The first Google Tango phone launches with over 35 new apps
It’s been years in the making but Tango, Google’s depth-sensing tech, is ready to make its consumer debut. That’s because today is when the first-ever Tango phone, the Lenovo Phab2 Pro, goes on sale for $499. To accompany the Phab2 Pro’s launch, Google is announcing over 35 new Tango apps, all of which will be available in the Play Store today. I had a chance to play around with several of them, talked to a few app developers and delved further into the future of Tango, including its relationship with Daydream, that other well-known Google project.
Tango first started life as a project within ATAP, Google’s Advanced Technologies and Projects division. The idea was to integrate an array of sensors and cameras into a mobile device so that it could figure out its position relative to its surroundings. We’ve already seen how Tango’s 3D-mapping can be used to give directions in a museum, assist in home improvement projects and create cartoon worlds, but there are a few new ones that caught my eye.
One of them is Crayola Color Blaster, which is described as a “zombie color-blasting game.” Created by Legacy Games, the object here is to deal with incoming zombies by pelting them with paint. The zombies appear in an augmented reality view on the display, so it looks as if they’re there in your actual living room. It’s a very active game, and I found myself wandering around from one area of the room to the other just to get enough distance between me and the color-hungry undead.
Arielle Lehrer, CEO of Legacy Games, said that there’s also a “horde mode” for smaller spaces, where you’re just pivoting and shooting instead of running around. Lehrer said that the game was originally conceived as juat a coloring book in real space until they figured out there was so much more you could do with the technology. “We started to think about the magic window idea of Tango,” said Andrew Duncan, the game’s lead designer. “Anywhere you look, you change the environment. It really plays in any space.”
Next, I played with Sockethead Games’ Slingshot Island, which is pretty much as the name describes. Again utilizing augmented reality, you place a virtual island in your physical space — be it your dining table or your kitchen floor. From there, you’ll use a slingshot to shoot projectiles at it in order to solve puzzles, like knocking an egg off a structure. The interesting thing here is that instead of swiping down to aim the slingshot, your phone is the controller. That means as soon as you aim your target, you actually move the phone around to establish the shot — as if your entire phone is the slingshot itself. It took a little bit of getting used to, but I learned it eventually.
“This is the one big challenge that we had,” said Randall Eike, the CTO of Sockethead Games. “Users had no concept whatsoever that they can use their phone as a motion controller. It’s completely foreign to them.” After they figure it out though, Eike said, it feels a lot more intuitive. “This motion control ability of using your device and interacting with the object… It’s going to open up this huge class of mobile games.”
I also played a couple of titles that didn’t use augmented reality. One was Hot Wheels Track Builder, which had me racing toy cars down virtual tracks that I could create myself. You could pick up pieces by grabbing a hand and then move them into place by moving the phone to the right place. It’s once again using the idea of the phone as the controller. “We figured out a control scheme where you wouldn’t need a touch screen to build your tracks,” said Kris Jackson, the lead game designer. “That’s the thing you usually struggle with the most.” Another was Ghostly Mansion, where I collected clues in a virtual room by walking around a physical space. I could lean down to open a drawer or lift the phone up to grab a picture on the wall.
A few years after its debut, Tango then graduated to become its own project division in 2015. Now, it’s a part of Daydream, Google’s VR initiative. It doesn’t take much imagination to think of how useful depth-sensing and 3D-mapping would be in virtual reality. Indeed, the combination of the two could lead to perhaps a standalone headset in the future.
“A lot of the work we’re doing will enable inside out tracking in VR,” said Johnny Lee, Tango’s Director of Engineering. “There’s no product that we can talk about. But as Tango matures, as Daydream matures, there’s an obvious crossroads that we’re excited about.”
But before integrating that tech into VR, Google thought it was important to incorporate Tango into phones first.
“There are still a lot of phones being manufactured today,” said Lee. “We feel like this form factor is one that we’ll have with us for quite awhile.” Indeed, one of the reasons Eike was drawn to Tango is because he felt that smartphones are a lot more accessible than VR headsets. “A VR headset isn’t something you whip out of your pocket at a Starbucks,” he said, whereas everyone has a smartphone. “There’s a chance [Tango] will be more ubiquitous than VR.”
Lee shares the same sentiment. He thinks of Tango in the same way as GPS; we were able to get through our lives before it came along, but now we can’t imagine our phones without it. The spatial reasoning and depth sensing allowed by Tango, he said, will be just as important. “I believe there is a whole new suite of experiences that are possible. The way we interact with our computers will change.” Plus, he said, the rise of Pokemon Go shows that the public is a lot more accepting of augmented reality apps than it used to be, which is good news for Tango.
Google is so bullish on Tango that it’s already built up a pipeline of partners. In other words, look forward to more Tango-enabled phones next year. According to the company, they’ll come in varying price points, designs and form factors. So if you’re wary of the giant 6.4-inch screen on the Phab2 Pro, maybe wait a few months for a smaller Tango phone.
“This is not just a research product. It’s a product in the market today,” said Nikhil Chandhok, Tango’s product director. “Should every phone have GPS? Yes. Should every phone have a camera? Yes. Should every phone have inside-out tracking? Yes,” Chandhok continued. “Every phone should have it.”
Twitter Tests Opening All Web links in Safari ‘Reader Mode’ on iOS
Twitter for iOS is currently testing a new way of opening web links in Safari with the Reader mode automatically turned on (via TechCrunch).
Safari’s built-in Reader mode, usually activated by tapping an icon in the browser’s search bar, enables users to load a distraction-free version of websites minus formatting, ads, links, and so on, with font type and size custom options available.
The Guardian was the first to notice that all the links they were clicking on in the Twitter app defaulted to the Reader mode. Twitter later confirmed to TechCrunch that it is testing the feature with select users, the aim being “to refine the product and make Twitter easier to use”, according to a spokesperson.
The downside to any potential rollout is that content publishers can’t customize the Reader view of their site, nor will they be able to generate ad revenue from page views that come from Twitter links. And as pointed out by The Guardian, some sites do not display correctly in Reader mode, potentially detracting from the user experience.
Twitter developers are said to be testing a series of changes to the social media network, in an attempt to improve the service after the company’s recent internal turmoil, such as layoffs, the shutdown of Vine, and its much-publicized failure to find a buyer.
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A guide to Elgato Eve HomeKit accessories
Elgato’s Eve is all about improving your comfort at home. It wants to help you live smarter by giving you the knowledge and insight you need to do this.
There are a number of devices available within the Eve range, all of which connect to the Eve app and are compatible with Apple’s HomeKit.
This means not only will you be able to control your home all from one place, but you will be able to ask Siri questions like the temperature in your home, whether the patio door is open, as well as control all the devices connected to Eve Energy with your voice.
Here is a guide to all the Elgato Eve accessories and what they can do.
Elgato
Eve Room
Eve Room is a simple, subtle wireless indoor sensor that measures 79 x 79 x 32mm and monitors air quality, temperature and humidity. It is powered by three AA batteries and it connects directly to the Eve app via Bluetooth 4.0 Smart.
The Eve Room sensor analyses VOCs beyond CO2 by using MEMS sensors to detect substances like alcohol, aldehydes and organic acids, among others, to help users understand exactly what is directly affecting their well-being.
The measured gas concentration of VOCs is converted into an easy-to-read PPM number that is displayed in different colours within the app and divided into excellent, good, acceptable, moderate and poor categories.
The Eve app presents graphs by day, month and year, while the compatibility with HomeKit means users can ask Siri for the temperature or humidity of a room that Eve Room is in.
PRICE: €79.95
Elgato
Eve Energy
Eve Energy is a smart plug that is available for the EU and the US. Plug Eve Energy into the plug socket and a lamp, fan or another device into Eve Energy and you’ll be able to control that device using Siri or with a simple tap, as well as find out how much energy they are using.
As with Eve Room, graphs are presented by day, month or year in the Eve app so you can gain insight into how much energy you are using, what times you are using the most energy, and which devices are the biggest energy consumers.
Aside from the ability to use Siri to turn Eve Energy connected devices on or off, you’ll also be able to assign custom names to them, combine them into groups and create scenes to control a few of them at once.
It’s also possible to remotely control devices connected to Eve Energy if you have an Apple TV, turning them on or off when you’re out of the house, as well as launch a scene or check the status of your home. The Eve Energy smart plug connects to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via Bluetooth Smart, like Eve Room.
PRICE: €49.95
Elgato
Eve Weather
Eve Weather is a wireless outdoor sensor the same size as Eve Room at 79 x 79 x 32mm. It uses two AA batteries, connects to your iOS device with Bluetooth Smart once again, and it measures air pressure, temperature and humidity.
The Eve Weather sensor is built to live outside, featuring a IPX3 water resistance. Users can ask Siri to the temperature or humidity, and like the Eve Room and Eve Energy, you’ll be able to see daily, monthly and yearly data graphs to make keeping track easy.
PRICE: €49.95
Elgato
Eve Thermo
The Eve Thermo is a thermostatic radiator valve that replaces an existing radiator valve in order to provide you with smart heating within each room it is added to.
As with the rest of Eve products, the Thermo connects to your iOS device via Bluetooth Smart and it is compatible with HomeKit meaning you can control your heating with your voice and Siri. You can also create schedules on the app to match heating to your daily routines, using either the preset options or by customising your own.
Groups can be created too in order to control multiple radiators at the same time, which is handy if you have two or three radiators in one room, for example. You’ll then be able to say “Hey Siri, set my living room to 21 degrees” and all radiators within the Living Room group will increase or decrease to meet your command.
As with the other Eve products, you’ll also be able to gain insight from the Eve app. Graphs will show daily, monthly and yearly data, like the Eve Room, Eve Energy and Eve Weather sensors.
PRICE: €69.95
Elgato
Eve Door & Window
The Eve Door & Window is a wireless contact sensor that is for use on doors and windows within your home in order to tell you whether they are open or closed. Designed to blend into your home environment, the sensor comes in two parts, measuring 52 x 24 x 23mm and 18 x 18 x 8-23mm.
The sensor connects to your iOS device through Bluetooth Smart and as you might expect, it is compatible with HomeKit meaning you can ask Siri if your bedroom window is open, for example.
The Eve Door & Window sensor will detect an open or closed state, the time and duration, as well as provide insight in daily, monthly or yearly graph format.
PRICE: €39.95
Eve requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 9.1 or later. HomeKit requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 8.1 or later. Controlling HomeKit-enabled accessories away from home requires an Apple TV (3rd generation or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later and an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 8.1 or later. Note: iPad 2 is not supported.
Sky+ gets some more Sky Q loving
Sky has announced some new features for the Sky+ platform that are already available on Sky Q. The new features include Auto Play, which automatically plays the next episode of a TV series you’re watching, provided it’s already downloaded to your Planner.
- Sky Q features coming to Sky+, here’s what to expect in Homepage refresh
You can also press the green button on the Sky remote to instantly move to the next episode at any point during the current episode, which could be useful if you just want to refresh your memory of what’s happened in a series and move on to the next instalment.
To help make sure the next episode is always downloaded in your Planner, Sky has already introduced Download Next to Sky+, which does as the name suggests and downloads the next episode of a series you’re getting stuck into.
Sky has also introduced a Catch Up series link feature which automatically records the next available episode of a Catch Up TV programme. To enable the feature, you’ll need to go into the dedicated Catch Up TV section of your box, or navigate to a Catch Up TV show that’s already been downloaded to your Planner and press the green button on your Sky remote to Series Link it.
Sky+ has also received a new accessibility option to increase the size of the font on the homepage.
The new features are already available as standard on the Sky Q platform, which lets you watch different content in different rooms of the house, as well as being able to watch any recorded shows on a tablet or smartphone.
The Morning After: Tuesday November 1st 2016
It’s the morning after we were reminded that war is hell, sneakers can fit themselves and jingles don’t last forever. We also reported on the quiet rise of the high-end tablet and the return of CD piracy. Join us below for everything you might have missed.
People die‘Battlefield 1’ reminds you of the horror of war
‘Battlefield’ games aren’t bought for their amazing single-player campaign. In fact, players ignore the series’s solo experiences so routinely that this was actually a reason we didn’t see a campaign mode in ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ last year. This time around, however, it’s worth playing through the game’s opening level. What follows is a very real history lesson.
Not just for time travelersPuma’s self-lacing shoes were made for athletes
Nike might have gotten there first (with some science fiction nudges), but Puma is working on its own auto-adjusting sneakers. Despite being unlikely to race at Tokyo 2020, Engadget Chinese editor-in-chief Richard Lai got the first look at the athlete-centered shoes.
Defender of the First Amendment?Tech billionaire Thiel talks legal rights and Silicon Valley with the National Press Club
For months, Peter Thiel has found himself in the middle of multiple legal and political firestorms. A speech he made today, in front of the National Press Club, marked the first time he has publicly defended his $1.25 million donation to Trump’s campaign. He argued against military intervention and free trade and attacked the Democratic Party, calling out Silicon Valley for being disconnected from the rest of the country. And then he talked about why he funded Hulk Hogan’s legal fees, and how a “single-digit millionaire like Hulk Hogan” has “no effective access to our legal system.”
No more F-sharpApple’s new MacBook Pros drop the iconic startup chime
After cutting out all those ports on its new MacBook Pro family, the company also cut out the startup chime. Yep, the familiar F-sharp chord that accompanied the boot-up whir of previous MacBooks is gone. At least the new machines turn themselves on and boot up when you open them.
$100,000 per six seconds18 of Vine’s biggest stars asked for money in a bid to save the app
Long before Twitter announced the app’s demise, Vine’s biggest stars had seen the views on their videos fall as users left for Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube. A group of twelve in-demand users decided to give the Twitter-owned team an offer: $1.2 million each in exchange for 12 original Vines per user every month, to help the short-video platform live on. Vine didn’t bite, and the rest is now history.
But wait, there’s more…
- iPad regains share in a shrinking mobile tablet market, but the story’s more complicated than that
- The Milky Way may be several times larger than we thought
- Pirates are flooding online stores with counterfeit music CDs
Microsoft will announce VR headset details in December
Microsoft has confirmed it will hold two events in December, one in Shenzen, China on 8-9 December and the other in Taipei, Taiwan on 14-15 December which will feature further details surrounding the company’s VR headsets.
Alex Kipman, head of the HoloLens project hinted in an interview with Polygon the details would include mention of differently priced and differently powered headsets: “There is a difference if you want to play Halo or you want to play Solitaire. The entry to play anything was a $1500 PC; that’s what we lowered”.
Microsoft has already revealed basic details of the headsets, they’ll be affordable, starting at $299, will have six degrees of freedom sensors, which means they’ll be able to track your head movements as well as your position in space and will be made by Microsoft’s hardware partners: HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and Acer. But unlike headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift that do a similar job with the use of tracking sensors around the room, Microsoft’s will be able to work without the extra help.
Microsoft’s VR headsets will begin shipping after the Windows 10 Creators Update is made available to download in March 2017.
Microsoft announced the new VR headsets at its Imagine What You’ll Do event last month, which also saw the unveiling of the new Surface Book i7 and the Surface Studio all-in-one PC.
The LG G6 camera could double up as an iris scanner
The LG G6 should be released sometime in 2017 and so far, all we’ve heard about is features that the phone won’t be getting, such as a modular design, curved OLED screen and wireless charging system. Now though, there’s news surrounding a feature it will come with, an all-in-one camera and iris scanner.
The rumour comes via Korean site DT.co.kr and picked up by Slash Gear, which says the G6 will feature a compact that sensor that will combine a front-facing camera and an iris scanner. The iris scanner part of the sensor will be used to authenticate the user and unlock the phone, in a similar way to the one on the late Samsung Galaxy Note 7, but Samsung’s phone used separate sensors for the iris scanner and camera.
LG plans to combine the two into one, smaller sensor to help save on space and potentially make the phone thinner. The company says the sensor could shrink in size from 0.47cm to 0.36cm. There’s no word on what megapixel count the camera will come with but nevertheless it’s some positive news as to what we can expect from LG’s next flagship.
Titanfall 2 review: A total blast
The original Titanfall arrived amid a blaze of hype which was impressive even by games industry standards – and which came about due mainly to the game’s provenance. It was the first effort made by Respawn Entertainment, a developer formed by the founders of Infinity Ward, the originator of Call of Duty, after a much-publicised falling out with publisher Activision. But Titanfall failed to live up to the hype, as it proved to be only half a game – it didn’t have a single-player campaign.
Happily, Titanfall 2 redresses that glaring omission with aplomb. It has a single-player campaign which, while short (speed-runners could complete it in six hours or so) proves to be absolutely top-notch. It also acts as a great primer for the multiplayer – still the more substantial element of the game – but it also holds up surprisingly well as an entity on its own.
Titanfall 2 review: Much needed campaign
In the game you play Jack Cooper, a rifleman who dreams of becoming a Pilot – the pinnacle of troops in Titanfall 2’s alternate future reality, whose on-foot combat skills are second to none and, more importantly, who are trained and authorised to control Titans, the giant, sentient battle-mechs.
Dropped onto the surface of a planet where the dastardly private military company, IMC, augmented by a bunch of unscrupulous mercenaries (with South African and British accents to the fore, in true Hollywood style), have been up to some skulduggery. The result is an energy blast into the surrounding area of space, meaning things quickly go pear-shaped.
Cooper and his commanding officer, Captain Lastimosa, are isolated from the rest of their squad. On his deathbed Lastimosa reassigns his Titan, the prosaically named BT-7274, to Cooper.
Initially, Cooper must undertake a couple of solo missions to power up BT-7274, which gently teach you the joys of being a Pilot, chief among which are outrageous wall-run and double-jump abilities, plus some handy toys like a cloaking device which renders you briefly invisible. Then acting-Pilot and Titan set out to complete their mission, which involves fighting their way all the way through a secret IMC facility. Which proves to be fantastically good fun and surprisingly varied.
Titanfall 2 review: Run and jump tactics
The level-design you encounter is particularly stunning, leading to some sequences which are surprisingly reminiscent of the best platform games. In one giant facility where, bizarrely, houses are assembled in a modular manner, the level reassembles itself, forcing you to make perilous wall-run/double-jump combos, often while shooting.
Respawn Entertainment
Another sequence has an extremely cool time-travel mechanic, allowing you to switch between a ravaged version of a building and its pristine predecessor, although the latter has locked parts and enemies galore, so you can switch for a bit of respite if you’re near death, but still have to switch back in order to progress to your objective.
There are some great boss-battles involving new types of Titans, too, and the single-player campaign takes you through the entire Titan-weapon loadout. So once you’ve finished the solo game you’re perfectly prepared for the multiplayer.
Titanfall 2 review: Multiplayer core
Respawn Entertainment has also added impressively to the solid foundations of the original game’s multiplayer. Again, the level-design impresses: the new maps are incredibly convoluted and detailed, and thereby cater for all play-styles; even when camping out with a sniper and anti-Titan rocket – although that runs counter to the game’s fast-paced spirit as the Pilots are among the most mobile characters ever witnessed in a videogame, especially when equipped with grappling hooks (one of the core new elements found in the sequel).
There’s a new game-mode called Bounty Hunter, too, which feels a bit odd at first: Pilots and Titans arrive in the level with bounties attached to them. It’s up to you to take them out, grab the bounty, then during designated periods deposit into banks which open. The twist is that every time you die half your current bounty is removed, which shakes things up. The first team to deposit a set amount wins. Which sounds contrived, but soon develops a sort of logic of its own.
Respawn Entertainment
All the favourite game-modes from the original game are present, as are many of the original maps (with graphical tweaks), and the new weapons and Titan chassis add to the fun. Like its predecessor, Titanfall 2’s multiplayer keeps things simpler than most – it isn’t overburdened with a confusing array of modes. But it provides great, visceral enjoyment which is ridiculously fast-paced and really gets the adrenalin going.
We did, however, get a bit bored with the original Titanfall after a few months; hopefully Respawn will keep things fresh with some judicious downloadable content.
Verdict
Titanfall 2 is an infinitely better game than its predecessor. The presence of a genuinely original and distinctive single-player campaign is a real surprise and, this time around, the game is available on PS4 rather than just Xbox One and PC.
Overall, Titanfall 2 is right up there with the best first-person shooters you can get your hands on. If you like things high-tech, futuristic and centred on mechs, then it’s a must-buy.
iPhone 8 could finally feature wireless charging
Asian site Nikkei has reported that Foxconn, the manufacturer of the iPhone, is working on a new wireless charging system to be implemented in 2017’s iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 will represent the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, so Apple is expected to introduce entirely new features to help boost sales.
Wireless charging for the iPhone has been touted for some time, but now Foxconn could finally be able to produce a module on an incredibly large scale.
The industry source that claimed Foxconn is working on the technology added it would only materialise if the yield rate can be deemed profitable. If too many modules are made and not up to a certain standard, the technology could be scrapped for a future iPhone release.
It’s also been claimed that if the wireless modules can be mass produced, they might not find their way into every iPhone 8 model. The report says Apple could reserve the best features for a more premium 5.5-inch phone, which would also feature a curved OLED screen, glass back and metal frame.
There’s some weight to this rumour as Sharp CEO Tai Jeng-wu recently said Apple will implement OLED technology in the iPhone, although he didn’t confirm it would be the iPhone 8.
There’s talk of two other iPhone models in the range that would launch with the regular flat LCD screen we’ve seen on current models.
Apple already offers wireless inductive charging in the Watch, but the modules are obviously much smaller and charge quite slowly. It’s not crystal clear if Apple would use an inductive charging method on the iPhone or if it would use completely wireless charging, as Apple Insider confirmed the company has hired to executives from uBeam, a company that works on wireless charging via ultrasonic waves.
Sonos users can now control their systems from Spotify
Sonos and Spotify have long been associated with each other, but the relationship has become even closer as you now control your connected music system from the Spotify app.
Spotify Connect integration has been added to Sonos Public Beta 7.0. It gives Android, Apple Mac and PC users the ability to fully control what music plays through a Sonos system without having to open the Sonos dedicated application. It also gives access to grouping and ungrouping of rooms.
The iOS version of the Spotify app will also gain the feature, along with other platforms, when it comes out of beta.
- Sonos Play:1 review
- Sonos Play:5 review: Smart, sophisticated, superb
- Which Sonos speaker is best for you? Play:1, Play:3, Play:5 or Playbar
- What is Spotify and how does it work?
The app gives you the ability to send whatever you’re playing on Spotify to any Sonos speaker in your home, instantly. This includes Spotify playlists. Grouping all rooms together means you can control the volume of all speakers at once.
Friends and family can also gain control of your system through the Spotify app without having to download the Sonos software. And you no longer have to be on your Wi-Fi network to control Sonos, you can even send songs to it remotely.
You need to sign up to the Sonos Public Beta programme to gain the new feature. You can find out more details on the dedicated Sonos webpage.
AIVAnet 