Live out your lumberjack dreams in a VR chainsaw simulator
Virtual reality can teleport you into space, the bottom of the ocean and, soon, a version of Boston devastated by nuclear war. On the flip side, the immersive medium can be used for more primitive occupations and pastimes. Remember this forklift truck simulator from Gamescom? Well, now there’s something (potentially) even better: Limberjack, an ultra-realistic chainsaw simulator. With a Vive headset and two wand controllers, you can grab one of man’s favorite weapons and cut some branches from a downed tree. In the professional lumberjack world, this is called “limbing,” and is used regularly as part of logging championships.
I could go on, but Husqvarna — the game’s publisher and a forestry equipment specialist — does a better job of selling the whole experience:
“The art of stripping felled trees of their branches is exciting, but very dangerous. Welcome to Limberjack! Grab your Husqvarna chainsaw, and pursue your dream of becoming the undisputed greatest limber alive.”
The idea is to nimbly trim the branches in the shortest time possible, besting your friends and “picking up techniques used by the pros as you go along.” Best of all, there’s no requirement that you wear a flannel shirt. You can, however, shout “timber!” at the top of your lungs at any time.
Via: The Verge
Source: Limberjack (Steam)
NASA’s sun-loving spacecraft catches a double eclipse on cam
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory sees a lot of interesting sights in its geosynchronous orbit, including intense solar flares and other celestial bodies crossing the sun’s surface. On September 1st, for instance, it filmed both the Earth and moon blocking its view of the sun at the same time. In the video below the fold, you can see the Earth moving in front of SDO’s camera and then past it just in time to catch a glimpse of the moon’s transit.
You’ll notice that the Earth’s edges look hazy, while the moon’s look clear and crisp. That distortion is caused by our planet’s atmosphere — something the moon doesn’t have — that absorbs light from the sun. By the way, it’s not just SDO that saw this double eclipse. It was also visible here on Earth, particularly in parts of central and southern Africa, where people saw it as a “ring of fire.”
Source: NASA
Fox Sports Go is streaming on Chromecast and Roku too
Just in case you need another way to watch college football, Fox Sports Go has launched apps on a few more platforms. There’s now an app available for Roku, as well as the ability to stream on Chromecast (at least on Android and from the web, I didn’t see an option to do it from iOS yet). Neither platform mentioned support for the 60fps or Multiview Display support that’s in its just-released app for the new Apple TV, but if all you want to do is stream a game quickly, they should get the job done.
Source: Fox Sports Go
Mobile Nations Weekly: Recalls, launches, and invites
A week of tech in Berlin, Apple sets the date for the iPhone 7 reveal, and Samsung’s Note is maybe a little too hot.
The last time a smartphone company was hit with news this damaging about a retail product was Apple’s iPhone 4 “Antennagate”, and at least that didn’t include literally exploding phones. That’s the position that Samsung is in with the Galaxy Note 7, which has been recalled globally after several reports of fires and explosions traced back to faulty battery cells.
The Note 7 recall marred an otherwise successful IFA show for Samsung, which saw the launch of the new and bigger Gear S3 smartwatch, along with ASUS getting into the round Android Wear game with the ZenWatch 3. Sony also brought their a-game with the new flagship Sony XZ and Huawei impressed with the new Nova mid-range line.
But the real star of IFA was the category-bridging Lenovo Yoga Book, a convertible Android or Windows 10 laptop that sports a full touch panel base instead of a keyboard and trackpad. It’s crazy in all the right ways, and awesome enough that it made both the Android Central Best of IFA 2016 and Windows Central Best of IFA 2016 lists.
Acer also came to impress, busting out the ludicrously thin Swift 7 ultrabook and the ludicrously powerful (and enormous) Predator 21X gaming ‘laptop’.
And while IFA might have marked the prior week, it’s Apple that’s going to define the next. An Apple event on Wednesday will see the revealing of the iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2, and more from Cupertino — timing that makes Samsung’s recall even more of a publicity predicament.
Android Central — The hot Note 7 news
This week saw small reports of Galaxy Note 7 battery faults quickly turn into a worldwide recall of every Note 7 made around the world. The short version is this: there’s an issue with some battery cells in some Note 7s, causing fires or explosions; that means if you have a Note 7, you need to return it as soon as possible for a refund or replacement.
Meanwhile, the IFA show happening in Berlin this week gave us a look at wearables, phones, tablets and Chromebooks to get excited about. Samsung unveiled its new Gear S3 models, ASUS rolled out a round ZenWatch 3, Sony dropped its latest flagship phone, Huawei brought two mid-rangers and Acer has a new Chromebook R13. That’s just a taste, though — check out all of our IFA stories right here.
- Huawei MediaPad M3 review
- Lenovo’s Yoga Book aims to be the tablet-laptop convertible the Pixel C never was
- Moto Z Play Droid review
- The end of Nexus: New Google phones to forge different path
- Deciphering those ‘rugged’ phone ratings
- What you need to know about DT Ignite
- LG V20: What we know so far about the first Nougat phone
- Honor 8 review: A new competitor in the U.S.
CrackBerry — DBETA50
This week for BlackBerry was all about the further roll out of the DTEK50 and new partnership announcements. To kick things off, BlackBerry posted up their latest Android app updates as well as the first beta for DTEK50 owners. On the partnership side, BlackBerry has teamed up with 3 Hong Kong to roll out the carriers new multi-number SIM system using BlackBerry technology plus, BlackBerry announced they, along with Samsung, have now supplied the first ‘spy-proof’ tablets to the German government.
- BlackBerry rolls out their first DTEK50 Android beta through Beta Zone
- BlackBerry technology enables 3 Hong Kong to offer 10 mobile numbers on one SIM
- BlackBerry and Samsung supply the first spy-proof tablets to the German government
iMore — Se7en
It’s official. Apple has sent out invitations for its annual September event, and that means we should be seeing iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2, new bands, and the final versions of iOS 10, watchOS3, and tvOS 10. iMore will be there LIVE so make sure you follow along for all the action!
- Apple iPhone 7 event preview
- iPhone 7 rumor roundup
- Apple Watch 2 rumor roundup
- Here’s what you’ll be able to do with Siri + apps in iOS 10!
- This is the best smart thermostat you can buy
- The future of HomeKit is now!
VR Heads — PlayStation VR is coming!!!
We are now weeks away from Sony launching PlayStation VR, a crazy new experience that is not only cheaper than the big PC competition, but also offering a stellar games lineup. The best news? We’re giving one away! Educate yourself on this crazy new headset, and join our giveaway!
- Eight things you need to know about PlayStation VR before the October launch!
- I tried PlayStation VR and bought a PS4 the nest day
- Enter to win a complete PlayStation VR kit
Windows Central — Flipping out for Yoga
IFA in Berlin, Germany kicked off early this week with plenty of announcements from PC manufacturers. None stole our attention, however, like the super creative Lenovo Yoga Book, which is expected later in October. You can see the rest of our IFA coverage in our ‘best of’ roundup.
Although IFA was this week’s top-billed event a lot of other news happened as well. Microsoft released Windows 10 build 14915 to Fast Ring as they continue to build up the new Redstone 2 branch. The Surface Pro 4 and Book received new firmware. We also detailed a new ‘night mode’ and People Bar coming to Windows 10 next year.
Other bits and bobs include Instagram for Windows 10 Mobile finally gets the Stories feature. Pandora on Xbox One can now play music in the background.
Finally, we kicked off our new live show on Fridays dubbed Microsoft, Minecraft, and Libations, which also has some giveaways.
- Review: Schneider Electric brings its Wiser Air smart thermostat app to Windows 10
- Dell XPS 15 (9550) review – The best 15-inch Windows laptop
- Control your smart home automation with Home Remote for Xbox One
- All devs can now submit apps to the Xbox One
Razer gaming keyboard aims to be the best of both worlds
Gaming keyboards tend to be an either/or proposition. Either you get the fast action and feedback of mechanical switches, or you ‘settle’ for the relative comfort of membrane rubber domes. Razer doesn’t think you should have to choose. It’s introducing the Ornata, a keyboard series whose “Mecha-Membrane” hybrid promises both the soft feel of a membrane with the “crisp, tactile” input of mechanical switches. It’s too soon to say how well it works in practice (you’d likely want to spend days with an Ornata to know it inside-out), but it’s also rare to see keyboard makers experimenting this way — it might be worth a look if you’re uncomfortable with pure mechanical keys.
You can snag the Ornata through Razer’s online store right now in either an $80 standard version with all-green lighting, or a $100 Ornata Chroma with 16.8 million colors. Either will get you customizable lighting effects and macro-ready programmable keys. That’s not cheap by any stretch, but Razer is clearly betting that you won’t feel a twinge of buyer’s remorse.
Source: Razer (1), (2)
SpaceX asked to pay $50 million after losing a satellite
SpaceX may have to deal with more than equipment losses and Mark Zuckerberg’s disappointment in the wake of its launchpad explosion. Spacecom, which owned the AMOS-6 satellite destroyed in the incident (and part of Facebook’s free internet plans), is asking SpaceX for either $50 million or a free flight as compensation. The loss will have a large impact on Spacecom’s bottom line, as you might imagine. The Israeli firm is estimating that it’ll lose between $30 million to $123 million in equity.
The team at SpaceX has yet to comment on Spacecom’s request. We’ve reached out to see if it has a response. However, it won’t take a grievous blow if it agrees to Spacecom’s terms. As SpaceX explained when beginning its investigation of the explosion, there are about 70 missions on its manifest with a total value of $10 billion. The rocket and launchpad costs would be greater. Instead, the greater loss could be symbolic. Customers may well be worried that their payloads might face a similar fate, and they’ll want reassurances that this was just a freak occurrence.
Source: Reuters
The best games for your Samsung Gear VR
Games you shouldn’t miss on Samsung Gear VR.
There are tons of great games and experiences available on Samsung Gear VR. Finding a great game within the Oculus store can be a pain though, and that’s why we’re here for you. We’ve collected the best of the best, and given you the details on each one. This means you won’t have to go hunting for a great game, because you’ll already have the details.
Read More on VR Heads!
From the (Berlin) Editor’s Desk: Samsung’s hot news at IFA
Sometimes the biggest news from a show doesn’t come from the show at all.
This past week myself and Alex Dobie represented AC over at the IFA show in Berlin, joined by Derek Kessler and Mark Guim from Windows Central. Oh, and that Phil guy. He was here. It was my first time in Berlin, and the city is unlike any other I’ve visited — I definitely want to come back.
So often when we attend trade shows the real benefit for us personally and you, the readers, isn’t even the actual news from the show. It’s what happens surrounding the show, wandering through the halls and spending time after hours with colleagues. It’s also the news that happens to land elsewhere, and how we cover it when we’re all sitting here together away from home. This year it was the amazingly quick progression of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 recall.
The news cycle can be funny, I think we all know. Samsung unveiled its latest wearables, the Gear S3 Frontier and Classic, just a couple of days earlier to a rather positive reception. I got to look at them for a while and am actually really impressed with them — even though I’m worried they’re just too darn big for some people. But that was quickly buried by the international story of Samsung instead recalling just about all of the Note 7s it has made and sold.
Often the most valuable part of a show is just being together, no matter where the news hits
Though things seemed a little slow from our perspective inside the tech news echo chamber, the reality is that Samsung reacted incredibly fast on this matter. Moreover, it took on the blame — rather than calling out a supplier or downplaying things, it simply said that for the best safety of everyone it was going to recall every phone and issue replacements. U.S. carriers didn’t all react so swiftly or smoothly, but most got the point: chances are you’re going to get a replacement phone, different phone with a difference in price or a full refund. That’s the right way to handle things.
No matter how a recall is handled it’s always going to be a black mark on a company’s reputation. How it handles things can go a long way to helping mitigate the loss of reputation, and generally I think Samsung did well here. Most Note 7 owners seem to be happy with their purchases and are likely to just get a straight-up swap for a fresh unit. How will consumers react the next time they go to the store to buy a high-end Samsung phone? We’ll find out.
Now, how about what actually happened at IFA?
- We were all pretty caught off guard by the ASUS ZenWatch 3. It came out without any leaks, and looks to easily be the best ZenWatch yet. It’s also rather inexpensive, but still looks and feels nice. That represents a big chunk of the smartwatch market.
- Sony is back, kinda, with the Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact. Both phones are solid complete packages; they’re just missing a few things — namely fingerprint sensors in the U.S. I’m worried about pricing, and how much phone buyers in the U.S. have just moved on from even considering Sony.
- The Moto Z Play looks like a fantastic value, and maybe even a better choice for many than the Moto Z proper — I can’t quite say the same about the Hasselblad camera Mod.
- Then there was the Lenovo Yoga Book. I had seen and used it before it was released and was super intrigued — color me even more so now that it’s going to be on sale for just $499. I’m setting myself up for disappointment, I know, but I just have to use the Yoga Book some more.
- Huawei’s Nova and Nova Plus are somewhat interesting, but not from my U.S.-tinted glasses. They look like good mid-to-high-end phones for Europe and elsewhere, and I’m constantly amazed by Huawei’s hardware design and quality, but they’re going to be a little spendy for what they actually offer.
- Then there’s the MediaPad M3. Meh.
- Acer’s new Chromebook R13 is easily the best it’s ever made, but really only brings it up to what the Dell Chromebook 13 did last year (plus USB-C). It inches us closer to the ideal “solid mid-range Chromebook” the Chrome OS enthusiasts all want. (Right now, that’s the HP Chromebook 13, I guess.)
That’s all for now. A little bit less than a day left in Berlin, then I’m on a long flight back to Seattle. Enjoy the dwindling hours of the weekend, wherever you are. See ya Monday.
IFA 2016: It’s a wrap!
And just like that, IFA 2016 has come to an end — at least for us. While the event runs through September 7th, our editors are getting ready to head home to their respective countries. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of content on the way, so keep your eyes peeled to the site. Until then, enjoy our video recap of the best (and worst) things we saw this past week here in Berlin.
Acer’s 21-inch ‘laptop’ gives ridiculous a new name
Acer’s made gaming laptops before, but none of them are quite like this. The behemoth you see here is the Predator 21X, which is the most redonkulous notebook I’ve seen in my life. The term desktop replacement is quite literal here, as it has a massive 21-inch curved display. Indeed, it’s apparently the world’s first laptop to have such a distinction. And if that isn’t ridiculous enough, it actually has two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards with SLI under the hood. Two.
I checked it out here at IFA and it looks even bigger in person, if you can believe that. It is simply massive. An Acer spokesperson even told us it weighs a whopping 8 kg (17.7 pounds). Still, that giant screen with its 2,560 x 1,080 resolution does do a lot to immerse you in gameplay, and I can see it being used to watch movies as well. But the insanity doesn’t stop there. Underneath that massive display is Tobii’s eye-tracking tech, which lets you simply look at an enemy target to aim rather than having to fiddle around with a mouse or keyboard. I had a go at it after a brief tutorial, and I have to admit it was pretty fun to just press a spacebar to fire rather than having to deal with the WASD keys as well.
Speaking of that keyboard, the Predator 21X is equipped with rather gorgeous mechanical one, complete with Cherry MX switches and RGB illumination. It was a joy to type on, and I can see its appeal to those who love the feel of clicky keys. What’s more, the trackpad on the Predator 21X actually transforms into a number keypad — you simply turn it over to go from number puncher to hardcore gamer (and vice versa). It’s a feature we’ve seen before, but it’s still cool to see it here.
The Predator 21X is a giant in specs as well as in size. Along with those two NVIDIA cards, it also has the latest 7th-generation Intel Core processor, a 4.2-channel audio system with Dolby Audio support and 5 system fans, three of which are AeroBlade metal models for even better cooling. There was no specs given regarding battery life, but there’s no way you’d want to leave this without power for long anyway.
Pricing and availability is still yet to be determined, but Acer tells us it should start shipping early next year. Still, we bet something like this will likely cost more than your average gaming rig. Better start saving your pennies now.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
