Dino VR adventure ‘Robinson: The Journey’ stomps to Oculus soon
Virtual reality is the best (and safest) way to get up close and personal with dinosaurs. And next month folks with Oculus Rift headsets can do just that thanks to Robinson: The Journey’s PlayStation VR exclusivity going going extinct expiring.
Considering that the game got a boost in graphical fidelity when it moved from PlayStation 4 to the higher-powered PS4 Pro, it should look even better on a high-end PC running a Rift headset. After all, the display is higher spec and most VR rigs eclipse Sony’s consoles in terms of raw computing power.
With developer Crytek’s recent financial woes, the company can use all the help it can get. So it probably won’t be long before this hits other VR platforms in the future.
And speaking of dinosaurs in VR, it was recently announced that prehistoric survival-sim Ark: Survival Evolved is getting a standalone, quasi-Jurassic Park expansion that’s all about letting you check out the terrible thunder lizards in a zoo-like setting. Ark Park is coming to both PC and PS4 sometime next year and will feature over 100 animals from the base game’s bestiary — spared no expense, of course.
Source: Crytek (PDF)
Google to launch two Android Wear watches in 2017, others also expected
Google is taking hardware seriously lately, as it’s now getting into wearables.
It’s been long-rumoured that Google is developing its own smartwatches, mostly because several Android Wear manufacturers have decided not to move forward with new wrist-worn products anytime soon. Now, we’re hearing news that Google is definitely planning to launch two Android Wear flagship smartwatches, and we can expect them to arrive soon. They won’t be Pixel-branded devices, however, which is strange, especially considering that Google recently launched Pixel-branded flagship smartphones, which were made by HTC but completely designed by Google itself.
According to The Verge, which spoke to Jeff Chang, product manager of Android Wear, Google is planning to launch new watches that will be flagship Android Wear 2.0 devices. In other words, they’ll be the first pieces of hardware to launch with the new platform, which we’ve explained in detail here. While the new watches had been rumoured before, Google has now confirmed them, and we can’t help but think it’s part of an effort to let people know that watches, including Android Wear watches, are still a thing. But these won’t be Pixel-branded Google watches.
- Best Android Wear smartwatch 2016
They’ll be branded by the company that is manufacturing them, though Chang wouldn’t confirm the company name. He did mention, however, that the company has produced Android Wear devices in the past. Change said Google is focusing on the hardware design and software integration for the upcoming watches, and he compared the partnership to Google’s Nexus smartphones made by LG, Huawei, and others in the past.
Keep in mind current Android Wear manufacturers include Moto, LG, Polar, Casio, Tag, Fossil, Michael Kors, Huawei, Asus, and others. Many of these manufacturers have also promised to upgrade their existing watches to the new Wear 2.0 platform launching in 2017. Google will release the fifth and final developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 in January. It will also work with iOS devices, but there will be differences.
Chang also confirmed that other Android Wear partners will release new devices with Android Wear 2.0 throughout 2017, and we should expect announcements for these devices at CES in a couple of weeks and the Baselworld trade show.
Tesla’s Autopilot will now stick to the speed limit
Autopilot-enabled Teslas are about to become slightly more conservative drivers. The company’s latest software update will match the top speed to the posted speed limit when the vehicle’s Autosteer function is engaged, TechCrunch reports today. In the previous version, Autopilot was allowed to speed by about five mph on undivided highways, but the new cap won’t apply on freeways where the system is limited to 90 mph.
In addition to throttling the Autopilot, Tesla has also been updating the system and adding alerts to let drivers know when they need to take the wheel. Although these updates seem relatively, the Enhanced Autopilot features Tesla CEO Elon Musk will miss their promised “mid-December” launch date. As Musk noted on Twitter last week, the Tesla software team needs a little more time for testing and validation of the software. When that update does start reaching Tesla owners, anyone who received a Model S or Model X in October 2016 or later will find themselves in possession of a new self-driving car.
Source: TechCrunch
US starts asking foreign travelers for their social media info
Foreigners visiting the US under the visa waiver program will find a new question asking for their social media info in the travel authorization they have to fill out. It reads “Please enter information associated with your online presence,” along with a drop-down menu for various social media outlets and a text box for the username associated with each one. The US Customs and Border Protection first requested its addition to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form back in June, apparently in an effort to help identify terrorist threats. According to Politico, the Department of Homeland Security has approved the controversial proposal on December 19th.
Here’s a screenshot we took of that section. To note, citizens from 38 countries that don’t need a visa to enter US soil have to apply for an ESTA.
As you can guess, the proposal was met with a lot of criticism from the start due to the privacy risks associated with giving your online usernames to the American government. The American Civil Liberty Union is especially worried that discrimination would “fall hardest on Arab and Muslim communities, whose usernames, posts, contacts and social networks will be exposed to intense scrutiny.”
Sure the section is clearly marked “optional,” but knowing how strict the US is in letting people in, most people would likely fill it out to avoid any hassle. Further, its critics argue that the US is setting an example that other countries might copy, putting more people’s privacy at risk. The good news is that travelers aren’t required to make their posts public, so they can tweak their privacy settings if they ever feel forced to hand over their social media usernames.
Source: Politico
R.I.P. Pebble: What to wear next
Why, why, why?!
Pebble has bought the farm, as Fitbit has bought Pebble, so they could pay off all the debts they acquired from buying the farm. Since Pebble has gone to that big wrist in the sky, you’re going to need to know what’s ready-to-wearable.
MrMobile and special guest Joshua Vergara of Android Authority team up to talk about the good times and bad, the bright and the dark of what was once Kickstarter’s King. They’ll also suggest alternatives; because, like the ticking of a clock, life goes on.
Stay social, my friends
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And don’t forget our friend Joshua at Android Authority
+Joshua’s Twitter
+Android Authority’s YouTube
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Honor 8 to get Nougat and EMUI 5.0 in Feb 2017
Something Nougat this way comes.
Android 7.0 Nougat and EMUI 5.0 will come to the Honor 8 in February 2017, according to parent company Huawei.
The popular 5.2-inch Android phone, which emerged this summer with some great specs, nice looks and excellent reviews, shipped with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and EMUI 4.1, and will gain the same feature set as the larger Mate 9, which begins shipping this month in some parts of Europe (and in the U.S. next January).
We’ve played with EMUI 5.0 on the Mate 9 and it’s a huge step in the right direction for Huawei, and based on early feedback from the Nougat beta on the Honor 8, it translates well to less powerful hardware and smaller screen sizes.
One major addition to the Honor 8 with EMUI 5.0 will be the addition of an app drawer in the launcher which, though it sounds like a fairly small detail, will appease many U.S. owners of the device. The Honor 8 will also benefit from EMUI 5.0’s machine learning algorithms which, according to Huawei, “dynamically optimize processing resources by analyzing the user’s behaviour over time and prioritizing frequently used apps.”
While it’s unclear whether the update will arrive at the beginning or end of February, at least now Honor 8 owners have a general sense of when they can expect it.
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- Honor 8 review
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- 5 things to know about the Honor 8 in Europe
- All the Honor 8 news
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The team behind ‘That Dragon, Cancer’ made a VR radio play
The folks behind the heartrending, award-winning autobiographical game That Dragon, Cancer are back with a new project. Don’t worry though, because it sounds like the polar opposite of that tragic tale. In the episodic virtual reality game Untethered (told you it was different), you play a talk radio DJ. Ands such, you can talk to other characters in the game by speaking aloud. What good would a DJ-starring game be without that ability, anyhow?
A press release describes it as such: “The player can record commercials, interview callers, and try to piece together what is happening outside of the radio station, all while getting to know their lonely producer.”
More than that, the development studio has worked with professional musicians Future Folk and Jill Sobule to populate the game with songs to find and broadcast to listeners in-game. Each episode has you playing a different protagonist, and from there your task is figuring out how everyone connects to each other. It all sounds a little like a quirky take on the indie-horror flick Pontypool, if you ask me.
The premiere installment is available today exclusively on Google’s Daydream View mobile headset for $4.99.
Source: Google Play
The Wirecutter’s best deals: UE’s Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker drops to $130
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot – some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
UE Boom 2 wireless Bluetooth speaker
Street price: $165; MSRP: $200; Deal price: $130
We’ve seen this drop to $150 a couple of times, but at $130, this is the lowest price we’ve seen outside of a short-lived Black Friday flash sale. The price is available on all colors, though some of them are backordered. As our guide compares it directly to speakers in the $200 price range when reviewing it, at this heavily discounted price this speaker is a nice bargain.
The UE Boom 2 is a portable Bluetooth speaker pick we like in our best portable bluetooth speaker guide. Brent Butterworth writes, “We had a tough time deciding between the UE Boom 2 and the Bose SoundLink Mini II when we wanted a pick in the $200 range. The Boom 2 plays loud enough to cover a suburban backyard or to drown out voices at a dinner party, but we think voices sound a little more natural and smooth through the SoundLink Mini II. The Boom 2 now has a nice Party Up feature, which lets you play the same audio source through as many Boom 2 and UE Megaboom units as you like. It’s a great way to do multiroom sound on the cheap, but you’re still limited by Bluetooth’s relatively short range.”
Nikon 85mm f/1.8G portrait lens
Street price: $480; MSRP: $500; Deal price: $430
This is the best price we’ve seen on this Nikon portrait lens in months, and only the second time it has hit this price this year. We’ve seen it lower before, but it’s been 2 years since we last saw it below $400.
The Nikon 85mm is our portrait lens in in our guide on the first Nikon lenses you should buy. Tim Barribeau said, “If you enjoy taking pictures of people, we recommend the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G portrait lens. This 127mm-equivalent optic is amazingly sharp, and its fast aperture lets you shoot in low light at shutter speeds fast enough to hold the camera by hand while giving beautiful background blur. The lens is sealed against dust and moisture, and though it is a full-frame-compatible lens, it weighs just 350 grams (0.8 pounds), half the weight of the rival Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD.”
Apple non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro 2016
Street price: $1,500; MSRP: $1,500; Deal price: $1,350
This is one of the few deals we’ve seen on the new 13-inch Macbook Pro, and it’s a solid $150 drop below its normal price. We saw drop to $1,400 on Black Friday, and this is a nice $50 drop below that. The non-Touch Bar Macbook Pro will be one of our recommended picks in an upcoming update to our Macbook guide. This deal has been price-matched at Best Buy.
The 2016 non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro is an upcoming top pick in our guide on which Macbook to buy. Dan Frakes wrote, “If you don’t need any legacy ports—or you’re willing to deal with adapters until all your gear is USB-C—the 2016 non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro occupies a nice middle ground between the 12-inch MacBook’s size and weight and the Touch Bar Pro’s performance and connectivity.”
Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver Headset
Street price: $120; MSRP: $120; Deal price: $90
The first good sale we’ve seen on this runner-up, dropping it $10 below the best price we’ve seen to date, and $30 below the street price.
The Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver headset is our runner-up pick for the best gaming headset. Dennis Burger wrote, “Kingston’s new HyperX Cloud Revolver is a bit of a departure for the company: It’s a new design, with new drivers, a better microphone, and a new auto-adjusting headband. Not quite as neutral as the original HyperX Cloud, the Cloud Revolver has a sound that’s tuned more for action games. Its auto-adjusting headband is great for anyone with a larger head.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
Russian hackers reportedly attack Ukrainian weapons, power grid
As the conflict in Eastern Ukraine escalates, two separate reports point to Russian hackers disrupting the power grid and weapons in the war-torn country. Outside of Kiev, between 100,000 and 200,000 people were plunged into darkness when portions of the Ukrenergo power company were knocked offline on December 18. The electricity was quickly restored but the situation is raised concerns of infrastructure hacking.
The director of the power company, Vsevolod Kovalchuk, told Defense One that he is 99 percent sure a deliberate attack caused the outage. The event is similar to another blackout last year that was reportedly pulled off by Russian hackers, Sandworm. So far there’s no direct connection between the hackers and the Russian military.
Meanwhile it looks like an app built to help quickly target the D-30 howitzers used by the Ukrainian military was hijacked with malware that could have potentially shared the location of those large guns with Russia. Security research firm CrowdStrike notes that from late 2014 thru 2016, a compromised version of the app was distributed through military forums.
The malware was reportedly created by Russian hacking group Fancy Bear which is believed to be behind the Podestra email leaks and has claimed responsibility for leaking the medical records of Olympic athletes.
Source: Defense One, CrowdStrike
The Last Pebble: Pebble 2 review and commentary with MrMobile
Marking the end of an era, the Pebble 2 is the last of its kind, the last smartwatch from the now sold, but long-beloved company. Many Pebble fans may not even get their hands on the latest, and last smartwatch not made under the Fitbit brand.
In case you missed the news, Fitbit, one of the biggest fitness tracker companies in the world, bought most of Pebble’s assets in December. As a result, this will be the last smartwatch under the Pebble name.
The Pebble 2 is a unique smartwatch. That’s why we’ve decided to forgo our traditional review format and do something a little special this time around. We’ve reached out to fellow Pebble fan and industry friend, Michael Fisher, to talk about the very last Pebble device. We hope you enjoy our Fitbit 2 review.
Don’t miss:
The best smartwatches
1 week ago
Overview
The Pebble 2 should be very familiar to those who owned the first Pebble smartwatch
As one of three products in Pebble’s last Kickstarter campaign, the Pebble 2 is a familiar device for original Pebble owners. A larger display and a bit more polish are noticeable at first glance, with the new watch being a nice update from even the Pebble Time, maintaining the square watch design. The inside exemplifies where Pebble was headed with their software, something we’ll talk about in a bit.
Around the edges of the Pebble 2 is the familiar button layout, offering that satisfying click and function from previous watches. More specifically, that’s the navigation buttons on the right and the back button in the top left corner.
The rear of the Pebble 2 sports the same magnetic charging contacts as we’ve seen before, with the inclusion of the new heart rate sensor. As the main upgrade in the Pebble 2, the heart rate monitor marked a shift to a more health-centric focus, which plays into their acquisition from Fitbit.
- Pebble Time review
- Pebble Time Round review
Allowing for interchangeable watch bands, we really like the look of ours with a full width band installed – that is, our band is as wide as the watch itself, which didn’t detract from the iconic design of the Pebble line.
Still rocking a black and white display (the Pebble Time was the color variant in the line), Pebble stuck to their guns, offering up the very best in simplicity, without sacrificing functionality.
Performance
Truth be told, performance is one of the few things that strike us when using the Pebble 2. Obviously any lag or delayed responses would stand out for us, but this is not a smartwatch like we’ve seen from some of the larger players. Instead of driving a high quality color display, navigating through image rich pages and cards, Pebble keeps it quite simple, but does so with a passion.
In typical Pebble fashion, the Pebble 2 will last almost a full week on a single charge
Adding to their own software by adopting and promoting an open source atmosphere around their products, most functionality is as simple as can be. As such, overall device performance remains smooth and without lag. This also adds to the excellent battery life of the Pebble 2, rocking close to a full week of life between charges.
Software
The Pebble 2 has one of the most unique and fun software experiences on a smartwatch to date
The software in the Pebble 2 exemplifies the nature and philosophy of Pebble as a company. We’ll just have to wait to see what Fitbit does with the brand moving forward. For now, Fitbit has pledged support for Pebble users and devices through 2017, at least.
The core of the Pebble experience is in a fun and playful approach to not only how things are done, but in the very flow of the software. One can only be so creative with an LCD looking e-paper display, but Pebble has done a great job at putting its own spin on things. Little things like the alarm clock are represented as an animated character bouncing around the display, for instance.
See also:
Pebble software and services will be available at least until the end of 2017
1 week ago
Telling the time is a basic starting point for this, as with any smartwatch, and popping up notifications is an important feature. The Pebble 2, in Michael Fisher’s words, “executes on those fundamentals pretty well.”
Gallery
Our thoughts on Pebble
Mr. Mobile here. I never got to spend time with the Core or the Pebble Time 2, but I was delighted enough by my experience with the standard Pebble 2 that I don’t think I missed out on much. Josh already covered most of the Pebble 2’s bits and pieces so I won’t retread them. Instead I’ll tell you what I loved most about this upgrade:
Pebble didn’t sacrifice its fundamental simplicity. Part of that is the aforementioned preference for tactile buttons over touch screen swipes, and part of it is the use of well-designed software. Some may find the animations a little cutesy but to me they gave Pebble a personality that’s missing from other wearables … and that, plus the small footprint and rock-solid notification reliability, is something I’m really going to miss.
I feel like the Pebble gave itself a license to be geeky in a way that most of its competitors are a little too shy to do.
Pebble was one of those products that you just wanted to succeed. A lot can be said about the company and how it handled itself, but it stands that the product was not only different, but effective. Tactile feedback and input offers a critical interface with a smartwatch that isn’t present in a touch screen display. Android Wear, as the predominant wearable OS in these parts, relies on you to view the display, then accurately touch or swipe to make anything happen. There is gesture support as well, but none as easy as finding a side button without looking.
See also:
The best Android Wear watches
2 weeks ago
Pebble built a community upon which developers came to build apps and services. This was a small community, granted, but one that was passionate, with an open source community. Something that was destined to continue with the Pebble Core, Pebble Time 2 and the Pebble 2, only one of which ever making it to backers.
That’s all a thing of the past now – with Fitbit acquiring much of the company, the future of existing Pebble devices will run into 2017 with no word on what will occur after. If you do have a Pebble 2, cherish it – it is quite literally the very last of its kind.
We’d like to thank Michael Fisher (MrMobile) for joining us here today. You can find him at his YouTube channel giving his thoughts and takes on today’s tech, from mobile to robots to Star Trek gadgets made reality. You can hit him up on Twitter as well, he’s @theMrMobile.
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