incredibly light and comfortable, so gamers and audiophiles alike won’t get headaches wearing the 20s.

LS40 (LucidSound website)

Pocket-lint

The LS40 is the highest-end model of the three. It costs $200 and looks just like the LS30 in terms of size. In terms of colour scemes, it comes in white and gold just like the LS20 but also offers a brown and black design. The LS40 comes with DTS 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound in addition to stereo. It’s wireless and offers a detachable mic, too, so you take phone calls and utilise commands through Siri or Google Now.

Both the LS20 and LS40 are due in September. They work with PCs, PS4, Xbox One, and smartphones. 

Want to design games for a living? Nab the Mega Game Course Bundle (over 90 per cent off)

Whether you grew up daydreaming of disappearing into your own video game world, or you’re looking for a new frontier for creative expression, you can master the popular and ever-evolving world of gaming with The Mega Game Design Bundle.

This premium learning resource is now over 90 per cent off from Pocket-lint Deals.

This bundle of online courses aims to set you up with a strong foundation of game design with over 128 hours of content, guiding you from the building-block basics to high-level game design. You’ll dive into artwork and graphics, character animation, modeling and GUI, as well as choose from a wide variety of themes with which to quickly craft games: cartoons, space shooters, and more.

Learn how to animate characters and model 2D and 3D images as you come to master the basics of 3ds Max, and utilize it to create real-life projects. You’ll make custom 2D game art in Inkscape, and get familiar with the Unity 3D game engine, even if you have no prior coding experience.

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• Game Design Assets from GameArt2D
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Start designing the games you’ve been dreaming of playing, and make your mark in the industry with the Mega Game Design Bundle, now £33.86 ($49) from Pocket-lint Deals.